Excellence in Research - Collaborative Proposal: Investigation of Quantum Effects and Nanostructures Through Research & Educational Partnership Between NCCU & Howard University

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NONTECHNICAL SUMMARYQuantum-information science promises to revolutionize computation and communication. Qubits, the fundamental units of quantum computation, must retain information long enough to be useful. The investigators propose to dramatically increase qubit lifetimes by taking advantage of piezoelectric effects. These couple electrical charge with mechanical stress in certain materials. The project will enhance cutting-edge research in nanoscience through a collaboration between researchers in Howard University and North Carolina Central University, two leading HBCUs. A combination of theory and modeling with advanced experimental techniques will provide students with strong training in key frontier areas of quantum computing and nanoscience and technology. The project will promote and inspire the education and training of minority and underrepresented undergraduate and graduate students. It will also enhance the professional development of young faculty members. This collaboration will also help the recruitment, enrollment, and retention of STEM students at both institutions. The involvement of researchers ranging from undergraduates to doctoral students will train a new generation of minority scientists in key frontier areas of quantum computing and nanoscience that will impact their everyday lives.TECHNICAL SUMMARYThe common synergistic themes pursued by researchers at both institutions will focus on: (1) electron tunneling and exciton dynamics phenomena in binary quantum nanostructures, (2) piezoelectric quantum dot molecules for qubits, (3) charge dynamics and optical spectroscopy of nanowires and nanoribbons, and (4) the optical and Raman spectroscopy of graphitic nanomaterials and piezoelectric quantum dots. The PIs will develop a novel approach for designing qubits for quantum computers based on excitons in piezoelectric quantum dots that are expected to have longer entanglement times and higher operating temperatures than present qubits. Increasing tunneling between nanostructures that is correlated with entanglement is crucial for quantum computers and for the novel kind of quantum detectors that the PIs are proposing, which are based on controlling the tunneling between an analyte and the detector’s nanostructures by the changes in the overlap between their densities of states and the change in the symmetry between them. In order to achieve the proposed objectives, the PIs will develop new theoretical and modeling approaches to calculate and simulate the properties of a variety of nanostructures (e.g. quantum dots, nanowires, nanoribbons, carbon nanotubes, and functionalized graphene) and employ state-of-the-art novel characterization techniques that include combinations of Raman spectroscopy, photoluminescence, fast femtosecond spectroscopy, and contactless charge dynamics spectroscopy in the GHz to THz range. The proposed research partnership will bring together subject matter experts in the following niche areas: charge tunneling associated with nanostructures; quantum dot molecules for novel qubits and quantum computing; metamaterials and plasmonic physics; and the Raman and laser spectroscopy of graphitic nanomaterials and piezoelectric quantum dots. The involvement of researchers ranging from undergraduates to doctoral students will train a new generation of minority scientists in key frontier areas of quantum computing and nanoscience that will impact their everyday lives.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.