When quantum is not desirable: quantum noise vs. quantum technologies. One of the key remaining obstacles to the successful deployment of quantum computers & sensors in science, industry, and society is the existence of noise sources that are themselves quantum, and thus have an unmatched potential for disruption. This project will attack this problem by providing (i) a detailed understanding of the impact of quantum noise sources, and developing protocols to (ii) characterize and (iii) overcome ....When quantum is not desirable: quantum noise vs. quantum technologies. One of the key remaining obstacles to the successful deployment of quantum computers & sensors in science, industry, and society is the existence of noise sources that are themselves quantum, and thus have an unmatched potential for disruption. This project will attack this problem by providing (i) a detailed understanding of the impact of quantum noise sources, and developing protocols to (ii) characterize and (iii) overcome the negative effects such realistic noise entails. In taking this necessary step for the implementation of these breakthrough technologies, it will not only significantly advance knowledge but will have a direct impact in the development of a technology in which Australia and other leading nations are heavily invested.Read moreRead less
Outmaneuvering correlated noise in quantum computers. The project aims to characterise and control quantum machines available today. These machines overwhelmingly suffer from noise with complex structures. Thus, a key target of the project is to develop a theory to describe and manipulate complex quantum processes. The project then intends to apply this theory to commercial-grade quantum computers. This approach is anticipated to lead to a new understanding of time-correlated complex quantum pro ....Outmaneuvering correlated noise in quantum computers. The project aims to characterise and control quantum machines available today. These machines overwhelmingly suffer from noise with complex structures. Thus, a key target of the project is to develop a theory to describe and manipulate complex quantum processes. The project then intends to apply this theory to commercial-grade quantum computers. This approach is anticipated to lead to a new understanding of time-correlated complex quantum processes and develop methods to enhance the performance of today's quantum computers. Noise characterisation and mitigation should have commercial value and benefit research groups working to develop quantum technologies, both in Australia and internationally.Read moreRead less
Quantum measurement as a resource. Advanced quantum computers will use modular measurements significantly enhancing their capabilities. However, due to the noisy environment, the measurements may have nontrivial effects on the computation. Making best use of realistic (hence imperfect) measurements is a challenging problem that hinders the development of these technologies. This project, using modern tools of resource theory, aims to design optimal realistic measurement procedures for near-term ....Quantum measurement as a resource. Advanced quantum computers will use modular measurements significantly enhancing their capabilities. However, due to the noisy environment, the measurements may have nontrivial effects on the computation. Making best use of realistic (hence imperfect) measurements is a challenging problem that hinders the development of these technologies. This project, using modern tools of resource theory, aims to design optimal realistic measurement procedures for near-term noisy quantum devices. The expected outcomes of the project are refined methods to optimise quantum measurements in today's rudimentary quantum machines. This will provide a significant benefit to the Australian community, advancing the development of disruptive quantum technologies.Read moreRead less
Heisenberg-limited lasers: building the revolution. The project aims to design and build a revolutionary new type of laser based on the ground-breaking 2020 Nature Physics paper by the two Chief Investigators. The significance of this work is that it overturns 60 years of theory about the limits to laser coherence, by applying 21st century quantum theory and quantum technology to the problem. This project expects to greatly advance the theory and, by instigating a collaboration with world-leadin ....Heisenberg-limited lasers: building the revolution. The project aims to design and build a revolutionary new type of laser based on the ground-breaking 2020 Nature Physics paper by the two Chief Investigators. The significance of this work is that it overturns 60 years of theory about the limits to laser coherence, by applying 21st century quantum theory and quantum technology to the problem. This project expects to greatly advance the theory and, by instigating a collaboration with world-leading experimentalists working with superconducting quantum devices, to demonstrate a laser with coherence beyond what was thought possible. Benefits of the project should flow from the manifold applications for highly coherent radiation, including scaling up superconducting quantum computing.Read moreRead less
Securing the quantum internet with high-dimensional quantum systems. This project aims to develop experimental and theoretical tools for increasing security in the future quantum networks. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of quantum communication by leveraging on the properties of high-dimensional quantum systems. Expected outcomes of this project include novel protocols for quantum secret sharing that are resistant to experimental noise and an experimental implementati ....Securing the quantum internet with high-dimensional quantum systems. This project aims to develop experimental and theoretical tools for increasing security in the future quantum networks. This project expects to generate new knowledge in the area of quantum communication by leveraging on the properties of high-dimensional quantum systems. Expected outcomes of this project include novel protocols for quantum secret sharing that are resistant to experimental noise and an experimental implementation of such protocols. This should provide significant benefits to the development of the quantum internet and its security.Read moreRead less
Turbulent cascades in superfluid Flatland. This project aims to answer open questions in turbulence by stirring many tiny whirlpools (vortices) into a superfluid Bose-Einstein condensate. It seeks to determine how vortex dynamics redistribute energy across broad length scales in superfluids, how turbulence arises from instabilities, and how turbulence redistributes energy in multicomponent superfluids. The outcomes of this project will elucidate the links between quantum and classical fluids, an ....Turbulent cascades in superfluid Flatland. This project aims to answer open questions in turbulence by stirring many tiny whirlpools (vortices) into a superfluid Bose-Einstein condensate. It seeks to determine how vortex dynamics redistribute energy across broad length scales in superfluids, how turbulence arises from instabilities, and how turbulence redistributes energy in multicomponent superfluids. The outcomes of this project will elucidate the links between quantum and classical fluids, and provide unambiguous tests of theoretical models in real-world systems. These results will be beneficial to the understanding of the physics of quantum superfluids, and will inform the engineering of quantum-enhanced devices that utilise trapped superfluid media for precision sensing.Read moreRead less
Quantum sensing from the bottom up with engineered semiconductor devices. This project aims to develop electronic devices that work as sensors of electromagnetic fields, wherein genuine quantum effects are used to reach unprecedented gains in sensitivity. It combines the significance of unveiling the fundamental limits of quantum-enhanced metrology, with the convenience of doing so in potentially manufacturable semiconductor devices. The expected outcome is a novel, bottom-up understanding of ho ....Quantum sensing from the bottom up with engineered semiconductor devices. This project aims to develop electronic devices that work as sensors of electromagnetic fields, wherein genuine quantum effects are used to reach unprecedented gains in sensitivity. It combines the significance of unveiling the fundamental limits of quantum-enhanced metrology, with the convenience of doing so in potentially manufacturable semiconductor devices. The expected outcome is a novel, bottom-up understanding of how best to utilize exotic quantum states of matter and fields for metrological advantage. These results will inform the design of the next-generation of extreme quantum sensors, with potential impact ranging from fundamental physics research to applications in mining or defense.Read moreRead less
Controlling spin coherence with rotation. This project aims to harness the ability to control the fundamental interactions which limit the precision of a diamond quantum sensor, enabling more sensitive magnetometry. Quantum sensors are unveiling new insights into nano-scale phenomena. Single atom defects in diamonds have been at the forefront of this revolution in nano-scale sensor technology. A unique capability, spinning diamond quantum sensors at up to 500,000 rpm, fast enough that quantum pr ....Controlling spin coherence with rotation. This project aims to harness the ability to control the fundamental interactions which limit the precision of a diamond quantum sensor, enabling more sensitive magnetometry. Quantum sensors are unveiling new insights into nano-scale phenomena. Single atom defects in diamonds have been at the forefront of this revolution in nano-scale sensor technology. A unique capability, spinning diamond quantum sensors at up to 500,000 rpm, fast enough that quantum properties of the defects are preserved during a cycle has been established. This project will address the long-standing problem of nano-scale solid-materials characterisation using rotationally-enhanced quantum magnetic resonance spectroscopy.Read moreRead less
Building time crystals with ultracold atoms. This project aims to create a new exotic form of quantum matter in which a many-body system of ultracold atoms bouncing on a vibrating mirror spontaneously self-organises its motion with a period tens of times longer than the driving period of the mirror. Such ‘time crystals’ are predicted to be robust against external perturbations and to persist for very long times. The project expects to generate new knowledge on exotic non-equilibrium crystalline ....Building time crystals with ultracold atoms. This project aims to create a new exotic form of quantum matter in which a many-body system of ultracold atoms bouncing on a vibrating mirror spontaneously self-organises its motion with a period tens of times longer than the driving period of the mirror. Such ‘time crystals’ are predicted to be robust against external perturbations and to persist for very long times. The project expects to generate new knowledge on exotic non-equilibrium crystalline phenomena in the time domain, such as many-body localisation with temporal disorder, which has counter-intuitive characteristics such as absence of thermalisation and vanishing direct current transport. Time crystals could provide significant benefits for the storage and transfer of quantum information, and this, and other outcomes may ultimately lead to commercial products.Read moreRead less
Transport and impurity dynamics in a unitary Fermi gas. This project aims to generate new understandings of transport and the behaviour of impurities in a gas of strongly-interacting atoms cooled to nanoKelvin temperatures. By measuring the response of a unitary Fermi gas to disturbances with well-defined momenta and energies, we will map the elementary excitations in both the superfluid and normal fluid phases. From this, the parameters that define how particles and impurities travel through th ....Transport and impurity dynamics in a unitary Fermi gas. This project aims to generate new understandings of transport and the behaviour of impurities in a gas of strongly-interacting atoms cooled to nanoKelvin temperatures. By measuring the response of a unitary Fermi gas to disturbances with well-defined momenta and energies, we will map the elementary excitations in both the superfluid and normal fluid phases. From this, the parameters that define how particles and impurities travel through the system can be determined. Our study will reveal whether the unitary Fermi gas approaches a conjectured quantum limit for perfect fluidity, examine how the properties of the gas depend on impurity concentration and establish new benchmarks for theories of strongly-correlated quantum matter.Read moreRead less