
Experimental physicists led by Gerhard Kirchmair, together with theoretical physicists at the University of Oulu, Finland, have succeeded for the first time in controlling protected quantum states - so-called dark states - in superconducting quantum bits. The entangled states are 500 times more robust and could be used, for example, in quantum simulations. The method could also be used on other technological platforms.

Quantum physicist Hannes Pichler has been awarded a Starting Grant by the European Research Council (ERC) for his theoretical research on quantum many-body physics and quantum information processing. The grant, endowed with around 1.5 million euros, is the highest award for successful young scientists in Europe.