ExpandQISE: Track 2: EQUIP-UMB-Expand Quantum Information Programs at UMass Boston

非技术描述：麻省大学波士顿分校处于独特的地位，可以在量子信息科学与工程（QISE）方面进行前沿研究，并通过其学生群体培养多元化的未来QISE劳动力，成为新英格兰最多元化的公共研究机构。该项目旨在扩大马萨诸塞大学波士顿分校在QISE的现有学术和研究活动，并使马萨诸塞大学波士顿分校成为该领域领先的公共研究机构。它提供高质量的研究产品，开发学术活动，并与哈佛大学和马萨诸塞州理工学院合作，在马萨诸塞大学波士顿分校建立劳动力发展基础设施。 研究活动包括探索量子相关和纠缠态，以及开发操纵和减轻量子比特（qubit）错误的方法，同时结合机器学习辅助技术。该项目的结果将为未来大规模量子处理器的设计提供信息。该项目扩大了马萨诸塞大学波士顿分校在学术和劳动力发展方面的努力，并通过为不断增长的本地量子计算生态系统提供实验能力，并为马萨诸塞大学波士顿分校的本科生和研究生创造培训机会和实习机会，促进与波士顿地区公司和学术机构的共生关系。该项目通过社区外展活动，致力于吸引来自广泛和多样化背景的参与者，从根本上促进劳动力建设。技术说明：该项目围绕三个研究重点领域（FA）构建：（FA-1）量子基础;（FA-2）量子计量和控制;（FA-3）协同设计和量子系统。FA-1包括对称信息完整态的研究，它们的测量和使用Rydberg原子平台的实验实现。另一个方向包括研究量子涨落定理（解释量子相干性），以及使用氮空位（NV）中心设计其实验验证。在超冷量子气体和相关量子多体系统的背景下，该项目开发了适用于受控非平衡图解蒙特-卡罗的数值技术，并用于研究与贝尔不等式和纠缠态有关的蚱蜢问题。目前正在研究一种混合分子离子平台，以产生纠缠态，并利用内部原子态到分子离子态的条件转移实现量子门。在FA-2中，Rydberg原子平台用于在两个空间维度上相干传输具有动态和非局域连接性的纠缠量子比特。里德伯相互作用及其对光镊的影响进行了研究。从后者的研究结果通知硬件高效的算法实现。一个互补的方向分析噪声量子算法，量子计量学通过NV中心和噪声系统中的纠错阐明超导量子电路的方面，这是实现可扩展的错误减轻量子处理器的关键。后者的研究是通过开发机器学习增强量子传感来补充的，以开发用于最佳状态准备和测量设计的可变量子电路，该电路将应用于NV中心设置。FA-3包括开发稳定和可控的超导量子比特。开发的系统用于测量和控制分布在芯片上的多个量子电路，以研究相关噪声及其对大规模量子处理器的影响。最后，该团队参与了FA-4关于教育和劳动力发展的所有活动，从量子信息证书（QuIC）和未来的QISE研究生课程，到外联活动，该项目由多学科活动办公室（MPS/OMA）和技术前沿计划（TIP/TF）联合资助。该奖项反映了NSF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。

Non-Technical Description: UMass Boston is in a unique position to perform cutting-edge research in Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE) and to train a diverse future QISE workforce through its student population as the most diverse public research institution in New England. The project aims to expand UMass Boston’s existing academic and research activities in QISE and make UMass Boston a leading public research institution in this field. It delivers high-quality research products, develops academic activities, and establishes a workforce development infrastructure at UMass Boston in partnership with Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Research activities include the exploration of quantum correlated and entangled states, and the development of methodologies to manipulate and mitigate errors in quantum bits (qubits) while incorporating machine learning assisted technologies. Results deriving from this project will inform the design of future large-scale quantum processors. This project expands UMass Boston efforts in academics and workforce development and promotes a symbiotic relation with Boston area companies and academic institutions by providing access to experimental capacity for the growing local quantum computing ecosystem and creating training opportunities and internships for UMass Boston undergraduate and graduate students. This project contributes to workforce buildup from the ground up through Community Outreach activities, which are deliberately dedicated to engaging participants from broad and diverse backgrounds.Technical Description: This project is built around three research focus areas (FAs): (FA-1) Quantum Fundamentals; (FA-2) Quantum Metrology and Control; and (FA-3) Co-Design and Quantum Systems. FA-1 includes the study of symmetric informationally complete states, their measurement and their experimental implementation using the Rydberg atoms platform. An additional direction includes the study of quantum fluctuation theorems, which account for quantum coherence, and the design of their experimental verification using nitrogen-vacancy (NV)-centers. In the context of ultracold quantum gases and correlated quantum many-body systems, the project develops numerical techniques adapted to controlled non-equilibrium diagrammatic Monte-Carlo and for the study of the Grasshopper problem in connection to Bell inequalities and entangled states. Studies of a hybrid molecular ions platform to generate entangled states and to implement quantum gates using conditional transfer of internal atomic states into molecular ion states are being performed. In FA-2, the Rydberg atoms platform is used to coherently transport entangled qubits with dynamic and nonlocal connectivity across two spatial dimensions. Rydberg interactions and their impact on optical tweezers are studied. Results from the latter study inform hardware-efficient algorithm implementation. A complementary direction analyzes noisy quantum algorithms, quantum metrology via NV-centers and error correction in noisy systems to elucidate aspects of superconducting quantum circuits which are critical to realize scalable error-mitigated quantum processors. The latter research is complemented by the development of machine-learning enhanced quantum sensing to develop variational quantum circuits for optimal state preparation and measurement design, which is to be applied to the NV-center setup. FA-3 includes the development of stable and controllable superconducting qubits. The system developed is used to measure and control multiple quantum circuits spread-out across a chip to investigate correlated noises and their impact on large scale quantum processors. Finally, the team is involved in all activities of FA-4 on Education and Workforce Development, ranging from the Quantum Information Certificate (QuIC) and future QISE graduate courses, to outreach activities, to internships and training with industry partners in Greater Boston.This project is jointly funded by The Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (MPS/OMA) and Technology Frontiers Program (TIP/TF).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.