Yale part of prestigious National Science Foundation quantum initiative
Yale researchers will be working with collaborators from Stony Brook and Columbia University as part of a program created by the National Science Foundation (NSF).
Phase 1 of the National Quantum Virtual Laboratory (NQVL) program will be led by Stony Brook physicists and computer scientists. This initiative is one of the NSF's most competitive programs launched within the Quantum Information Science and Technology (QIST) sector. According to the NSF, this program is designed to be “a systematic approach to maturing quantum technology platforms by integrating end-users from other fields of science and engineering and other sectors of the economy.” Through three competitive phases of development, the NQVL program is expected to yield several large projects that will significantly advance QIST and profoundly impact the scientific landscape of the region, and serve as the cornerstone of quantum technology development in the United States for the next decade.
The project, entitled: "SCY-QNet: A Wide-Area Quantum Network To Demonstrate Quantum Advantage," aims to design and implement a 10-node quantum network connecting state-of-the-art laboratories at Stony Brook University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Columbia University, and Yale University, creating the Stony Brook–Columbia–Yale Quantum Network (SCY-QNet). Yale’s Hong Tang, the Llewellyn West Jones, Jr. Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Applied Physics & Physics, is among the researchers working on the project.
“For the larger New York metro area, including Connecticut, the SCY-QNet project is an excellent opportunity to expand the region’s leadership in QIST by operating a large quantum national facility,” he said.
It will be the first version of a wide-area quantum Internet network, addressing a significant need in the field of QIST and drawing interest from researchers and the public alike.
“SCY-QNet is meant to demonstrate quantum advantage in meaningful applications, enhancing current information systems, such as long-distance hack-proof encryption and data communication via teleportation. It can also be an instrument to gain insights into unknown physical phenomena that require entangled systems to be understood,” said the lead principal investigator, Dr. Eden Figueroa, Stony Brook Presidential Innovation Endowed Professor and Director of the Center for Distributed Quantum Processing, who holds a joint appointment at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Brookhaven National Laboratory.
The project is envisioned as an advanced long-distance quantum network connecting quantum processing units across all the participant institutions via quantum entanglement using quantum repeaters. “This project has the potential to boost the scaling of quantum computing systems via quantum networks, forming a first version of the Quantum Internet. To realize this ambitious vision, we have assembled a team of the leading quantum physicists, electrical engineers, and computer scientists in the region,” adds Figueroa.
“There is a compelling need to develop a quantum network infrastructure that can serve as the foundation to develop applications demonstrating quantum advantage,” said Dr. Himanshu Gupta, with the Stony Brook Computer Science Department, a co-PI in the proposal. “We envision SCY-QNet to fulfill that need by developing a user-configurable shared quantum network infrastructure (a 'virtual laboratory') — allowing researchers and engineers to develop and experimentally validate new ideas.”
According to the SCY-QNet team, bringing quantum information and entanglement across several nodes and over long distances will provide the foundation for researchers to develop more secure networks, precise measurement systems, and powerful algorithms. “We plan to make SCY-QNet available to many institutions across the country, and the team is excited to develop these ideas into a national facility, providing access to cutting-edge quantum network technology to a large community of users,” said Dr. Sebastian Will, professor of physics at Columbia University, also a co-PI in the project.
It is expected that developing SCY-QNet will attract top talent to the region, which is essential to design and run all the facility components, including the science, engineering, and computer science needs. Developing the facility will be invaluable for developing a quantum-trained workforce at a scale never attempted before. “The opportunity to work with our academic partners and through our SUNY system network to rapidly scale quantum curriculum and experiential learning opportunities throughout NYS and in the region will be transformative,” said Prof. C. R. Ramakrishnan, with the Stony Brook Computer Science Department and the workforce development lead in the proposal. "It will enable us to reach a diverse and broad audience to share career opportunities in emerging and exciting quantum fields."