Enabling Quantum Leap: Q-AMASE-i: Quantum Foundry at UCSB

摘要：该项目在加州大学圣巴巴拉分校建立了量子铸造厂——下一代铸造厂，开发承载相干量子态的材料和界面，为即将到来的量子电子时代提供动力。在量子计算、量子传感和其他基于量子信息的应用中，新兴的技术前沿需要超越传统的电子学，而传统电子学只处理单一的经典状态（例如一个比特），而是访问多个叠加或纠缠的量子状态（例如一个量子比特）。利用这种量子信息的多态范式需要开发既能承载这些复杂量子态又能保护其信息不因环境退相干而丢失的新材料。量子铸造厂通过(1)创建用于创建和测量具有受保护量子相干态的材料的工具，以及(2)通过开发这些材料，使其受控量子态的退相干可以避免，来解决这一挑战。在铸造厂进行的研究开发了承载具有天然保护相干性的量子电子态的材料，进一步稳定了界面上的这些受保护状态，并设计了将其量子相干性传播到传统信息网络中的方法。这些主题是铸造厂工业合作伙伴的核心利益，所有这些合作伙伴都在铸造厂运营的各个层面相互交织，以最大限度地发挥其在不断增长的量子信息技术领域的影响。实现这一目标的关键是铸造厂的计划，即培训能够在这一新领域前沿推动创新的多元化量子劳动力。特别是，量子信息科学研究生培训的重新构想和跨学科计划，结合基于量子的本科研究培训和针对不同社区的外展活动，是量子铸造厂使命的重点。技术摘要：本项目为即将到来的量子信息电子时代建立一个材料铸造厂。通过整合跨学科专业知识的融合阵列，实现关键的新工具开发，并利用UCSB和网络合作伙伴的庞大材料开发基础设施网络，加州大学圣巴巴拉分校的量子铸造厂旨在开发形成基于量子信息的设备和应用（例如，基于量子的计算和传感）骨干所需的材料。实现这一愿景的关键是，铸造厂开发了块状晶体和薄膜材料，这些材料具有受保护的相干性（如非阿贝尔任意子状态），可在可扩展接口上使这些和其他纠缠/叠加状态功能化，并设计了跨网络传播量子相干性的方法。例如，从开发承载拓扑保护非阿贝尔状态的新形式的拓扑超导体，到开发操纵高度相干的局域量子态的平台。铸造厂创新和利用新工具来生长产生相干量子态的原始材料，以及表征其相干性和纠缠的新仪器。跨学科的理论、计算和数据科学努力进一步支持和指导铸造厂的研究，工业合作伙伴在铸造厂的运作中相互交织。与这些行业合作伙伴的协同作用是铸造厂加速国家量子技术经济部门发展愿景的核心，铸造厂的一个关键目标是培养具有量子能力的劳动力。铸造厂在量子信息科学方面的新颖研究生培训计划及其基于量子的本科生研究培训/外展活动旨在建立多元化的下一代劳动力——能够利用量子技术发展带来的科学和商业机会。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Nontechnical Abstract: This project establishes the Quantum Foundry at UC Santa Barbara---a next generation foundry that develops materials and interfaces hosting the coherent quantum states needed to power the coming age of quantum-based electronics. Emerging technological frontiers in quantum computation, quantum sensing, and other quantum information-based applications require moving beyond conventional electronics, which address only a single classical state (e.g. a bit), and to instead access multiple superimposed or entangled quantum states (e.g. a quantum bit). Harnessing this multistate paradigm of quantum information requires the development of new materials that are capable of both hosting these complex quantum states and of protecting their information from being lost via environmental decoherence. The Quantum Foundry addresses this challenge through (1) the creation of tools for creating and measuring materials possessing protected quantum coherent states and (2) through developing these materials such that the decoherence of their controlled quantum states can be avoided. Research conducted in the Foundry develops materials that host quantum electronic states with natively protected coherence, further stabilizes these protected states at interfaces, and also engineers the means of propagating their quantum coherence into conventional information networks. These topics are core interests of the Foundry's industrial partners, all of whom are intertwined within all levels of the Foundry's operations to maximize its impact in the growing quantum information technologies sector. Key to this is the Foundry's program of training a diverse quantum workforce capable of driving innovation at the frontiers of this new sector. In particular, a reimagined and interdisciplinary program of graduate training in quantum information science combined with quantum-based undergraduate research training and outreach activities targeted at diverse communities is a focus of the Quantum Foundry's mission. Technical Abstract: This project establishes a materials foundry for the coming age of quantum information-based electronics. Through integrating a convergent array of interdisciplinary expertise, enabling critical new tool development, and leveraging a vast network of materials development infrastructure at UCSB and with network partners, the Quantum Foundry at UC Santa Barbara aims to develop the materials required to form the backbone of quantum information-based devices and applications (e.g., quantum-based computing and sensing). Key to realizing this vision, the Foundry develops both bulk crystalline and thin film materials that natively host quantum electronic states with protected coherence (such as non-abelian anyon states), functionalizes these and other entangled/superposition states at scalable interfaces, and engineers the means of propagating their quantum coherence across networks. Examples range from the development of new forms of topological superconductors hosting topologically protected non-abelian states to developing platforms for manipulating highly coherent, localized quantum states. The Foundry innovates and harnesses new tools for growing pristine materials that engender coherent quantum states as well as new instruments for characterizing their coherence and entanglement. Interdisciplinary theoretical, computational, and data science efforts further underpin and guide the Foundry's research, and industrial partners are intertwined throughout the Foundry's operation. Synergies with these industry partners are core to the Foundry's vision of accelerating the development of the nation's quantum technologies economic sector, and a key goal of the Foundry is the training of a quantum-capable workforce. The Foundry's novel graduate training program in quantum information science and its quantum-based undergraduate research training/outreach activities are targeted at building a diverse, next generation workforce---one capable of harnessing the scientific and commercial opportunities that arise as quantum-based technologies develop.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.