ANNUAL REPORT 2011 Science is about understanding nature, understanding what is. By contrast, engineering is synthetic; it is about creating what has never been. ' —Theodore von Kármán, 1902' | 'I heard a fly buzz' by Xanthe Croot (EQuS PhD Student) Close up of a fly wing, on top a blue printed circuit board This Centre of Excellence is a collaboration involving four leading Australian Universities with highly productive and world-renowned efforts in Quantum Science MAILING ADDRESS MAILING ADDRESS ARC COE for Engineered Quantum Systems ARC COE for Engineered Quantum Systems School of Mathematics & Physics School of Physics The University of Queensland The University of Western Australia QLD 4072 Crawley WA 6009 PHYSICAL ADDRESS PHYSICAL ADDRESS Parnell Building Building M013 The University of Queensland The University of Western Australia TELEPHONE (07) 3365 3272 TELEPHONE (08) 6488 2740 FACSIMILE (07) 3365 3328 FACSIMILE (08) 6488 7364 EMAIL [email protected] EMAIL [email protected] MAILING ADDRESS MAILING ADDRESS ARC COE for Engineered Quantum Systems ARC COE for Engineered Quantum Systems School of Physics Department of Physics and Astronomy The University of Sydney Macquarie Univesity NSW 2006 NSW 2109 PHYSICAL ADDRESS PHYSICAL ADDRESS Building A28 Physics Road Building C5C 369 The University of Sydney Macquarie University TELEPHONE (02) 9351 5972 TELEPHONE (02) 9850 8939 FACSIMILE (02) 9351 7726 FACSIMILE (02) 9850 4868 EMAIL [email protected] EMAIL [email protected] | ii 'Conglomerate' by James Colless (EQuS PhD Student) Acetone residue on a GaAs AlGaAs chip TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE Table of Contents EQuS is dedicated to moving beyond understanding what the quantum world is, to controlling it and “creating what has never been". Table of Contents iii Quantum Science 4 Message from the Director 5 Building the Quantum Future 6 The EQuS Team 8 Quantum Measurement and Control 10 Quantum-Enabled Sensors and Metrology 14 Synthetic Quantum Systems and Simulation 18 Research Infrastructure 22 Education, Outreach and Training 26 Awards and Recognition 31 Industry and Community Engagement 32 Visitors 34 EQuS Summary 2012 36 The Year Ahead 37 EQuS Governance and Management 42 Appendix 1: Publications 44 Appendix 2: Financial Statements 54 Appendix 3: Key Performance Indicators 55 Acknowledgements 59 iii Quantum Science The quantum world was first discovered in atomic systems, where it continues to predict phenomenon with breath-taking precision. But the theory itself is universal, applying on all scales. We are now developing the tools to make even macroscopic systems show quantum phenomenon that would be impossible in the classical physics of Newton and Maxwell. Quantum mechanics has captured our imagination more than any other physical theory because of the intrinsic strangeness of many of its principles—particles as waves, light as particles, hidden correlations between systems separated by huge distances. These phenomena, however, are not manifested in our daily existence and have largely been inaccessible due to the barrier between the classical and quantum worlds. A new discipline—Quantum Science—is opening a door between our world and that of the quantum, allowing classical systems access to the most exotic quantum mechanical phenomena. The past two decades have seen an explosion in the number of systems that have been able to provide entry to the quantum realm: from superconducting circuits and semiconductor nanostructures, to trapped atoms and single-photon optics. Quantum coherent devices are real and accessible to scientists today, but building quantum technologies—exploiting the strangest quantum effects—will take a new kind of effort. It will require systems engineering in the quantum regime. 4 MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR Message from the Director The great aerospace engineer, von Kármán, described his discipline thus: “Science is about understanding nature, understanding what is. By contrast, engineering is synthetic; it is about creating what has never been". The overarching goal of EQuS is to pioneer a future quantum technology engendered by our rapidly growing capability to control the world at is most fundamental level. We chose the word 'engineered' in the title of our Centre to emphasize a different attitude to quantum physics. We wish to move beyond developing experiments to reveal ever more puzzling quantum phenomenon, to engineering quantum systems de novo; to move beyond a view which sees quantum physics as the domain of the atomic realm, to engineer coherent quantum systems of any scale, from atomic dimensions to metres and beyond. This will require the development of new tools for the control of complex hybrid quantum systems. In our first year of operation we have made Professor Gerard Milburn some important first steps to realise this vision, described in more detail in this document. Experiments at The University of Queensland have shown how to control the motion of macroscopic silica mechanical resonators with light. EQuS CIs at Macquarie University, in collaboration with our Partner investigators in Germany, have shown how to exploit the quantum properties of defects in diamond to engineer a new kind of magnetometer. Theoretical work involving collaborations across the Centre have pointed the way to a new form of quantum matter capable of processing information. When Maxwell wrote down a set of partial differential equations just over 150 years ago he opened a door to a new world of engineering capability harnessing the physical realm of electromagnetism: before Maxwell, the technological world was dominated by dinosaurs of steam and mechanics, a clockwork world of levers, cogs and gears. After Maxwell came international telegraphy, wireless communication, radar, computers and CAT scanners, lasers, optical communication systems and microwave mobile phone networks. In 1926 Schrӧdinger wrote down another partial differential equation, opening a door to new quantum world. After decades of scientific and technological development, Schrӧdinger's partial differential equation is only now offering a similar technological promise to that offered by Maxwell. The world indicated by the quantum theory is strange and wonderful. EQuS is dedicated to moving beyond the wonder to build a new technology; from understanding what the quantum world is, to controlling it and “creating what has never been". 5 Building the Quantum Future Our Mission This Centre of Excellence seeks to initiate the Quantum Era in the 21st century by engineering designer quantum systems. Through focussed and visionary research we will deliver new scientific insights and fundamentally new technical capabilities across a range of disciplines. Impacts of this work will improve the lives of Australians and people all over the world by producing breakthroughs in physics, engineering, chemistry, biology and medicine. The primary goals of EQuS are to • Establish a world-leading research community driving the development of quantum technologies, with Australia as the focus of international efforts. • Stimulate the Australian scientific and engineering communities to exploit quantum devices and quantum coherence in next-generation technologies. • Train a generation of young scientists with the skills needed to lead the future of technology development. • Demonstrate the potential and capabilities of engineered quantum technologies by realizing technological breakthroughs in novel and useful engineered quantum coherent systems. • Create a design methodology supporting the development of all new technologies for the Quantum Era. | 'Silicon Skyline' by Alice Mahoney (EQuS PhD Student) Optical microscopy calibration of a pentium 90 chip 6 BUILDING THE QUANTUM FUTURE EQuS Research Program EQuS Core Research Areas The Centre of Excellence for Research efforts are organised around three Engineered Quantum Systems seeks program themes. to move from Quantum Science to Quantum Measurement and Control Quantum Engineering—building and crafting new quantum technologies Addresses scientific challenges in quantum limited unlike anything the world has seen measurement and control, to enable demonstrations before. of quantum solutions for control engineered problems in each technology platform. EQuS provides the world's first focussed research program on Quantum-Enabled Sensors and Metrology systems engineering in the quantum regime, laying the groundwork for our Delivers unprecedented levels of sensitivity and quantum future. precision in applications of quantum systems for sensing, biomedical imaging, and metrology. We address fundamental questions about the benefits and limits of quantum Synthetic Quantum Systems and Simulation technologies, develop strategies for Produces novel states of light and matter exhibiting producing novel quantum-enhanced strong quantum mechanical correlations that devices, and explore new emergent enable simulations of complex interacting quantum physical phenomena that arise only in systems. the presence of complex, integrated quantum systems. Our diverse range of experimental programs and leading theoretical work provides us with unique opportunities on the world stage. Quantum Science constitutes a new frontier in research that aims to understand, control, and exploit quantum phenomena to create revolutionary new science and technology. 7 The EQuS Team Chief Investigators Gerard Milburn Andrew White Jason Twamley Stephen Bartlett Michael Tobar Michael Biercuk Gavin Brennan Warwick Bowen Andrew Doherty Alexei