Amidst the global race to establish and deploy useful and powerful quantum computers, researchers at a newly incorporated, Waterloo-based non-profit are taking a different approach. The team at Open Quantum Design (OQD) believes the key to accelerating advancements in quantum computing - including developing top talent - is to democratize access and open up its intellectual property for anyone willing to collaborate; and its four partners agree. Quantum heavy-hitters Xanadu, the University of Waterloo, the Unitary Foundation, and Haiqu are the first to join OQD’s innovative platform to spearhead a new, unprecedented degree of open access to full-stack quantum computing technology.

Wenchao Xu, tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics with a joint appointment at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI), believes that large arrays of neutral atoms make a promising architecture for quantum computing and simulation. Her project, which is financially supported by ETH Zurich and by a SNSF Starting Grant that began last year, puts forward what Xu refers to as a dual-type, dual-element atom array bringing together individually trapped ytterbium atoms and small ensembles of rubidium atoms.

ICFO researchers Dr. Frederic Català-Castro, Santiago Ortiz-Vázquez, Dr. Carmen Martínez-Fernández, Martín Fernández-Campo, Dr. Neus Sanfeliu-Cerdán, led by Prof. Dr. Michael Krieg, along with Dr. Paolo-Antonio Frigeri from Impetux Optics and collaborators from multiple institutes (Center of Genomic Regulation, Institute for Research in Biomedicine and Universitat Pompeu Fabra), have developed a novel optical tweezer method to characterize rheological properties. This approach, published in Nature Nanotechnology, allows for more versatile, simplified measurements of the rheological properties of cells, tissues, and organelles, improving upon previous techniques.

Reported recently in a new study published in Nature, a team of researchers, led by JILA and NIST Fellow and University of Colorado Boulder Physics professor Jun Ye, in collaboration with Professor Eric Hudson’s team at UCLA’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, have found a way to make nuclear clocks a thousand times less radioactive and more cost-effective, thanks to a method creating thin films of thorium tetrafluoride (ThF4).

Sandia National Laboratories and the University of New Mexico have for the first time demonstrated a practical way to detect these “leakage errors” for neutral atom platforms. This achievement removes a major roadblock for one branch of quantum computing, bringing scientists closer to realizing the technology’s full potential. Many experts believe quantum computers will help reveal truths about the universe that are impossible to glean with current technology.

In a new paper, scientists seeking better methods for controlling the quantum interactions between light and matter demonstrated a novel way to use light to give electrons a spinning kick. They reported the results of their experiment, which shows that a light beam can reliably transfer orbital angular momentum to itinerant electrons in graphene, on Nov. 26, 2024, in the journal Nature Photonics.

A team led by Prof. LU Zhengtian and Researcher XIA Tian from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) realized Schrödinger-cat state with minute-scale lifetime using optically trapped cold atoms, significantly enhancing the sensitivity of quantum metrology measurement. The study was published in Nature Photonics.

IonQ, a leader in the quantum computing and networking industry, announced today the issuance of five new U.S. patents designed to deliver benefits across multiple industries and applications. With the pending acquisition of Qubitekk’s 118 patents, IonQ will have a total of over 600 U.S. and international issued and pending patents, standing apart from similarly-sized quantum companies based on its strength of IP protection and extensive combination of patents across different verticals.

Oxford Ionics, a world leader in trapped-ion quantum computing, today announced its co-founder and CEO, Chris Ballance, will be speaking at WebSummit this week in Lisbon, Portugal.

IonQ, a leader in the quantum computing industry, announced today a partnership with NKT Photonics, a subsidiary of Hamamatsu Photonics, to procure next-generation laser systems for IonQ’s trapped-ion quantum computers and networking equipment. The partnership involves NKT Photonics developing and delivering three prototype optical subsystems to IonQ in 2025, designed to support the commercialization of IonQ’s data center-ready quantum computers – such as IonQ Tempo and future barium-based systems.