Developing Molecular Quantum Technologies

量子技术公司承诺利用量子力学的力量提供性能超过传统技术的新一代设备。我们可以期待量子技术公司提供更强大的计算方法、完全安全的通信、增强的计量和具有无与伦比的灵敏度的传感器。因此，量子技术的发展吸引了包括英国和美国在内的世界各地国家资助机构的大量投资，以及对许多初创公司的大量私人投资。许多量子技术平台正在开发中，包括陷阱离子、超冷原子、超导器件和光子，每个平台都有自己的优势和劣势。与这些更成熟的技术相比，超冷分子在这个领域是新的。然而，分子具有丰富的内部振动和旋转结构、长程偶极-偶极相互作用以及与应用电场和微波场的强耦合。该提议的目标是建立一个国际合作，专注于克服我们目前的实验平台和分子量子技术实现之间的科学和技术挑战。我们的合作涉及来自杜伦大学、帝国理工学院、牛津大学、哈佛大学和科罗拉多大学的JILA的研究人员。我们的团队由10名世界领先的研究人员组成，他们都在国际公认的原子、分子和光学物理研究的卓越中心工作。每个研究人员都带来了互补的专业知识，涵盖了实现我们的愿景所需的实验和理论方法。在过去的十年里，我们都为超冷分子领域的变革做出了各自的贡献。我们已经学会了如何在超低温下产生广泛的分子物种--这是揭示和获取分子量子行为所必需的关键第一步。随后，我们学会了在量子水平上捕获、操纵和控制单个分子。随着我们的分子现在得到控制，以及第二代实验平台的浪潮上线，我们正处于超冷分子研究的新纪元的边缘。因此，现在是我们联合起来，协调我们在这个朝向量子技术的蓬勃发展领域的研究努力的最佳时机。我们的具体研究计划围绕三个相互关联的主要目标进行组织。首先，我们将学习控制分子-分子和原子-分子的碰撞和相互作用，使我们能够进一步冷却我们的分子深入量子区域。其次，通过我们对分子-分子相互作用的控制，我们将在光学晶格中创建分子的多体量子态，适合于对难以在经典设备上建模的系统进行量子模拟。最后，我们将学习如何在光钳中设计分子之间的高保真量子门-基于分子的量子计算机的基本构建块。这些雄心勃勃的研究目标的成功实现将使超冷分子成为具有竞争力的量子技术，并将加强英国在这一具有战略重要性的领域的领导地位。

Quantum Technologies promise to harness the power of quantum mechanics to deliver a new generation of devices whose performance surpasses what is possible with conventional technology. We can expect Quantum Technologies to deliver more powerful methods of computation, completely secure communication, enhanced metrology and sensors with unparalleled sensitivity. Accordingly, the development of Quantum Technologies has attracted substantial investments from national funding agencies worldwide, including in the UK and USA, as well as significant private investment in numerous start-up companies.Many Quantum Technology platforms are being developed, including trapped ions, ultracold atoms, superconducting devices and photons, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Compared to these more established technologies, ultracold molecules are new to the arena. And yet molecules have many advantages stemming from their rich internal structure of vibration and rotation, long-range dipole-dipole interactions and strong coupling to applied electric and microwave fields.The goal of this proposal is to establish an international collaboration focused on overcoming the scientific and technical challenges that lie between our current experimental platforms and the realisation of molecular Quantum Technologies.Our collaboration involves researchers from Durham University, Imperial College, Oxford University, Harvard University and JILA at the University of Colorado. Our team consists of 10 world-leading investigators, all of whom are embedded in internationally recognised centres of excellence for atomic, molecular and optical physics research. Each investigator brings complementary expertise spanning the experimental and theoretical methods needed to realise our vision. Over the last decade, we have all individually contributed to the transformation of the field of ultracold molecules. We have learned how to produce a wide range of molecular species at ultracold temperatures - the key first step necessary to reveal and access the quantum behaviour of molecules. Subsequently, we have learned to trap, manipulate and control individual molecules at the quantum level. With our molecules now under control and a wave of second-generation experimental platforms coming online, we are on the cusp of a new era for ultracold molecule research. Now is therefore the perfect time for us to join forces and coordinate our research effort in this flourishing field towards Quantum Technology.Our specific research programme is organised around three major, inter-related goals. Firstly, we will learn to control molecule-molecule and atom-molecule collisions and interactions, enabling us to further cool our molecules deep into the quantum regime. Secondly, with our control of molecule-molecule interactions, we will create many-body quantum states of molecules in optical lattices suitable for quantum simulation of systems that are difficult to model on a classical device. Finally, we will learn how to engineer high-fidelity quantum gates between molecules held in optical tweezers - the essential building block of a molecule-based quantum computer.Successful delivery of these ambitious research goals will establish ultracold molecules as a competitive Quantum Technology and will enhance the UK's leadership in this strategically important area.