Applied Quantum Information Science

Theory is being developed and used to devise methods for preserving and exploiting the quantum behavior of ever-larger systems and finding potential roles for these systems in technology.  

Quantum information science focuses on methods for using the microscopic laws of quantum mechanics to implement new methods for metrology, secure communication, simulation of physical systems, and even information processing. However, practical implementations of these ideas rely on simultaneously reducing the coupling of a small system to the outside world while improving our ability to control the same system using macroscopic apparati. Our research works on improved methods for teasing out the quantum behavior of ever-larger systems, and finding potential roles for these systems to play in a technological setting.  
 

Avenues of theoretical research include:

*Investigating the performance and limits of quantum devices, including methods for interfacing disparate subsystems such as atoms and superconducting quantum bits to take best advantage of properties of each;

*Developing applications for quantum technologies in measurement science, communication, and computation, such as approaches for nano-scale magnetic sensing or long-distance quantum key distribution;

*Considering novel roles for dissipation, not only in understanding how it limits coherence in quantum systems, but also for cooling systems and even correcting errors in a quantum computation.