The Austrian Science Fund (FWF) has approved a new special research area on quantum systems of neutral atoms. Research groups led by Hannes Bernien, Francesca Ferlaino, and Hannes Pichler from IQOQI Innsbruck are participating in this project. The FWF will fund the new research network with approximately €4 million over a period of four years.
Quantum simulators could be used in the future to investigate complex phenomena that are difficult or impossible for classical computers to access. Ultracold atoms and molecules play an important and promising role in the development of such applications: in current experiments, they can already be manipulated individually and precisely with laser light at extremely low temperatures and thus assembled into large architectures according to a modular principle.
In order to fully exploit this potential, it will be necessary to achieve a high degree of networking and quantum mechanical entanglement of many particles, even those that are far apart. This is precisely the goal of the new Collaborative Research Network “Highly Connected Quantum Systems of Neutral Atoms,” in which Hannes Bernien, Francesca Ferlaino, and Hannes Pichler from the University of Innsbruck and the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information in Innsbruck are participating. The scientists from the fields of theory and experiment are working together in an interdisciplinary manner at the intersection of atomic physics, quantum optics, and many-body theory. With the realization and investigation of quantum systems that are now becoming experimentally accessible for the first time, the planned cooperation promises not only a deeper understanding of novel states of matter, but also practical breakthroughs in the field of quantum technology.
Establishing strong research networks
Approximately €4 million will be available for the new research network over the next four years. Following a successful evaluation, the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) will extend the funding for a further four years. With its special research areas, the FWF aims to establish exceptionally productive, closely networked research units to tackle long-term, complex research topics. The funding for the program comes from the Future Fund of Austria.