Professor Prineha Narang is part of a team of UCLA researchers that has received a one-year, $1 million grant as part of a new National Science Foundation program designed to accelerate the development and commercialization of quantum technologies for the benefit of society.
Out of UCLA Newsroom (by Nicole Wilkins):
Researchers from the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA and their colleagues have received a one-year, $1 million grant as part of a new National Science Foundation program aimed at accelerating the development and commercialization of quantum technologies for the benefit of society.
The Quantum Sensing and Imaging Lab (Q-SAIL), led by UCLA quantum physicist David Leibrandt, is one of five pilot projects across the country selected by the NSF to participate in the agency’s new National Quantum Virtual Laboratory, a first-of-its-kind national resource to accelerate the discovery and advancement of quantum technologies. At Q-SAIL, UCLA scientists in physics, engineering and chemistry will collaborate with researchers at the University of Delaware, Caltech and MIT.
The goal of Q-SAIL is to develop quantum sensors based on two-dimensional ion trap arrays that trap charged atomic particles in a confined space, allowing scientists to make measurements with unprecedented precision.
“Quantum sensing is a brand new field with the potential to enable groundbreaking new capabilities and applications in navigation, telecommunications, medicine, atmospheric science, physics and astronomy,” said Leibrandt. “We are excited about the opportunity to bring together a world-class, multidisciplinary team of academic researchers and industry partners to develop cutting-edge quantum sensors and make them available to the user community.”
In addition to Leibrandt, a professor of physics and astronomy, the UCLA researchers include:
Richard Ross, Program Director of the Master’s Program in Quantum Science and Technology;
Mona Jarrahi, UCLA-Northrop Grumman Professor of Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering;
Aydogan Ozcan, the Volgenau Professor for Technical Innovation;
Chee Wei Wong, the Carol and Lawrence E. Tannas, Jr. Endowed Professor of Engineering;
Pri Narang, Professor of Physical Sciences at UCLA College and of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering and holder of the Howard Reiss Career Development Chair;
Alice Ho, Director of Research, Assessment, and Evaluation at UCLA’s Academic Advancement Program and Director and Principal Investigator of the Ronald E. McNair Research Scholars Program; and
Shanna shocked, Senior Associate Director of the Center for Educational Innovation and Learning in the Sciences at UCLA
Quantinuum and Infleqtion, two companies that have advanced the development of quantum technologies from academic laboratory experiments to commercial instruments, will contribute their technical expertise to increase the technology readiness level of Q-SAIL’s sensors.
After the initial 12-month period, pilot project teams will be invited to apply for larger awards, which are expected to fund the design and development of NQVL as a federated resource, bringing together assets that enable a variety of quantum-focused research and development.
“The NSF National Quantum Virtual Laboratory is a new NSF approach to facilitate the complex and multi-step process of translating new scientific ideas into fully developed technologies that benefit society,” said Denise Caldwell, NSF deputy director for mathematical and physical sciences. “As a shared national resource, the NQVL will also overcome the limitations associated with using only brick-and-mortar facilities – any qualified researcher or student can participate, regardless of where they are located in the United States.”
NQVL will expand access to specialised research infrastructure by acting as a geographically distributed national resource. NQVL will grow and adapt to seize new opportunities and accelerate the translation of fundamental science and engineering into practical applications, co-created by a broad and diverse user community from computing, networking and sensing.
Throughout its lifecycle, NQVL will provide workforce training and education opportunities to grow the U.S. STEM workforce that will ultimately lead the industries of the future. Democratizing access and building national capacity in quantum science is part of NSF’s strategy to implement the scientific and technological advances outlined in the National Quantum Initiative Act of 2018.
