2nd AQS Workshop

The 2nd AVS Quantum Science (AQS) Workshop was held 19 and 20 January 2023 in conjunction with the Physics and Chemistry of Materials and Interfaces conference held in Redondo Beach, CA 15-19 January 2023. The workshop focused on challenges and opportunities for the science of materials, surfaces and interfaces to advance quantum technologies and was organized by long-time AVS Quantum Information Science Focus Topic champions Dr. Vivek Adiga (formerly with IBM) and Dr. Rachael Myers-Ward (U.S. Naval Research Laboratory). Vivek and Rachael have spearheaded the QIS Focus Topic program at AVS International Symposia since 2018 and have recently transferred that opportunity to Dr. Sebastian Engleman (IBM) and Dr. Dave Pappas (Rigetti Computing).

The workshop featured 13 invited speakers and a number of mini-discussion sessions. The speakers were organized into three major categories: Quantum Sensing, Quantum Computing and Quantum Materials. In each collection of talks, leaders in the quantum S&T community from academic, national laboratories and industry from the US and Europe, shared their latest research and highlighted the materials, surfaces and interface challenges and opportunities in their quantum science sub-field. These invited talks were structured to permit an extended question, answer, and discussion period at the end. Further, mornings and afternoons held brief general rump sessions for deeper discussions among participants.

The speakers and their talk titles were as follows:

Quantum Sensing:

• Erika Janitz‚ Christian Degen (ETH Zürich‚ Switzerland): Quantum Sensing with NV Centers
• Victor Acosta‚ Yaser Silani (University of New Mexico): Diamond Quantum Sensors: Sensitivity Frontier
• Jennifer M. Schloss‚ Justin Mallek‚ Dane W. deQuilettes‚ Eden Price‚ Linh Pham‚ John F. Barry‚ Matthew Steinecker‚ David F. Phillips‚ Danielle A. Braje (Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory): Engineering Diamond for Quantum Sensing
• Ron Walsworth (University of Maryland): Quantum Diamond Sensors — Best of Both Worlds
• Hannes Kraus‚ Andreas Gottscholl‚ Corey J. Cochrane (Jet Propulsion Laboratory): Spin-Carrying Quantum Centers in Wide-Band Gap Semiconductors as Magnetometry Sensors for Space Applications

Quantum Computing:

• Jared Hertzberg (IBM Research): Laser-Annealing Josephson Junctions to Achieve Scaled-Up High-Performance Superconducting Quantum Processors
• David Pappas‚ Ella Lachman‚ Josh Mutus (Rigetti Computing); Chris Palmstrom (University of California Santa Barbara): Progress Towards Merged-Element Transmons.
• Kristen Pudenz (Atom Computing): A Neutral Atom Quantum Processor Supporting Long Coherence Times.
• Joel Q. Grim‚ Allan S. Bracker‚ Joseph D. Hart (Naval Research Laboratory); Samuel G. Carter (Laboratory of Physical Sciences); Chul Soo Kim (Naval Research Laboratory); Mijin Kim (Jacobs); Ian Welland‚ Kha Tran‚ Igor Vurgaftman‚ Tom L. Reinecke‚ Andrew Yeats (Naval Research Laboratory): Scalable Integrated Quantumdotnetworks and Nanophotonic Neuromorphic ‘Brain-Inspired’ Computing

Quantum Materials:

• Luis A. Jauregui (University of California Irvine). Topological Materials‚ a New Quantum State of Matter
• An-Ping Li (Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences‚ Oak Ridge National Laboratory): Probing Topologically Protected Quantum States with Scanning Tunneling Microscopy
• Nathan P. Guisinger (Argonne National Laboratory): Artificial Graphene Nanoribbons with Tailored Topological States
• Tongcang Li (Purdue University): Quantum Sensing and Nuclear Spin Control with Spin Defects in a 2D Material

The extended discussion identified key opportunities for each sub-field.  For point defect complexes in diamond and SiC suitable for sensing, key challenges include: control of defect center location and number, tunability of diamond NV center host properties including ultra-low and uniform strain, and normalization/standardization of fabrication/processing/characterization methods. For Josephson Junctions suitable for computing key challenges include: a better understanding and control of the superconductor/insulator interface, all-epitaxial growth of superconductor/insulator/superconductor junctions, reproducible and stable fabrication, qubit frequency tuning at milli-Kelvin temperatures, and improved stability of qubit properties over time.  For cold atom traps suitable for computing, a significantly improved vacuum level and stability was highlighted as a needed key advancement. For advanced topological materials for quantum applications, challenges include:  improved understanding of surface states and improved surface stabilization.   For 2D materials, challenges include:  understanding/exploration of edge states in laterally confined 2D materials and exploration of hexagonal BN defects and structures to enhance their brightness.

It should be noted that the PCSI program committee (led by Dr. Holger Eisele from Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg and Prof. Chris Palmstrom from UCSB) held a session entitled “Spin Dynamics for Quantum Sensing” at the end of their conference which provided an excellent lead into the opening Quantum sensing sessions of the workshop.

It is anticipated that each of the 13 workshop speakers will be invited to contribute a manuscript related to the subject of their talk to an upcoming Special Topic Collection in AVS Quantum Science journal later in 2023. Keep an eye out for this collection!

The organizers wish to extend their sincere appreciation to all of the speakers, the numerous participants who contributed to the lively discussion, the PCSI organizers and to the AVS Staff for making such a successful workshop possible!

The 3rd AQS Workshop is currently planned to be held in conjunction with the 69th International Symposium & Exhibition of AVS to be held in Portland, Oregon 6-10 November 2023. The topic will be announced in the near future. We hope to see you there!

2nd AQS Workshop Organizers

Vivek Adiga, formerly IBM

Rachael Myers-Ward, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory