Ultra-Low Noise Measurement Capability for Quantum Science

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In the past few years there has been a very high international interest in Quantum Physics leading to new Technologies. The success of these technologies will lead to advances in a range of activities including new types of sensor, secure communications and advanced computing with the ability to perform calculations not presently possible. This latter category is based on the properties of quantum systems to develop bits, so called qu-bits, which can take any value between 0 and 1 unlike present, conventional, bits which are 0 or 1. However the development of this technology requires many advances in techniques and understanding, particularly as the means of generating the qubits are extremely low energy requiring temperatures very close to the absolute zero. Commercial equipment is available for reaching these temperatures but often electronic noise emanating from other equipment, radio stations and other sources is picked up by the device under test. This prevents the electrons from reaching the lowest temperatures necessary to observe the quantum effects. It is the purpose of this grant to develop noise reduction techniques in this very low temperature equipment which enables investigation of quantum properties including those not presently observable. The effects which we hope to investigate include some which stem from the repulsion of electrons in specific devices forming a new type of configuration and behaving as if they had a fractional charge. Other effects are based on quantum entanglement, which has no non-quantum counterpart, and arises from the property of two electrons to sense each other and mutually change their properties even when apart. To observe these effects requires a very detailed and precise isolation of the elecrons from any disturbing influences at extremly low temperatures and it is the purpose of this application to establish this isolation and investigate the new quantum properties which may emerge.