Heterogeneous Quantum Systems Initiative

Integrating interoperable quantum platforms for next-generation computing and sensing.

Researchers examine a piece of equipment.

Overview

The quantum era is here and the potential applications for quantum phenomena hold immense potential to create a paradigm shift in how we see and interact with the world.

These quantum phenomena challenge conventional intuition with particles that can exist in superpositions of states – essentially existing in multiple states until observed to be in one or the other. Quantum objects can also behave as both waves and particles and they can become entangled, enabling them to be linked across seemingly vast distances.

Quantum Information Science (QIS) is an emerging field that harnesses the power of quantum mechanics and information sciences to build innovative technologies including quantum sensors, networks, and computers that are capable of new speed, precision, and functionality.

The field of QIS builds on research in the following areas:

Before the demonstration, the researchers prepared their QKD equipment (pictured) at ORNL. Image credit: Genevieve Martin/Oak Ridge National Laboratory, U.S. Dept. of Energy Computational Sciences and Engineering Division CSED ORNL

Quantum Computing

Quantum Computing leverages quantum phenomena to enable immensely faster computation for a set of problems that are currently intractable with classical computers.

Quantum Sensing

Quantum sensing enables the detection and measurement of physical quantities with unprecedented sensitivity, offering potential for breakthroughs across a wide range of fields from medical imaging and diagnostics, to probes of exotic materials, to the search for dark matter and the origins of the universe.

Quantum Networking

Quantum networking enables highly secure communication as a backbone to a future global quantum internet and supports distributed quantum computing and sensing for enhanced computational power and sensitivity.

Quantum Materials

Quantum materials are the backbone that supports progress across all these fields. Understanding and controlling novel states of matter in quantum materials is a core ORNL capability and will enable enhanced scalability, efficiency, and performance for applications across QIS. Conversely, new quantum computers and sensors will provide a fundamentally new understanding of materials studied across ORNL. As quantum science continues to evolve, breakthroughs in materials discovery and engineering will be key to unlocking the full potential of this exciting field.

While each of these areas of quantum research holds immense potential to enhance national security and prosperity, the greatest advancements may emerge from the integration and exploration of their overlapping domains and interfaces. To advance this mission, ORNL has launched the Heterogeneous Quantum Systems (HQS) initiative, a new cross-cutting research effort that drives innovation by integrating innovations across QIS sectors and reinforcing interconnections.

ORNL has emerged as a global leader in QIS, with significant achievements in all four core areas. ORNL researchers access world-class programs and facilities such as the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility (OLCF) which hosts Frontier, one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers, and the Quantum Computing User Program (QCUP). The lab operates two of the world’s most powerful sources of neutrons for research — the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) and the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) — which serve as unique probes of quantum states of matter. Additionally, ORNL's world-leading nanomaterials fabrication, synthesis and characterization capabilities at the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences (CNMS) enable the development of novel quantum device architectures. Given its unmatched mix of capabilities and facilities, ORNL is uniquely positioned to explore the interplay of the QIS core areas.

HQS aims to enable scalable networks of heterogeneous quantum computing and quantum sensing platforms through coherent transduction of quantum information, enabled by closely coordinated cross-cutting research themes. This laboratory-directed research and development (LDRD) effort will bring together experts from across ORNL to share knowledge, explore synergies, and advance quantum research. HQS will deepen our understanding of fundamental quantum science while driving technological innovations that contribute to national competitiveness and economic growth.

To enable this advancement, HQS is structured around three key research themes:

Quantum transduction across scalable quantum networks

A key benefit of quantum control is the ability to move information and energy across complex networks, allowing conversion of that information into various forms, a process commonly known as transduction. ORNL will leverage its decades of networking experience to establish a framework for efficiently transducing quantum information across microwave, visible, and telecommunications wavelengths, enabling scalable quantum networks.

Quantum sensing, spectroscopy, and imaging

ORNL plans to optimize quantum sensing and imaging with sensitivity approaching the fundamental limits of physics, enabling breakthroughs in some of today’s most exciting scientific fields. These fields include the search for dark matter, materials characterization, biosensing, spectroscopy of radioisotopes and plasmas, and detection for national security applications.

Hybrid quantum/classical computational workflows

ORNL has an unparalleled track record in advancing classical computing, delivering supercomputers of unprecedented capability to the scientific community on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy. The most recent example is Frontier, the first computer to break the exascale barrier. As ORNL pushes the boundaries of classical computing, it is also actively exploring quantum computing’s potential to transform scientific discovery, potentially in conjunction with classical computing. It is very likely that even error-corrected quantum processing units will not function as standalone systems for all tasks. They could instead serve as quantum accelerators for high-performance computing systems. Similarly, quantum sensors, with their unprecedented sensitivity and precision, could work in tandem with high performance computing systems to enhance data processing, simulation, and real-time analysis across various scientific domains.