Strengthening NRW-USA Cooperation in Quantum Research

High-performance computers for the rapid processing of large amounts of data, highly sensitive sensors, or new encryption methods – quantum technologies are expected to help provide new answers to major questions and challenges of our time. More than a dozen research institutions in NRW, together with industry representatives, launched the “EIN Quantum NRW” network in 2022 to share the latest findings, initiate innovative projects, and train specialists for this future field.

At the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory of UC Berkeley, scientists are also working on the development of hardware and software for quantum computing and researching materials, algorithms, and applications of these new technologies. In a joint declaration of intent, TU Dortmund University and UC Berkeley have agreed to consider cooperation in research projects and the organization of joint conferences, workshops, and seminars in the field of quantum research. Additionally, both universities aim to explore ways to enable mutual guest stays – for professors, postdocs, doctoral candidates, and master’s students.

Basic Research in Dortmund

“The applicability of quantum technologies is still in its infancy,” explains Manfred Bayer, President of TU Dortmund University and scientific spokesperson of the EIN Quantum NRW competence network. “The foundations come from universities – we contribute to deepening the understanding of quantum effects and discovering new phenomena that are relevant for developments in quantum computing, quantum communication, and other applications.” For example, physicists at TU Dortmund University have been researching the fundamentals of quantum optics since 2014 in the DFG Collaborative Research Center 142 “Tailored Nonlinear Photonics: From Fundamental Concepts to Functional Structures” together with the University of Paderborn. The scientists specifically manipulate photons – small light particles that make up electromagnetic radiation. The goal of the physicists is to drive the research activities of the Collaborative Research Center from the fundamentals of light and material physics to applications, for example, in information and communication technology.

For the research and transfer of quantum technologies, scientists at TU Dortmund University are also involved in two current projects of the European network “QuantERA,” which is funded by the EU, the German Research Foundation (DFG), the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the “VDI Technologiezentum GmbH” of the Association of German Engineers. In the project “MEEDGARD,” led by Dr. Doris Reiter from the Department of Physics, partners from Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, and Poland are researching how information can be stored in the nuclear spin of atoms in a quantum dot, a nanoscale semiconductor structure. The project “QuCABOoSE,” in which Prof. Marc Aßmann from the Department of Physics is involved along with partners from Germany, Poland, Italy, and the Czech Republic, is dedicated to the question of how an environment can be tailored for technological application so that it does not impair the fragile quantum states and can even take on useful functions.

Scientific Exchange in the USA

To further expand the basic research of quantum effects and technological transfer, TU Dortmund University and the EIN Quantum NRW network aim to collaborate more closely with American partners in the future.

Back