Science and Technology

Leveraging distributed entanglement

Q-NEXT is establishing the science and technology for the networked quantum information processing of the future by intertwining computing, sensing and communication.

By harnessing entanglement, Q-NEXT aims to demonstrate the power of quantum information processing. This means building practical quantum systems at the chip-to-chip, lab-to-lab and city-to-city scales. It also means integrating these systems seamlessly using a shared set of devices, subsystems, architectures, and algorithms.

The center focuses on three interconnected scientific efforts:

Networked integration of entanglement – building new quantum networking capabilities and sharing quantum computing power across a citywide network
Enhanced sensing through entanglement – making discoveries through sensors that use quantum entanglement and achieving sensitivity beyond the standard quantum limit
Physical integration of entanglement – developing quantum-advantaged prototype systems that blend different technologies, using foundry-level tools and methods

Through these intertwined efforts, Q-NEXT is delivering unprecedented precision in atomic-scale measurements, speeding up problem-solving with smarter algorithms, enabling secure information transmission, and building scalable and efficient quantum systems.

The overarching mission is to use entanglement to demonstrate the potential of quantum information.

Networked integration of entanglement

Quantum communication is the science of securely transmitting information using the principles of quantum mechanics. Unlike classical communication, quantum communication leverages entanglement and superposition to ensure unparalleled security and efficiency.

Q-NEXT is pioneering technologies that enable the robust distribution of quantum information across distances — from the scale of a computer chip to networks spanning entire cities.

A must-have for such scalable quantum networks is protocols for reducing the noise in quantum entanglement, a process known as entanglement purification. Q-NEXT is working to demonstrate entanglement purification as well as the use of a quantum algorithm across remote quantum processors.

This work will enable the center to establish quantum network nodes that can create, detect and process information locally linked by high-quality entanglement.

Advancements in quantum networking are critical for future large-scale quantum computing and the next generation of secure communication systems, enabling breakthroughs in fields such as national defense and financial services.

Enhanced sensing through entanglement

Quantum sensing harnesses the properties of quantum systems to achieve ultraprecise measurements that surpass the capabilities of classical sensors.

Q-NEXT is at the forefront of developing sensors that take advantage of entanglement to detect signals with unprecedented accuracy.

Measuring quantum properties necessarily requires dealing with a certain level of noise — the standard quantum limit imposed by noise, which limits accuracy. A clever way to get around this limit is to entangle the sensors making the measurements. The entanglement lets the sensors correlate the signals they pick up, which in turn reduces noise, sharpening the measurement to an accuracy beyond the standard quantum limit.

Q-NEXT aims to develop scalable, entanglement-enhanced sensors that demonstrate this advantage over 10 orders of magnitude in length scale — from 10 nanometers to 30 kilometers.

By creating sensors capable of identifying subtle changes in physical, chemical and biological systems, Q-NEXT is translating quantum advantage into field-ready technologies for discovery science and application-driven missions, including in medical imaging, timekeeping, navigation and fundamental physics.

Physical integration of entanglement

Quantum materials are the building blocks of future quantum technologies, designed to preserve quantum states for long lengths of time and for specific uses.

Q-NEXT is developing and standardizing foundational high-quality quantum materials through the Argonne Quantum Foundry, the SLAC Superconducting Quantum Foundry, and other resources at the national labs and partner universities. The foundries provide in-house capabilities for full-stack qubit development — a capability available at few other places in the world. Center research in quantum materials is vital for creating reliable quantum processors, sensors and communication systems, laying the foundation for a robust quantum economy and driving innovation across industries such as pharmaceuticals, telecommunications and materials science.

One of the center’s priorities is the heterogeneous integration of materials — combining different material systems within a single component. For example, a quantum device might pair a superconducting element with a semiconducting one. By developing prototypes that merge these platforms, Q-NEXT aims to deliver superior performance in smaller, more compact devices, as well as devices that work with today’s traditional information systems — making them practical for industrial use.

Photonic integration

Developing qubits that can be controlled with light; improving methods for linking chips directly to fiber-optic cables; creating new materials that could serve as reliable quantum memory; designing molecular qubits built for advanced sensing applications.

Semiconducting systems

Creating atomic-scale defects that can serve as qubits; building and testing silicon qubits to ensure they’re placed and function correctly; developing spin qubits in materials such as diamond, silicon carbide, and oxides; studying how tiny imperfections at material interfaces create noise that causes qubits to lose information; co-designing hardware and algorithms side by side, ensuring that quantum devices and the software that runs on them advance together.

Atom-like systems

Finding new ways to use atoms as the building blocks of quantum technologies; linking atom-based quantum computers into networks so they can work together; arranging atoms into precise patterns to create ultrasensitive sensors that can pick up signals far too faint for conventional tools.

Superconducting systems

Building new quantum devices; combining them with superconducting systems; developing the tools needed to test and understand their performance.

Information processing, algorithms and systems

Designing algorithms to link quantum computers; developing communication methods for quantum networks; using physics-based modeling to discover and enable new materials for future technologies.