ANNUAL REPORT
2014
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
EQuS ACKNOWLEDGES THE SUPPORT OF THE AUSTRALIAN RESEARCH COUNCIL
WE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FINANCIAL AND IN-KIND SUPPORT PROVIDED BY
OUR COLLABORATING ORGANISATIONS
CONTENTS
Annual Report
2014
2
Introduction
2
Director’s Report
3
Mid term review
4
10
Staff & students
10
22
EQuS knowledge transfer
22
Organisation & governance 6
28
Infrastructure
28
EQuS Research
34
34
Programs
36
Projects
60
Research direction 2015
73
Key result areas
76
Appendices
86
86
Publications
86
Key performance details
92
Project reports
98
EQuS is dedicated to moving beyond
understanding what the quantum world is,
to controlling it and creating what never
has been
Introduction
EQuS is addressing
fundamental questions
about the benefits and limits
of quantum technologies,
developing strategies for
producing novel quantumenhanced devices, and
exploring new emergent
physical phenomena that
arise only in the presence
of complex, integrated
quantum systems.
Overview
The ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQuS) seeks to move from
Quantum Science to Quantum Engineering – building and crafting new quantum technologies.
The University of Queensland, and the collaborating institutions The University of Sydney,
Macquarie University, The University of Western Australia and the University of New South
Wales, provide the world’s first focussed research program on systems engineering in the
quantum regime. EQuS is addressing fundamental questions about the benefits and limits of
quantum technologies, developing strategies for producing novel quantum-enhanced devices,
and exploring new emergent physical phenomena that arise only in the presence of complex,
integrated quantum systems.
Financial Support
The Centre’s main source of funding is the Australian Research Council through the Centres
of Excellence program. The ARC provides $3.5 million per annum, and the administering
institution, The University of Queensland, and the collaborating institutions The University of
Sydney, Macquarie University, The University of Western Australia and the University of New
South Wales contribute ~$1.2 million in cash contributions per year.
Vision
In the ARC Centre for Engineered Quantum Systems (EQuS) we are engineering the
quantum future. By discovering how to control and exploit the most exotic phenomena in
quantum theory, our Centre is building a new discipline with the potential to radically transform
technology.
Mission
To exploit the vast resources of the quantum realm to produce new capabilities, new
technologies, and new science through the creation of designer quantum systems.
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ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Director’s Report
The EQuS vision continues to inspire both scientists and the public. In 2014 Anne and Hugh
Harley made a significant contribution to CI Biercuk’s project at The University of Sydney. The
gift expresses their support for the transformative possibilities of quantum science and is a
chance to give back to an institution that four generations of their family have attended.
Michael Tobar was the winner of the ATSE Clunies Ross award 2014. Professor Tobar and
HIGHLIGHT
The year was dominated by
the Centre’s response to the
ARC mid term review.
colleagues have invented new technologies based on microwave circuit and sapphire dielectric
resonator technology. They have developed the world’s lowest-noise oscillators. The oscillators
have been used in laboratories worldwide to enable modern atomic clocks to keep time with
unprecedented accuracy.
The year was dominated by the Centre’s response to the ARC mid term review. Our submission
gave us an opportunity to highlight our achievements over the first 3.5 years and clearly
demonstrated the vision of EQuS and our potential to develop transformative technologies.
I particularly wish to thank our Scientific Advisory Committee who helped me prepare this by
highlighting what they saw as our most significant achievements.
The ARC panel site visit took place in September. Rowan Gilmore, Ben Greene and Rick
Wilkinson from the EQuS Advisory Board and Alastair McEwan and Nicole Thompson from UQ
gave up much of their valuable time to help us prepare for the interview. On the day, I was very
pleased to welcome to UQ a number of our PhD students and Postdocs. They clearly made
a very positive impression on the panel. As detailed on page 4 of the Report, the ARC has
recommended continued funding of the Centre to December 2017.
Despite the disruption caused by the mid term review, our research projects continued to
Our submission gave us an
opportunity to highlight
our achievements over the
first 3.5 years and clearly
demonstrated the vision
of EQuS and our potential
to develop transformative
technologies.
I particularly wish to thank
our Scientific Advisory
Committee who helped me
prepare this by highlighting
what they saw as our most
significant achievements.
make steady progress. While there were no major breakthroughs in 2014, a number of new
collaborations offer significant promise. A collaboration is underway between the Macquarie
node (Volz) and the UWA node (Tobar) to develop a new method for addressing and
manipulating solid-state spins using macroscopic microwave cavities both at liquid helium and
room temperature.
At the Macquarie node, a particularly exciting collaboration exists between CIs Volz and MolinaTerriza. The ultimate goal is twofold: on the one hand, we want to design novel optical tweezers
with enhanced optical forces for manipulating ultrasmall nanodiamonds in liquid, and on the
other hand, we want to exploit the optical forces from the NV centres to cool the centre-of-mass
motion of a levitated nanodiamond as a whole.
Professor Gerard Milburn
Director, ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems
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ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Mid term review
The ARC mid term review was a major activity in 2014. The Centre’s submission was sent to
the ARC at the end of July and the ARC site visit took place on 16 September. We received a
We are pleased to
announce that the ARC has
recommended continual
funding for EQuS until the
end of 2017.
The announcement came
following our mid term review
and is apt recognition of the
progress and impact of our
research activities.
EQuS will continue to
explore the big questions in
quantum physics and strive
to implement the Council’s
recommendations to ensure
effective collaborations,
research communication and
engagement.
satisfactory review report from the ARC in December, the key recommendation being that ARC
funding for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems continue at the
current level until the end of 2017.
In response to a number of more specific recommendations, the Centre has implemented some
organizational changes. These are summarised below
•
Formed a Strategic Planning Committee, chaired by Associate Professor Michael Biercuk
(USYD).
•
Initiated a quarterly newsletter to include research program updates and highlights,
clearly conveying how individual research programs are contributing to the Centre’s three
research themes.
•
Planned to produce a Centre booklet, “The EQuS Primer”, explaining the concept of
an engineered quantum system and the Centre’s research across the three themes, its
achievements to date and key personnel.
•
Formed a Node Collaboration Committee, chaired by Associate Professor Andrew Doherty
(USYD) to coordinate and oversee cross-node projects including joint PhD/Postdoctoral
workshops, joint PhD supervision, and the establishment of a student exchange program.
•
At the Winter School, we will include an Early Career Researcher and Student
Professional Development Day, which will focus on career development; grant writing;
development; delivery of science communication strategies; and media and presentation
training.
•
Planned a focussed outreach plan including the formation of an Engagement and
Communications Committee, chaired by Associate Professor Tom Stace.
The success of the mid term review was only possible by the combined efforts of everyone in
the Centre, especially the PhD students and postdocs who made a very favourable impression
on the Review Panel.
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ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Conglomerate - picture taken by James Colless- Acetone residue on a GaAs AlGaAs chip
5
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Organisation & governance
Advisory Board
Scientific Advisory
Committee
IP Committee
Research Director
Node Managers
Committee
Chief Operations
Officer
Administration
Staff
Chief Investigators, Research Fellows and Students
Organisational chart illustrating the governance and management structure of the Centre
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ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Advisory Board
Members
The Advisory Board assists
Centre management
by contributing to the
development of strategies
and vision for the future
relative to the proposed
goals and objectives of the
Centre, and by serving as a
vehicle for creating better
linkages between academia,
industry and government.
The Advisory Board met
on 26 February and 15 July
2014.
Dr Rowan Gilmore (Chair)
Dr Ben Greene
CEO, EM Solutions Pty Ltd
Group CEO
Brisbane
Electro Optic Systems (EOS)
Canberra
Professor Max Lu
Mr Rick Wilkinson
DVC Research
COO – Eastern Region
The University of Queensland
Australian Petroleum Production &
Brisbane
Exploration Association Ltd, Brisbane
Professor Sakkie Pretorius
Dr David Pulford
DVC Research
Senior Research Scientist
Macquarie University
DSTO
Sydney
Canberra
Professor Jill Trewhella
Mr Vic Dobos
DVC Research
CEO, Australian Science Teachers
The University of Sydney
Association (ASTA)
Sydney
Canberra
Professor Robyn Owens
Professor Gerard Milburn
DVC Research
EQuS Research Director (ex officio)
The University of Western Australia
The University of Queensland
Perth
Brisbane
Professor Les Field
Professor Andrew White
DVC Research
EQuS Deputy Director (ex officio)
The University of New South Wales
The University of Queensland
Sydney
Brisbane
Ms Marianne Johnston
EQuS COO (ex officio)
The University of Queensland
Brisbane
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ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Program Managers (CI)
Committee
The Centre Program Managers or CI Committee is responsible for a process of continuous
The Centre Program
Managers Committee
comprises the Chief
Investigators at the
participating collaborating
organisations (UQ, USYD,
MQ, UWA and UNSW) and
the Centre Chief Operations
Officer, and is chaired by the
Centre Director.
Professor Sir Peter Knight,
FRS (Chair), The Kavli Royal
Society International Centre and
Imperial College London, UK
Professor Mikhail Lukin
Harvard University, USA
Professor Rainer Blatt
University of Innsbruck,
Austria
Professor Gerard Milburn
The University of Queensland,
Australia
Professor John Clarke
University of California,
Berkeley, USA
Dr Rowan Gilmore
8
EM Solutions Pty Ltd
Australia
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
quality assessment of the major programs of the Centre, and the provision of feedback to the
Advisory Board and Scientific Advisory Committee on the progress being made in the Centre’s
research programs and against its research objectives and milestones. It works to provide
academic leadership and cohesion within the Centre, and oversees continuity of research
approach and communication between research nodes.
The Centre’s CI Committee met on the following dates in 2014:
21 February, The University of Queensland
9 May, The University of Sydney
1 August, The University of Queensland
Scientific Advisory
Committee
The Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) comprises the Research Director, the Advisory Board
Chair, international scientists and experts in quantum science and engineering and an eminent
international researcher as an independent chair.
The SAC is responsible for advising the Centre Research Director and the Centre Program
Managers or CI Committee on the direction of research undertaken within the Centre, as well
as providing guidance on emerging international trends and scientific developments as they
relate to the major programs of the Centre.
The Scientific Advisory Committee met at the Annual Workshop on 6 December 2014.
Flying bond wires - picture taken by James Colless- Bond wires on a gated chip of GaAs AIGaAs heterostructure
9
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
EQuS Staff & Students
18
Chief Investigators
3
Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science
FOUR
EQuS CIs were awarded ARC Future Fellowships in 2014
61
Research Higher Degree Students
163
Collaborators from
19
Denmark
Sweden
Canada
countries
China
Germany
Austria
Czech Republic
UK
USA
Japan
France
Spain
Israel
India
Singapore
Swizerland
Italy
South Africa
Australia
Chief Investigators
Research Director - Professor Gerard Milburn (UQ) obtained
a PhD in Theoretical Physics from the University of Waikato in 1982 for work on squeezed
states of light and quantum nondemolition measurements. Professor Milburn is a Fellow of the
Australian Academy of Science and The American Physical Society. He has worked in the fields
of quantum optics, quantum measurement and stochastic processes, atom optics, quantum
chaos, mesoscopic electronics, quantum information and quantum computation. More recently,
he initiated collaboration with Philosophy at The University of Queensland to study the nature of
causation in a quantum world.
Professor Andrew White (UQ) has over 20 years experience
in quantum optics and quantum information. After doctoral work at the Australian
National University and the University of Konstanz, Germany, Andrew worked as a
Postdoctoral Scientist at Los Alamos National Laboratory, USA. He joined the University
of Queensland in October 1999, establishing the Quantum Technology Laboratory.
Andrew is interested in exploring quantum mechanics, particularly by exploiting quantum
information concepts and technologies. In his role as a Senior Researcher at the Special
Research Centre for Quantum Computation, Andrew established experimental and theoretical
capability in producing, analysing, and using photonic qubits. Andrew is an Australian Research
Council Federation Fellow, a Fellow of both the American Physical Society and the Optical
Society of America, and winner of the 2010 Pawsey Medal from the Australian Academy of
Science.
Associate Professor Warwick Bowen (UQ) leads the Queensland
Quantum Optics Laboratory at The University of Queensland. His group’s research efforts are
focussed on both fundamental tests of quantum mechanics and quantum technologies with
future applications in metrology, communications, and biomedical imaging and diagnosis. Much
of Warwick’s research is based around optical architectures integrated onto silicon chips and/
or compatible with current-day fibre optic systems. This offers the prospect of scalable platforms
for both quantum-enabled applications and classical spin-off technologies producing, analysing,
and using photonic qubits.
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ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Chief Investigators
Professor Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop’s (UQ) research interests
are in the fields of atom optics, laser micromanipulation, nano optics, quantum computing
and biophotonics.She has long standing experience with lasers, linear and nonlinear highresolution spectroscopy, laser micromanipulation, and atom cooling and trapping. She was
one of the originators of the widely used laser enhanced ionisation spectroscopy technique
and is well known for her recent work in laser micromanipulation. She also has been working
(Nanotechnology Laboratory, Göteborg, Sweden) in the field of nano- and microfabrication in
order to produce the microstructures needed for optically driven micromachines and tips for
the scanning force microscopy with optically trapped stylus. Recently she led the team that
observed dynamical tunnelling in quantum chaotic system. Additionally, Professor RubinszteinDunlop has led the new effort into development of new nano-structured quantum dots for
quantum computing and other advanced device related applications.
Dr Ian McCulloch (UQ) leads the Tensor Network Algorithms group that works
in computational tensor network algorithms for one- and two-dimensional quantum systems,
and applications to condensed matter, ultra-cold atomic gases and engineered quantum
systems. The current focus of the group is DMRG and MPS algorithms for infinite 1D systems,
applications of MPS to physically relevant simulations (especially non-equilibrium), groundstates
and time evolution in 2D PEPS, fermionic tensor networks. The group has ties to experimental
groups at The University of Queensland and other institutions. Ian was born in Tasmania, and
graduated with a BSc from the University of Tasmania in 1997. After a PhD in condensed matter
physics at ANU, he moved overseas, firstly to the Lorentz Institute in Leiden, the Netherlands,
and then to RWTH-Aachen University in Germany. In 2007 he moved back to Australia to take
up a postdoctoral fellowship, and later a lecturing position, at The University of Queensland.
Ian’s research interests are numerical techniques for simulating quantum many-body systems,
and he is the author of a large suite of software tools that are used by several research groups
around the world.
Associate Professor Tom Stace (UQ) completed his PhD at the
Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge in the UK on quantum computing, followed by
postdoctoral research at the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, also
at Cambridge. He has been a researcher at The University of Queensland since 2006, firstly
on an ARC Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, then on an ARC Research Fellowship, and now
as a Future Fellow. His research is focussed on quantum technologies, metrology and error
correction protocols.
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ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Dr Arkady Fedorov (UQ) completed his PhD at Clarkson University, United
States in 2005. His research work was primarily on theoretical aspects of quantum information
science and decoherence in solid state systems. He was then appointed a postdoctoral fellow
at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany, working on a theory of superconducting quantum
circuits in application to quantum computing and quantum optics phenomena. From 2007-2010,
he worked at the Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands, conducting experiments with
superconducting flux qubits. Later, he became a research scientist in ETH Zurich to continue
research in the area of superconducting quantum devices. Starting January 2013, he is a
group leader in the School of Mathematics and Physics at The University of Queensland. His
group studies quantum phenomena in systems consisting of superconducting artificial atoms,
microwave resonators and mechanical oscillators.
Professor Stephen Bartlett (USYD) is a Professor in the School of Physics
at The University of Sydney, and part of the Quantum Information Theory group. He is a
theoretical physicist, pursuing fundamental research in quantum physics. Professor Bartlett’s
particular focus is on quantum information theory, including the theory of quantum computing, as
well as the foundational issues of quantum mechanics. He completed his PhD in mathematical
physics at the University of Toronto in 2000. After moving to Australia, he directed his research
to the theory of quantum computing, first as a Macquarie University Research Fellow and then
as an ARC Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Queensland. Since 2005, he
has lead a research program in theoretical quantum physics at The University of Sydney, with
interests spanning quantum computing, quantum measurement and control, quantum manybody systems, and the foundations of quantum theory.
Associate Professor Michael J. Biercuk (USYD) is an experimental
physicist and the Primary Investigator in the Quantum Control Laboratory at The University
of Sydney. Michael’s specialties include quantum physics, quantum control, quantum error
suppression, ion trapping, nanoelectronics, and precision metrology. Michael was educated in
the United States, earning his undergraduate degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and
his Master’s and Doctoral degrees from Harvard University. Today, Michael runs a research
group performing cutting-edge experiments using trapped atomic ions as a model quantum
system. His expertise has been recognized by numerous technical appointments, awards, and
media appearances. He is a regular contributor to both the technical literature and the popular
press, providing expert commentary on issues pertaining to science policy and the role of
science in society.
13
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Chief Investigators
Associate Professor Andrew Doherty (USYD)
is a theoretical
physicist and senior lecturer with research interests in quantum control and quantum information
at The University of Sydney. He holds an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship in
the School of Physics at The University of Sydney. He received a BSc (Hons) in Physics from
the University of Canterbury in 1995 and his PhD in quantum optics under the supervision
of Professor Dan Walls at The University of Auckland in 2000. From 2000 to 2003 he was a
postdoctoral researcher at the California Institute of Technology and from 2003 to 2010 he was
at the School of Mathematics and Physics at The University of Queensland.
Professor David Reilly (USYD) is the Director of the Quantum Nanoscience
Laboratory at The University of Sydney where he leads a group of seven PhD students and
three postdoctoral research fellows. The focus of his research is the development of enabling
technology to control condensed matter systems at the quantum level. Reilly’s niche is the
interface between fundamental quantum science research and technical solutions that typically
involve microwave electronics, cryogenics, nanofabrication, and engineering expertise. Before
his appointment at Sydney, Professor Reilly was a research fellow in Physics at Harvard
University, USA. His PhD is in Physics from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
Professor Jason Twamley (MQ)
is a Professor of Quantum Information
Science at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Macquarie University. He is a theorist
who works in quantum science and has worked on topics ranging from quantum sensing and
quantum simulator architectures through to more applied designs for hybrid quantum devices
incorporating diamond, superconductors and optical quantum systems. Professor Twamley
believes that the world is essentially quantum mechanical in nature and we should therefore
learn the fascinating properties of this quantum world and use these properties to create new
science and technology. He is also Director of the MQ University for Quantum Science &
Technology (QSciTech).
14
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Chief Investigators, cont.
Associate Professor Gabriel Molina-Terriza (MQ) is an Associate
Professor of the Physics and Astronomy Department at Macquarie University and an Australian
Research Council Future Fellow. At Macquarie University, he is the group leader of QIRON
(Quantum InteRactiOns with Nanoparticles). His research focusses on the spatial properties
of light and uses the spatial modes of light as a tool to probe the properties of nanostructures.
In his group, a team of six PhD students and two postdocs are exploiting engineered quantum
states of light to better understand the interaction of light and matter at the nanoscale.
Experimentally combining the techniques of quantum optics and the new methods available in
nanophotonics allows for the design of innovative biosensing capabilities and new measuring
techniques.
Dr Thomas Volz (MQ) is a senior lecturer at Macquarie University specializing
in solid-state quantum optics and quantum photonics. During his PhD, Dr Volz carried out
experiments on ultracold atomic and molecular quantum gases in optical lattices in the group
of Professor Gerhard Rempe at the Max-Planck Institute of Quantum Optics in Garching
(Germany). He was awarded his PhD in 2007 through the Technical University of Munich
(Germany). Right after, Dr Volz changed fields and joined Professor Atac Imamoglu’s
Quantum Photonics Group at ETH Zurich (Switzerland) where he carried out experiments
on semiconductor cavity QED. At Macquarie University, Dr Volz continues his research on
semiconductor quantum optics, but in addition, also leads the nano-diamond laboratory, which
specializes in quantum sensing and metrology using nano-diamond. With the start of his
contract at Macquarie University on 1 February 2013, Dr Volz was appointed a CI within EQuS.
In late 2014, Dr Volz was nominated as Node Manager for the Macquarie EQuS Node.
Associate Professor Gavin Brennen (MQ)
is an Associate Professor of
the Physics and Astronomy Department at Macquarie University. Gavin believes that nature is
a wondrous place and an unfinished product. As a result, his main interests are how to use the
physical laws we know, particularly quantum mechanics, to probe in ever more exquisite detail
the manifestations of nature -- from elementary interactions to collective behaviour of complex
many particle systems. His more general research interests are quantum information theory,
coherent control of atomic/molecular/optical systems, topological order and topological quantum
computation.
15
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Chief Investigators, cont.
Associate Professor Alexei Gilchrist (MQ) is a theoretical physicist
in the research areas of quantum optics and quantum information. He received his PhD from
Waikato University (New Zealand) in 1997 under the supervision of Professor Crispin Gardiner.
Moving to Australia in 2001 as a New Zealand FRST Fellow, he remained in Australia as a
research fellow for the ARC CoE for Quantum Computer Technology until becoming part of
the faculty at Macquarie University in 2007. Associate Professor Gilchrist was appointed as an
EQuS CI in 2011.
Professor Michael Tobar (UWA)
is a Winthrop Professor with the School
of Physics at the University of Western Australia. He received his PhD degree in physics from
the University of Western Australia in 1994. His research interests encompass the broad
discipline of frequency, precision and quantum measurements, including precision tests of the
fundamentals of physics. Professor Tobar has had many career highlights since graduating
including the award of an ARC Laureate Fellowship from 2009-2014. Also, he is the recipient
of the 2014 Cady Award presented by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE), the 2014 Clunies Ross award presented by the Australian Academy of Technological
Sciences and Engineering, the recipient of the Barry Inglis medal (2009) presented by the
National Measurement Institute, the Australian Institute of Physics Boas medal (2006) and the
Alan Walsh medal (2012). During 2007, he was elevated to Fellow of the IEEE, during 2008 the
Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering and during 2012 the Australian
Academy of Science. Professor Tobar also received a citation from the Australian Learning and
Teaching Council for inspiring research students to reach their full potential and transform to
successful research scientists through participation in ground-breaking research.
Professor Timothy Duty (UNSW) is an experimental condensed matter
physicist who leads the superconducting device laboratory at UNSW. He received his
undergraduate degree from Virginia Tech, followed by Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Physics
from the University of British Columbia. He became keenly interested in the quantum physics
of superconducting circuits during his postdoctoral research in Germany and Sweden. During
this time, he pioneered development of one of the earliest superconducting quantum bits, and
novel methods for control and sensing of single-electron transport. Since 2011, he has been an
ARC Future Fellow, focusing on experiments that elucidate quantum phenomena in nano-scale
superconducting circuits which incorporate microwaves fields and strongly-correlated charge
transport.
16
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Angela Bird (UQ), Administration Officer
Jerline Chen (UWA), Node Administrator
Lynne Cousins (MQ), Node Administrator
Professional
staff
Ruth Forrest (UQ), Executive Support Officer
Sandra Fried (UQ), Finance Officer
Marianne Johnston (UQ) until October 2014
Emma Linnell (UQ) until April 2014
Eric Pham (UQ) until September 2014
Leanne Price (USYD) until June 2014
Lisa Walker (UQ), Chief Operations Officer
Wicky West (USYD), Node Administrator
Adia Yu (Maternity Leave 2014), Node Administrator
Research
fellows
Mark Adam Baker (UQ)
David McAuslan (UQ)
Benjamin Besga (MQ)
Terry McRae (USYD)
Carlo Bradac (MQ)
Nick Menicucci (USYD)
Cyril Branciard (UQ)
Jean Michel Le Floch (UWA)
Matthew Broome (UQ)
Clemens Mueller (UQ)
Eric Cavalcanti (USYD)
Casey Myers (UQ)
Karin Cedergren (UNSW)
Nitin Nand (MQ, USYD)
Robin Cole (UQ)
Andreas Naesby (UQ)
James Colless (USYD)
Tyler Neely (UQ)
Daniel Creedon (UWA)
Aroon O’Brien (USYD)
Andrew Darmawan (USYD)
Marcelo Pereira De Almeida (UQ)
Yaohui Fan (UWA)
Karsten Pyka (USYD)
Ivan Fernandez-Corbaton (MQ)
Yarema Reshitnyk (UQ)
Alessandro Fedrizzi (UQ)
Andres Reynoso (USYD)
Steven Flammia (USYD)
Peter Rohde (MQ)
Torsten Gaebel (USYD)
Jacopo Sabbatini(UQ)
Maxim Goryachev (UWA)
Eoin Sheridan (UQ)
Glen Harris (UQ)
Suhkbinder Singh (MQ)
John Hornibrook (USYD)
Jean-Loup Smirr (UNSW)
Markus Jerger (UQ)
Stuart Szigeti (UQ)
Mattias Johnson (MQ)
Eugene Tan (MQ)
Mathieu Juan (MQ)
Michael Vanner (UQ)
Sergey Kafanov (UNSW)
Till Weinhold (UQ)
Ivan Kassal (UQ)
Ke Yu Xia (MQ)
Pascal Macha (UQ)
Fei Zhan (UQ)
Lars Madsen (UQ)
Research
assistants
Alex Barbara (MQ)
Elizabeth Camilleri (MQ)
Thomas Carey (UQ)
Bogdan Kochetov (UQ)
Stephen Osborne (UWQ)
Kari Pihl (UNSW)
Andrew Poci (MQ)
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ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Kirill Afanasyev (UQ) PhD
Hossein Tavadoli-Dinani (MQ) PhD
Rafael Alexander (USYD) PhD
Michael Taylor (UQ) PhD
Babatunde Ayeni (MQ) PhD
Nora Tischler (MQ) PhD
Harrison Ball (USYD) PhD
David Waddington (USYD) PhD
Romain Bara-Maillet (UWA) PhD
Muhammed Waleed (UQ) PhD
Sahar Basiri Esfahani (UQ) PhD
Matthew Wardrop (USYD) PhD
James Bennett (UQ) PhD
Nick Wyatt (UQ) PhD
Devon Biggerstaff (UQ) PhD
Xavier Zambrana Puyalto (MQ) PhD
Andrew Bolt (UQ) PhD
Ivan Fernandez-Corbaton ( MQ) PhD
Jeremy Bourhill (UWA) PhD
Yarema Reshitnyk (UQ) PhD
George Brawley (UQ) PhD
Students
Courtney Brell (USYD) PhD
Thomas Guff ( MQ) Masters
Jacob Bridgeman (USYD) PhD
Angela Karanjai (USYD) Masters
Alexander Buese (MQ) PhD
Daniel Lombardo (MQ) Masters
Simon Burton (USYD) PhD
Reece Roberts (MQ) Masters
Xanthe Croot (USYD) PhD
Jarrah Sastrawan (USYD) Masters
Natalia Do Carmo Carvalho (UWA) PhD
Matthew van Breugel (MQ) Masters
Mostafa El Demery (MQ) PhD
Dominic Williamson (USYD ) Masters
Bixuan Fan (UQ) PhD
Andrew Wood (MQ) Masters
Warwick Farr (UWA) PhD
Natasha Gabay (USYD) PhD
Thomas Bell (UQ) Honours
Guillaume Gauthier (UQ) PhD
Thomas Boele (USYD ) Honours
Christina Giarmatzi ( UQ) PhD
Chris Chubb (USYD ) Honours
Geoffrey Gillett (UQ) PhD
Nick Funai (USYD ) Honours
Todd Green (USYD) PhD
Nathan McMahon ( UQ) Honours
Robin Harper (USYD ) PhD
Hakop Pashayan (USYD ) Honours
Glen Harris (UQ) PhD
Sam Roberts (USYD ) Honours
MD Akhter Hosain (UWA) PhD
Ishraq Uddin (USYD ) Honours
Marie Claire Jarratt (USYD) PhD
Steven Waddy (USYD ) Honours
Clara Javaherian (MQ) PhD
Kiran Khosla (UQ) PhD
Christine Beer (USYD ) Graduate Student
Nikita Kostylev (UWA) PhD
LC Cheung (USYD) Undergraduate
Juan Loredo Rosillo (UQ) PhD
Claire Edmunds (USYD) Undergraduate
Alice Mahoney (USYD) PhD
William de Ferranti (USYD) Undergraduate
Nick McKay-Parry (UQ) PhD
Samuel Henderson (USYD) Undergraduate
Keith Motes (MQ) PhD
Alistair Milne (USYD) Undergraduate
Sebastian Pauka (USYD) PhD
Kaliban Sripathy (USYD) Undergraduate
Matthew Palmer (USYD) PhD
18
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Markus Rambach (UQ) PhD
Mucus Appleby, Vacation Student
Ewa Rej (USYD) PhD
Pavle Cajic, Vacation Student
Martin Ringbauer (UQ) PhD
Anirban Ghose, Vacation Student
Seyed Saadatmand (UQ) PhD
Issac Lenton, Vacation Student
Devin Smith (USYD) PhD
Ryan Marshman, Vacation Student
Alexander Soare (USYD) PhD
Roberto Munzo, Vacation Student
William Soo (USYD) PhD
Daphne Perquel, Vacation Student
Alex Szorkovszky (UQ) PhD
Harry Smith, Vacation Student
Andrea Tabachinni (MQ) PhD
Aiden Suter, Vacation Student
Maki Takahasi (USYD) PhD
Paul Webster, Vacation Student
Collaborators
EQuS gratefully acknowledges the contributions of the following individuals associated
with our collaborating and partner organisations
AUSTRALIA
Gu, Mile - Tsinghua University
Armin, Ardalan - University of Queensland
Jun, Yang - National University of Defence Technology
Bachor, Hans - Australian National University
Lin, Gongwei - Eastern China University of Science and Technology
Berry, Dominic - Macquarie University
Long, Gui-Lu - Tsinghua University
Burn, Paul - University of Queensland
Lu, Guowei - Peking University
Carvalho, Andre - Australian National University
Niu, Yueping - Eastern China University of Science and Technology
Castelletto, S. - RMIT
Peng, Rhong Xu - Southeast University
Chow, Jong H. - Australian National University
Shan, Qingxia - National University of Defence Technology
Daria, Vincent - Australian National University
Zhang, Zhengyu - University of Science and Technology
Davis, Matthew - University of Queensland
Zhen, X. - Tsinghua University
Gray, Malcolm - Australian National University
Hambsch, Michael - University of Queensland
CZECH REPUBLIC
Holmes, Cathy - University of Queensland
Zatloukal, V. - Czech Technical University
Hsieh, Min-Hsiu - University of Technology Sydney
Iacopi, Francesca - Griffith University
DENMARK
Janousek, Jiri - Australian National University
Boisen, Anja - Technical University of Denmark
Kermany, Atieh R.- Griffith University
Hoff, Ulrich - Technical University of Denmark
Leong, Philip - University of Sydney
Kerdoncuff, Hugo - Technical University of Denmark
Li, Jun - University of Queensland
Lassen, Mikael - National Metrology Institute
Luiten, Andre - University of Adelaide
Nielsen, Bo M. - Aarhus University
Lyons, Dani - University of Queensland
Schmid, Silvan - Technical University of Denmark
Meredith, Paul - University of Queensland
Minovich, Alexander - Australian National University
FRANCE
Powell,Ben - University of Queensland
Abbe, Philippe - FEMTO-ST Institute
Shaw, Paul - University of Queensland
Aubourg, Michel - The National Centre for Scientific Research
Shi, Zugui - University of Queensland
Berte, P. - Quantronics Group SPEC IRAMIS DSM
Stolterfoht, Martin - University of Queensland
Blondy, Jean-Marc - The National Centre for Scientific Research
van Kann, Frank - University of Western Australia
Bourquin, Roger - FEMTO-ST Institute
Vidal, Xavier - Macquarie University
Cros, Dominique - The National Centre for Scientific Research
Weng, Wenle - University of Adelaide
Dulmet, Bernard - FEMTO-ST Institute
Esteve, D. - Quantronics Group SPEC IRAMIS DSM
CANADA
Férachou, Denis - The National Centre for Scientific Research
Boissonneault, Maxime - University of Sherbrooke
Galliou, Serge - FEMTO-ST Institute
Clerk, Aashish - McGill University
Humbert, Georges - The National Centre for Scientific Research
Dauphinais, Guillaume - University of Sherbrooke
Krupka, Jerzy - The National Centre for Scientific Research
Girelli, Florian - University of Waterloo
Madrangeas, Valerie - The National Centre for Scientific Research
Raussendorf, Robert - University of British Columbia
Ong, F.R. - CEA Saclay
Wallman, Joel - University of Waterloo
Parcolett, Olivier - Institute of Theoretical Physics
Roux, Guillaume - University of Paris-Sud
CHINA
Vion, D. - CEA Saclay
Cheng, Yuqing - Peking University
Gong, Shangqing - Eastern China University of Science and Technology
19
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Collaborators, cont
GERMANY
SINGAPORE
André, Stephan - Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Demarie, Tommaso - Singapore University of Technology and Design
Barthel, Thomas - Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Fitzsimons, Joseph - National University of Singapore
Brell, Courtney - Leibniz Institute for Photonics Technologies
Jun, Li - Agency for Science Technology and Research
Bushev, Pavel - University of Saarland
Tsang, Mankei - National University of Singapore
Cai, Zi - Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Zheng Ang, Shan - National University of Singapore
Hage, Boris - University of Rostock
Zugui, Sho - Agency for Science Technology and Research
Halimeh, Jad C. - Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Huebner, Uwe - Leibniz Institute for Photonics Technologies
SPAIN
Il’ichev, Evgney - Leibniz Institute for Photonics Technologies
Acimovic, S. S. - The Institute of Photonic Sciences
Herian, C. Java - University of Ulm
Berthelot, J. - The Institute of Photonic Sciences
Marthaler, Michael - Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
de J. León-Montiel, Roberto - The Institute of Photonic Sciences
Meyer, Hans-Georg - Leibniz Institute for Photonics Technologies
Hoban, Matty J. - The Institute of Photonic Sciences
Oelsner, Gregor - Leibniz Institute for Photonics Technologies
Kreuzer, M. P. - The Institute of Photonic Sciences
Piraud, Marie - Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Merino, J. - Autonomous University of Madrid
Reiner, Jan-Michael - Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Quidant, J. R. - The Institute of Photonic Sciences
Rieger, D. - Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Renger, J. - The Institute of Photonic Sciences
Rotzinger, H. - Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Torres, Juan P. - Institute for Photonic Sciences
Schollwöck, Ulrich - Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics
Schollwöck, Ulrich - Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
SOUTH AFRICA
Schön, Gerd - Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Uys, H. - CSIR National Laser Centre
Ustinov, Lexey - Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
Wolf, F. Alexander - Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics
SWEDEN
Wöllert, Anton - Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Johansson, Goran - Chalmers University of Technology
Kockum, Anton - Chalmers University of Technology
INDIA
Probst, S. - Chalmers University of Technology
Mishra, Neeraj - Indian Institute of Technology
Sathyamoorthy, Sankar - Chalmers University of Technology
Tkalčec, A. - Chalmers University of Technology
ISRAEL
Tornberg, L. - Chalmers University of Technology,
Umansky, V. - Weizmann Institute for Science
Wilson, C. M. - Chalmers University of Technology
ITALY
SWITZERLAND
D’Errico, Chiara - University of Florence
Giamarchi, Thierry - University of Geneva
Gori, Lorenzo - University of Florence
Inguscio, Massimo - University of Florence
Lucioni, Eleonora - University of Florence
Modugno, Giovanni - University of Florence
Tanzi, Luca - University of Florence
JAPAN
Munro, William J. - Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation
Ueda, Masahito - University of Tokyo
Yukawa, Emi - NII
TAIWAN
Lee, Ray-Kuang - National Tsing-Hua University
Lee, Yi-Chan - National Tsing-Hua University
UNITED KINGDOM
Anwar, Hussain - University College
Gauger, Benjamin - Oxford University
Higgins, K. D. B. - Oxford University
Hush, Michael - University of Nottingham
Joshi, Chaitanya - Heriot-Watt University
Lovett, B. W. - University of St Andrews
Morley, James - University of Nottingham
Pachos, Jiannis K - University of Leeds
Palumbo, Giandomenico - University of Leeds
20
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Collaborators, cont
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Aumentado, Jose - NIST- Boulder
Bollinger, John - NIST- Boulder
Brown, Kenneth - Georgia Institute of Technology
Brown, William - Hawaii Institute for Unified Physics
Clarke, John - University of California at Berkeley
Combes, Joshua - University of New Mexico
Dowling, Jonathan - Hearne Institute for Theoretical Physics
Gossard, A. C. - University of California
Harvey, S. P. - Harvard University
Kabytayev, Chingiz - Georgia Institute of Technology
Kafri, D. - University of Maryland
Khodjasteh, Kaveh - Dartmouth College
Kim, Jungsang - Duke University
Lu, H. - University of California
Monroe, Chris - University of Maryland
Nichol, J. M. - Harvard University
Oliver, William - Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Shulman, M. D. - Harvard University
Simmonds, Ray - NIST- Boulder
Sirois, Adam - NIST- Boulder
Viola, Lorenza - Dartmouth College
Yacoby, Amir - Harvard University
21
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
EQuS knowledge transfer
In 2014, EQuS was committed to its responsibilty in knowledge transfer.
Highlights included
• Four major industry collaborations with Microsoft, NTT, NII,
MOGLabs, and Lockheed Martin Australia
• A number of school visits as part of EQuS outreach
• The filing of 9 patents
• Membership of 12 editorial boards and committees
NINE
Patents
73%
Of the Centre’s publications are interdisciplinary, spanning two or
more 4-digit Fields of Research (FOR) codes
NINE
Centre CIs sit on twelve editorial boards
SEVEN
Briefings to government agencies/industry groups
Company reports
Microsoft
CI Reilly has developed the new collaboration with Microsoft Research to focus on engineering
issues related to scale-up of large quantum systems. Unique in Australia, this long-term
collaborative activity involves Microsoft sponsoring a new research activity in the Quantum
Nanoscience Laboratory at the EQuS Node at the University of Sydney. Beyond being one
of the world’s top companies, Microsoft Research is a leader in computer science research
(ranking among Stanford, MIT, and Berkeley).
NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation)
The University of Queensland on behalf of EQuS signed a Joint Development Agreement
with NTT Basic Research Laboratories in Japan, regarding collaboration on superconducting
transducers project for NV spins in diamond. This collaboration gives EQuS researchers access
to some of the most advanced laboratories in the world, and active participation in quantum
technologies based on superconducting quantum devices.
NII (National Institute for Informatics), Japan
The University of Queensland signed a Memorandum of Association with NII regarding a
number of joint projects and Professor Milburn’s visiting professorship.
MOGLabs, Australia
CI Biercuk is part of an industrial partnership with local high-tech manufacturing company,
MOGLabs. Headquartered in Victoria, MOGLabs specializes in advanced control electronics
and optical systems for experimental quantum physics. Biercuk has engaged with MOGLabs
in the development of novel laser systems in support of EQuS research that has yielded new
commercial offerings now being taken up by researchers globally at institutions such as Duke
University and the Georgia Tech Research Institute. This relationship is formally supported
through an ARC Linkage Project with Biercuk as second CI.
Lockheed Martin, Australia
EQuS ties with Lockheed Martin have continued to grow this year. This includes gold
sponsorship, for the first time, of both the EQuS Workshop and the EQuS Optomechanics
Incubator Workshop. It strengthened and expanded research collaborations between Lockheed
and CIs based both on Lockheed Martin seed funding and external competitive grant income.
For instance, CI Bowen and Dr Uribarri from Lockheed have grown seed funding provided
in 2013 into a three year ARC Linkage project on “Optomechanical refrigeration of electronic
circuits”. This project will develop techniques for laser control and readout of electronic circuits,
mediated by the motion of micromechanical devices, and seeks to achieve lower noise circuitry
for precision communications and timing systems.
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
23
Education, outreach and training
Since the ARC Centre’s
inception in 2011, our post
graduate enrolment has
grown steadily from 50 to
81 students. All students
are supervised by Chief
Investigators or Research
Fellows and are based
at the five nodes of the
Centre. Developing a
comprehensive framework
for the training and
mentoring of a new
generation of Quantum
scientists and engineers
is a major Centre goal. In
addition to project based
training and mentoring,
Centre RHD students have
access to professional
development training
provided by the graduate
schools of their host
institutions.
24
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
The Centre has maintained and increased its
postgraduate enrolments over the last four years, from
50 in 2011 to over 80 in 2014.
50
PhD and Masters students in 2011
81
PhD and Masters students in 2014
12
PhD and Masters completions in 2011
18
PhD and Masters completions in 2014
4TH ANNUAL EQuS WORKSHOP
The Centre hosted its fourth Annual Workshop in December 2014 at the Crowne Plaza, Coogee
Bay, Sydney. Delegates (135) representing all Centre nodes, overseas collaborators and industry
representatives attended the event. Key features of the workshop included presentations from
overseas speakers Professor Rainer Blatt, Professor Andreas Wallraff, Dr Raymond Simmonds,
FOURTH ANNUAL
WORKSHOP
Professor John Clarke, Professor Valerio Scarani, and Professor Joseph Emerson. The Annual
Centre Workshop provides a forum for PhD and Postdoctoral researchers to present their work to
the entire Centre, as well as a number of international guests. All PhD students either contribute a
talk or a poster and the majority of the oral presentations are given by Postdoctoral Researchers.
EQuS would like to
acknowledge the sponsors
for the annual workshop
Gold Sponsor – Lockheed
Martin
Silver Sponsor – Oxford
Instruments
Bronze Sponsor – Keysight
Technologies
This ensures a lively workshop with discussion and questions between the postgrads and
postdocs, rather than one dominated by CIs. It also provides valuable conference-presentation
training in a familiar environment.
OPTOMECHANICS INCUBATOR WORKSHOP
THIRD ANNUAL
OPTOMECHANICS
INCUBATOR WORKSHOP
In December 2014, we conducted our third annual EQuS Optomechanics Incubator Workshop
at the Coogee Bay Hotel, Coogee Bay, Sydney.. The Incubator is a one-day meeting that aims
to bring together the Australian optomechanics research community to focus on the important
international challenges in the area and establish national research collaborations to address
them. The Incubator has a growing national and international reputation, as evidenced by
increasing demand for places and by the outstanding list of high profile national and international
speakers. In 2014, the Incubator was attended by 80 research scientists, saturating the capacity
of the venue. Invited talks were given by international speakers from the US National Institute
of Standards and Technology (NIST), Innsbruck University in Austria, the University College
London, and the National University of Singapore; with domestic speakers from the University
of Sydney, the University of Western Australia, Macquarie University, and the University of
Queensland, including two Laureate Fellows. This year, for the first time, we leveraged the
successful track record of the meeting to attract sponsors, including Lockheed Martin Ltd, Oxford
Instruments, Scitek, Lastek, Attocube and Keysight Technologies.
25
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Education, outreach and training
EQuS plays a key role
in ensuring students
and graduates are wellprepared to participate
in the second quantum
revolution. EQuS is
committed to raising
awareness of quantum
physics amongst
students. In 2014, EQuS
participated in seven
High School Outreach
programs.
EQuS OUTREACH ACTIVITIES FIND AN INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCE
As part of the UWA School of Physics Outreach Program with schools and institutions in
Singapore and China, EQuS opened its doors to the international students. The student groups
spent a week at UWA, and to enrich the students’ experience of being a student/researcher
in academia, research groups in the School of Physics engage the students with hands-on
experiments, or showcase different aspects of physics. A group consisting of 10 students aged
between 15-19 and two teachers from NUS High School of Math and Science, Singapore visited
the EQuS laboratory for a tour where Daniel Creedon showcased the day-to-day research
of EQuS, explaining the group’s history of experiments in time and frequency, and tests of
fundamental physics. Daniel then answered questions about the exciting science at EQuS.
EQuS POSTDOCS MENTOR THE NEXT GENERATION OF PHYSICISTS
EQuS Atom Optics Laboratory hosted a series of high school placement students from Kedron
State High School in Wooloowin, Brisbane, Queensland. Two students were hosted for the first
two days, with a second group of two students hosted for the subsequent days.
The students were attentive and interested to learn about the motivation and techniques for
working with cold atoms. Dr Tyler Neely first introduced them to the subject through a brief
presentation. They then completed an interactive online tutorial and associated workbook that
guided them through the basics of laser cooling and manipulation of atoms. Next, they were
introduced to the real-world implementation of these techniques in the Atom Optics Laboratory.
The students then completed a project building transimpedence amplifiers for amplifying
light signals transduced by a photodiode. The students excelled at quickly understanding the
electronic circuit and were able to get some hands-on experience in soldering and constructing
custom electronics. Significantly, they helped to assemble equipment that will be a permanent
part of the experimental setup!
Giving young students a real taste of physics in a real laboratory, with a real scientist, is an
important aspect of the EQuS outreach program.
26
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
KOOL KWANTUM DEMOS
EQuS and QSCITECH supported day-long activity bringing high school
students and high school science teachers to build and operate a variety of
physics demonstrations relating to quantum science.
MICROSOFT COLLABORATION
The EQuS collaboration with Microsoft Corporation (Redmond USA) in full swing.
Dr Krysta Svore, Quantum Architectures and Computation Group Leader at Microsoft visits Prof David Reilly’s Quantum Nanoscience
Laboratory and team.
EQuS WINTER SCHOOL
The second EQuS Winter School was held at Macquarie University 22-25 July, 2014.
There were 11 speakers, including two international visitors, who presented tutorial style lectures on a broad array of EQuS themes including:
Centre active experiments in coherent control and sensing with solid state and quantum optical systems, state of the art in quantum simulation,
and many body quantum states as synthetic quantum matter. The lecturers emphasised fundamental issues and open problems in the field as
a way to inspire future student involvement in the Centre and there was ample time for discussions after the lectures. Laboratory tours were
conducted on campus and social activities included an afternoon outing to Manly Beach.
UQ JOURNAL CLUB
Running since April 2014, the weekly EQuS Journal Club at the UQ
node aims to bring together researchers from different specialisations.
The format asks for a short informal presentation each week,
highlighting recent interesting publications in the presenting
researcher’s field, and is designed to stimulate discussions and foster
collaborations within the UQ node.
27
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
EQuS infrastructure
Our Centre of Excellence includes world-leading
experimental infrastructure focussed on a broad
spectrum of technologies. Our efforts represent the
absolute cutting-edge of capability in quantum control
and quantum systems engineering.
10
Specialised laboratories
FIVE
Locations within Australia
54
Visitors to the laboratories in 2014
THE AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTE FOR NANOSCIENCE
EQuS occupies more than half of the Australian Institute for Nanoscience
(AIN) building at the University of Sydney. The AIN is a world-leading
research and teaching facility, which houses a state-of-the-art national
nanofabrication facility and is at the forefront of nanoscience facilities in the
world. Many elements of the building are specifically designed to enable
high-precision nanoscience research.
Laboratories
The Quantum Technology Laboratory – The University of
Queensland
The Quantum Technology Laboratory is focussed on emulating both natural and engineered
quantum systems by using quantum photonics, a proven and flexible architecture for
investigating exotic quantum phenomena, to enable new applications from secure
communications through to improved metrology. The Laboratory has extensive quantum
photonics facilities, including the world’s highest-efficiency entangled photon source, integrated
photonic circuits, and highly efficient cryogenic calorimeters that can be used to count individual
photons.
The Queensland Quantum Optics
Laboratory – The University of Queensland
The Queensland Quantum Optics Laboratory undertakes research in
the quantum physics of micro- and nano-scale optical devices, with
the aims of both testing fundamental physics, and developing quantum
technologies with future applications in metrology, communication,
and biomedical imaging and diagnosis. Much of our research is
based around optical architectures integrated onto silicon chips and/
or compatible with current-day fibre optic systems. These architectures
provide a test-bed from which we can study a wide range of quantum
processes including entanglement and non-locality, quantum enhanced
measurements and microscopy, and quantum optomechanics. The
robustness and scalability of the systems used offer potential for the
Staff at the Queensland Optics Laboratory
investigation of large-scale quantum systems and phenomena. The laboratory has Australia’s
only fabrication facilities for silicon chip based ultrahigh quality optical microcavities, and one
of only a few such facilities in the world. The laboratory also has cryogenic facilities allowing
operation of quantum devices at temperatures as low as 0.3 K; multiple laser sources; and a
range of radio frequency test and measurement systems.
29
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Laboratories
The Atom Optics Laboratory – The University of
Queensland
The Atom Optics Laboratory at the University of Queensland explores
applications of ultracold degenerate atomic systems. These include problems
of fundamental physics interest, utilising ultracold atoms to produce emulations
of other quantum systems and classical/quantum phase transitions. We are in
the later stages of developing a Bose-Einstein condensate apparatus utilising
Rubidium (87Rb) and Potassium (41K) atoms to form a dual bosonic BEC. This
apparatus centres around a custom-built all glass ultra-high vacuum chamber,
allowing a high degree of optical access and facilitating high resolution imaging.
Manipulation of the atomic ensemble through the use of configurable dipole
potentials and magnetic fields yield the high degree of control necessary for
emulation experiments.
87Rb BEC, achieved in November 2014.
The atoms start as a thermal cloud. As the
temperature is decreased, a peak emerges and
is the definitive signature of the formation of a
BEC (first panel). As the temperature continues
to decrease, the condensate fraction increases
(subsequent panels).
Hybrid quantum systems, in which atoms are coupled to opto-mechanical
resonators, are also being developed in collaboration with the group of
Associate Professor Warwick Bowen. Using our in-house expertise in pulling
fibre tapers, a cold atom trap can be constructed. As the cold atoms interact
strongly with the light propagating along the fibre, this light can then be utilised
for external coupling of the atoms to other systems. Additionally, our group
explores the applications of ultracold atoms to precision sensing, focusing on the
measurement of rotation.
The Superconducting Quantum Devices
Laboratory – The University of Queensland
Superconducting quantum circuits are artificial structures with a possibility to
design and engineer their key properties. These unique features have made
these engineered systems to be one of the most promising candidates for
realizing a quantum computer in solid state, have allowed for exploration of
quantum optical phenomena on-chip and have facilitated the implementation of a
quantum control of a nanomechanical degree of freedom.
Superconducting Quantum Devices Laboratory aims at establishing fabrication
and measurement techniques for the next generation of superconducting
nanodevices consisting of superconducting qubits or artificial atoms, microwave
transmission lines and high quality superconducting resonators.
By using strong coupling strength between single microwave photon and a
superconducting qubit in these networks, one can realize a plethora of novel
light-matter interaction regimes. In addition, superconducting circuits can
integrate nanomechanical quantum devices opening avenues for quantum
Staff at the Superconducting Quantum
Devices Laboratory
control of mechanical degree of freedom.
The laboratory enables ultra-low noise electronic measurements at milliKelvin
temperatures and contains an Oxford instruments DR200 dilution refrigerator and
a complete set of test and measurement microwave equipment.
30
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Laboratories
The Superconducting Nano-Devices Laboratory – The University of New South Wales
In 2011, a new low temperature laboratory, focussed on experiments with nano-structured superconducting quantum devices based on Josephson
junctions, was established at The University of New South Wales by Professor Timothy Duty. This laboratory became part of EQuS in 2012,
and has since expanded its facilities that now include two BlueFors cryogen-free dilution refrigerators for ultra-low noise microwave and radiofrequency measurements at milliKelvin temperatures. Since 2011, the laboratory has invested heavily in developing new nano-fabrication
processes for superconducting devices at the UNSW node of the Australian National Fabrication Facility. The development of such nanofabrication processes from the ground up is a challenging task, therefore CI Duty’s team is proud to have achieved production of working and
reliable Josephson devices as of late 2013. This achievement significantly expands the capabilities for EQuS and other Australian-based science.
Nano-fabrication of Josephson devices was further developed at UNSW during 2014, boosted by the acquisition of a new thin-film aluminium
evaporator specifically designed for fabrication of Josephson-junction devices. EQuS researchers at UNSW can now produce superconducting
devices on par with the leading laboratories around the world.
The QIRON Laboratory– Macquarie University
The QIRON (Quantum Interactions with Nanoparticles) laboratory is based at Macquarie University. The aim of the
laboratory is to study and control the properties of the smallest structures that can be fabricated to date. In particular, we
are interested in controlling the quantum properties of metallic structures. The fabrication capabilities that exist nowadays
allow for realization of a diversity of geometries on the nanoscale, i.e. structures with features with sizes in one part in
a million of a millimeter. These particles can confine an electron gas (plasma) in a very small volume, which can then
couple very strongly with optical fields forming so called plasmons. In our laboratory, we combine the techniques of
quantum optics and nanooptics in order to discover new physical phenomena at those scales. In the laboratory we
prepare quantum sources of light to interact with very small particles and structures. Our quantum sources of light
emit optical radiation in a very special state. We take the smallest amount of light that Nature allows, the photon, and
engineer states of light with just a few photons which are strongly correlated in their properties: timing, colour, direction,
etc. These correlations are much stronger than any classical source of light, like a laser or a bulb, can produce. We use
these properties to control and measure with a much higher precision our small structures. The laboratory is equipped
with a set of tools which allows us to control the properties of light in a very precise manner. We can control the angular
momentum of the light (the amount of torque that light can transfer to material particles) with spatial light modulators,
we have laser sources capable of producing very short pulses of light (around 100 femtosecond) and also very stable
continuous wave lasers with very small bandwidths. Our new laboratory is fully functional and has seen the first levitated
nanodiamond in Australia. This opens a new regime in the control of nanodiamonds and nanoparticles in general.
The Quantum Nanoscience Laboratory The Quantum Nanoscience Laboratory at the University of Sydney offers extensive
measurement capability combining ultra-low temperatures (3 dilution fridges with based temperatures below 10 millikelvin) with a suite of radio
and microwave frequency electronics and test equipment. Two nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers and an electron spin resonance system
unpin work on nanoparticle MRI sensors. These facilities enable a range of nanoscale quantum systems to be investigated at low temperature, high
magnetic field, and on short timescales, where exotic quantum phenomena become apparent.
31
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Laboratories
The Frequency and Quantum Metrology Laboratory –
The University of Western Australia
The Frequency and Quantum Metrology Laboratory, run by CI Michael
Tobar, has a long history of research in precision measurement, materials
characterisation, ultra-high Q-factor resonators, and the development of
frequency stable, low phase noise instruments with world-class precision and
performance. One such device, the Cryogenic Sapphire Oscillator, is now found
in metrological laboratories around the globe, and has allowed atomic fountain
clock technology to reach its ultimate performance, as well as being used in
some of the most precise tests of fundamental physics ever performed. The
group’s research has also led to a number of practical technologies that have
been successfully patented and commercialised. The laboratory offers access
to two 4K pulse-tube cryogenic systems, one 30 K system, and a BlueFors
Staff at the Frequency and Quantum Metrology Laboratory, UWA
cryogen-free dilution refrigerator capable of reaching 10 mK. The laboratory is
also well equipped with many sophisticated microwave diagnostic technologies
such network analysers, synthesizers, and spectrum analysers from RF to
millimetre wave frequencies. The laboratory possesses a hydrogen maser which
is distributed as a frequency reference in addition to several Cryogenic Sapphire
Oscillators developed in-house that allow microwave signals to be synthesized
with frequency stability of better than 1 part in 1000 trillion.
The Quantum Control Laboratory
The Quantum Control Laboratory (QCL) was formed in 2010 with the appointment of Associate
Professor Biercuk to a continuing faculty position at the University of Sydney. In the short time that
he has been in Australia, Associate Professor Biercuk has established a world-leading research effort
on quantum control and quantum simulation with trapped ions, driving major efforts towards EQuS
Grand Challenges.
The research undertaken in the QCL is focussed on the development of practically useful techniques
in quantum control likely to underpin the functionality of an entire generation of engineered quantum
systems. Our research combines theory and experiment and leverages major international funding
streams, and international collaborations facilitated via the group’s role within EQuS.
The Centre of Excellence has formed a focal point for international attention on our efforts. It has
drawn high quality visiting students from the US, Germany, and China, helped support applications
for international funding, and formed a basis for our international media profile. EQuS has been
a major facilitator for our efforts, and much of the research below could not have been carried out
without the QCL’s participation in the Centre.
Ion trapping apparatus in the
Quantum Control Laboratory
32
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
A Crystal of Ytterbium ions in a RF Paul
trap
Laboratories
The Diamond Nanoscience Laboratory
The Diamond Nanoscience Laboratory is based at Macquarie University and
is part of the Quantum Materials and Applications Group (QMAPP) led by Dr
Thomas Volz. The research on nano-diamonds lies at the interface of quantum
physics, nanotechnology and material science. A major research direction in the
diamond lab is the use of NV-centre spins for magnetic sensing in biological and
low-temperature condensed-matter systems. In addition, the potential of colour
centres in diamond for building efficient light-matter interfaces for carrying out
quantum-photonics experiments is explored. The diamond laboratory uses a
confocal microscope setup combined with an atomic force microscope (AFM) to
perform simultaneous analysis of optical properties and size of nano-diamonds.
This setup has allowed important studies on fluorescence properties of nanodiamonds over a large range of particle sizes down to the few-nm scale in the
Dr Carlo Bradac, postdoctoral fellow of Dr Thomas Volz, in
the Diamond Nanoscience Laboratory
past. During the past year, new capabilities have been added to the nanodiamond laboratory. The laboratory now houses a closed-cycle cryostat from
Montana Instruments for building a low-temperature confocal setup combined
with low-temperature AFM capabilities. Besides performing low-temperature
spectroscopy on colour centres in diamond, this will also allow the group to build
a setup for low-temperature magnetic sensing with diamond.
The Low-Temperature Cavity QED Laboratory
The newly established Low-Temperature Cavity QED Laboratory (headed
by CI Volz) at CSIRO Lindfield complements the facilities/experiments of the
Nanodiamond Laboratory at Macquarie University. The Lindfield Laboratory
provides excellent environmental conditions and great stability for carrying out
experiments with solid-state emitters coupled to semi-integrated fibre cavities at
liquid-helium temperatures. Besides the low-T optical fibre-cavity microscope,
the lab houses two widely tunable high-power laser systems (cw and pulsed)
and a high-resolution spectrometer for carrying out cavity QED studies of lowThe Quantum Materials and Applications Group moved into
the new CSIRO low-temperature cavity QED laboratory on
31 March 2014
dimensional semiconductor nanostructures and diamond colour centres such as
NV and SiV centres.
Fibre shooting system
During 2014, the Quantum Materials
and Applications group has also set up a home-built state-of-the-art CO2-laser
machining and imaging facility at Macquarie University for the fabrication of
curved mirror substrates at the end of optical fibres. The mirror substrates are
formed through ablation and melting by shooting a laser pulse at the end of
an optical fibre. The system incorporates an optical profilometer which allows
us in-situ characterization of the fabricated structures. Once coated by a
company overseas, the fibre mirrors are used for our fibre-cavity experiments
at the Lindfield Laboratory. We have demonstrated the fabrication of very small
curvature radii necessary to achieve strong mode confinement which will give
access to strong coupling effects and single-photon non-linearities with solidstate emitters.
33
The new fibre shooting set up at Macquarie University
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
EQuS research
DELIVERING ON GRAND CHALLENGES
EQuS RESEARCH THEMES
Quantum Measurement and Control
We are addressing scientific challenges in quantum-limited
measurement and control, enabling demonstrations of quantum
solutions to control engineering problems in each technology
platform.
Quantum-Enabled Sensors and Metrology
We are delivering unprecedented levels of sensitivity and precision
in applications of quantum systems to sensing, biomedical imaging,
and metrology.
Synthetic Quantum Systems and Quantum Simulation
We are producing novel states of light and matter exhibiting strong
quantum-mechanical correlations that enable simulations of complex
interacting quantum systems.
EQuS is organised around
carefully crafted research
programs and individual
projects.
ins
ns
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pp
tra
trapped atoms
quantum
measurement &
control
in
so
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superconducting circuits
sp
quantum-enabled
sensors
& metrology
EQuS
synthetic quantum
systems & quantum
simulation
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an
tum
ph
oto
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to
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/na
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35
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
PROGRAM 1
QUANTUM
MEASUREMENT AND
CONTROL
Addressing scientific challenges in quantum-limited
measurement and control, enabling demonstrations of
quantum solutions to control engineering problems in
each technology platform.
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
GRAND CHALLENGES
1. Realise new capabilities through the development of
a comprehensive and flexible quantum control toolkit.
Building on the importance that control engineering
has played in modern classical technology—
from DVDs to A380’s—we have begun laying the
foundation for these concepts in the quantum domain.
We have realized a new transfer-function based
framework to understand quantum dynamics, bringing
concepts from the engineering community directly to
quantum science, and using it to solve outstanding
problems in the field of quantum-computer
architecture. This work was recognized through pieces
in media outlets including The New York Times, and
finalist nominations in the 2012 Eureka Prizes and
2013 Australian Innovation Challenge (refer Annual
Reports).
2. Realise new and otherwise inaccessible regimes of
physics through the construction of hybrid quantum
systems. The EQuS vision for hybrid quantum
systems led us to incorporate technical capabilities
across multiple quantum technologies, from hybrid
photon-circuit devices to optomechanical systems.
Our researchers are leading the global community,
demonstrating novel control-based frameworks
addressing major questions—for instance how to
interface microwave to optical photons. We have also
discovered new physical regimes controllably coupling
electrons in nanoscale devices to lattice vibrations,
and even coupling exotic quantum hall states to
magnetoplasmons.
3. Develop design principles for robust control of
hybrid quantum systems and demonstrate their
utility in experimental applications. We have begun
to understand and model the dynamic evolution of
quantum systems to ensure robust performance in the
presence of decoherence, the loss of quantumness
over time.
37
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
QUANTUM MEASUREMENT
AND CONTROL
PROJECTS
Quantum control with trapped ions
Error robust multiqubit gates
The history of physics shows that new
discoveries follow new measurement
technology: if you can’t measure it,
you can’t control it. In our first threeand-a-half years this program has
made extraordinary progress towards
its three Grand Challenges.
Quantum optomechanics
Plasmonics and nanooptics
Coupling superconducting devices to sapphire resonators
Quantum opto-magneto-mechanical interface between distant superconducting chips
Addressing spins in diamond with macroscopic microwave cavities
Nanodiamond levitation
Hybrid high-Q oscillators/resonators
Testing quantum contextuality with superconducting circuits
Limits on measurement uncertainty
Theory of quantum measurement and control in semiconductor qubits
Controlling electron spin in semiconductor quantum devices
CHIEF INVESTIGATORS
Stephen Bartlett, The University of Sydney
Michael Biercuk, The University of Sydney
Warwick Bowen, The University of Queensland
Timothy Duty, The University of New South Wales
Andrew Doherty, The University of Sydney
Arkady Fedorov, The University of Queensland
Garbriel Molina-Terriza, Macquarie University
David Reilly, The University of Sydney
Tom Stace, The University of Queensland
Michael Tobar, The University of Western Australia
Jason Twamley, Macquarie University
Thomas Volz, Macquarie University
Andrew White, The University of Queensland
HIGHLIGHTS
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tabletop experiment could detect gravitational waves
Hands-on science brings local community together
Generous gift supports the promise of quantum computing
Michael Tobar winner of the ATSE Clunies Ross award 2014
Arkady Fedorov new laboratory in 2014 set up with UQ infrastructure grant
Spotlight on EQuS ECRs and PhD students
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
5 NODES
13 PROJECTS
56 RESEARCHERS
43 COLLABORATORS
ARE ACTIVE IN THIS PROGRAM
39
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Tabletop experiment could detect
gravitational waves
A coin-sized detector might observe gravitational waves before the giant LIGO
interferometers, according to two Australian physicists who have built the device.
The detector is designed to register very high frequency gravitational The device costs about $500,000 to make and the physicists say that its
waves via the exceptionally weak vibrations they would induce.
compactness and ease of manufacture lends it to being scaled up into arrays
Other scientists caution that the astrophysical objects thought to
that would improve sensitivity and help filter out spurious events.
emit such radiation may do so very weakly or might not actually
Having accounted for all known sources of noise, Goryachev and Tobar
exist.
consider that their detector would be sensitive to strains in space–time as
Predicted by Einstein’s general theory of relativity, but yet to be
low as 10–22, the figure that Advanced LIGO is set to achieve. Advanced
directly observed, gravitational waves are ripples in space–time
LIGO is an upgrade of two existing LIGO detectors in the US, which are
generated by accelerating massive objects. The tiny detector
searching for gravitational waves using huge masses located at the ends of
has been made by Maxim Goryachev and Michael Tobar of the
optical interferometers with arms that are 4 km long. The huge detectors are
University of Western Australia in Perth and is based on the
expected to detect signals between about 0.1–1 kHz, from sources such as
decades-old technology of resonant-mass detection.
binary neutron stars or colliding black holes by the end of 2018.
Tiny vibrations
Cosmic strings and axions
Pioneered by Joseph Weber of the University of Maryland in the
Goryachev and Tobar say that their device should detect low-mass black
US in the late 1950s, resonant-mass detectors have traditionally
holes encircled by dark matter, with the latter giving off gravitational waves
employed metal bars about a metre long and around a tonne in
just as bound electrons in an atom emit electromagnetic radiation. Other
weight, which makes them sensitive to gravitational waves with
possible sources, they add, include plasma flows and exotic cosmological
frequencies up to about a few kilohertz. It turned out, however, that
entities such as cosmic strings or clouds of axions. Tobar says that they
the tiny vibrations that would be induced by gravitational waves are
could detect gravitational waves before Advanced LIGO, adding “We can at
extremely difficult to detect above the thermal noise in the bar –
least put the first serious upper limits on these sources.”
even when it was chilled to cryogenic temperatures.
Michael Cruise, an astrophysicist at the University of Birmingham in the
Goryachev and Tobar overcame this problem by targeting
UK, praises the “very sophisticated but believable” proposal, but cautions
gravitational radiation in the 1–1000 MHz range. Tobar initially
that many high-frequency sources “are very speculative and may well not
thought that the kind of gram-scale detector suited to these
exist” and may also be far weaker than those probed by interferometers.
frequencies would be far too light to produce any kind of measurable “The gravitational energy available is likely to go down by the cube of the
signal. He then realized that they could achieve the necessary
wavelength,” he says, “which is very punishing when wavelengths decrease
sensitivities by cooling down a quartz bulk-acoustic-wave (BAW)
by factors of a thousand or a million.”
cavity and boosting its output using extremely low-noise “SQUID”
The detector is described in a preprint on arXiv.
amplifiers. “Our technology has actually been around for decades,”
he says, “but at room temperatures.”
This is extracted from a story written by Edwin Cartlidge, a science writer
Trapping phonons
based in Rome.
Their device consists of a quartz disc about 2.5 cm in diameter
hinged to another piece of quartz and placed in a vacuum chamber.
A passing high-frequency gravitational wave would cause the disc
to vibrate, setting up standing waves of sound across the 2 mm
thickness of the disc. The upper surface of the disc is slightly curved
to trap sound quanta (phonons), which improves the signal-to-noise
ratio. The piezoelectric nature of quartz allows the tiny vibrations
to be converted into an electrical signal that is amplified by the
SQUIDs.
The researchers are currently operating their device at 4 K, and
hope to obtain the dedicated cryostat and sensitive SQUIDs needed
40
to reach the design temperature of 10 mK within the next year.
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Space–time ripples: tiny
device could see them
first
EQuS CI gets involved in the
National Indigenous Science
Education Program
EQuS CI Gabriel Molina-Terriza joined
colleagues from Macquarie University to
promote science as part of the National
Indigenous Science Education Program
(NISEP) during National Science Week.
The three day event, held at the Redfern
Community Centre, saw almost 400 students
from local primary schools participate in a
variety of hands-on science activities that
mixed mathematics, engineering, physics,
chemistry, environmental science and biology
with Indigenous cultural knowledge and
practice – all culminating in a Family Science
Festival that opened up the program to the
entire community.
mechanical oscillators and laser effects. The
[Top] Uncle Max Eulo begins with a smoking ceremony (L-R: Luke Clauge
from Maclean, Gabriel Molina-Terriza from Physics, Fred and Elizabeth from
Fred’s Bush Tucker).[Right] Associate Professor Joanne Jamie with surprise
celebrity guest Claudia Karvan. [Bottom] Students Mekeely Heron (from
Maclean) and Isaachar Fraser (from Casino) demonstrate the properties of
dry ice.
younger students were particularly excited by
University | Site Publisher: Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
an activity where they drew a picture with a
ABN 90 952 801 237 | CRICOS Provider No 00002J
CI Molina-Terriza coordinated a series of
physics experiments where the attendees
could have hands-on experience on
marker in a piece of paper and the picture was
turned onto light projected on a screen.
The Indigenous Science Experience is just one
of the events NISEP runs to provide students
from areas with low levels of post-secondary
education an opportunity to build relationships
with university staff and students, demystifying
the world of tertiary education.
Learn more about EQuS and its outreach
actvities at www.equs.org
Image courtesy of MU. © Copyright Macquarie
41
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Generous gift supports the promise
of quantum computing
A belief in the need for business to reach out to the sciences is only one of
the motives for Anne and Hugh Harley to donate half a million dollars to the
University of Sydney’s Quantum Control Laboratory.
The gift also expresses their support for the
accelerate our lab’s efforts to bring about a
competitive it needs to be at the forefront of
transformative possibilities of quantum science
new technological future enabled by the laws
scientific research and commercialisation
and is a chance to give back to an institution
of quantum physics. We are developing a
so I’m especially keen to break down
that four generations of their family have
new class of specialised computers, called
barriers between the business and science
attended.
quantum simulators that exploit these strange
communities.”
“People give to people,” is how Hugh Harley
laws. They work in a manner similar to a
“It is crucial for business and science to
describes the outcome of meeting Associate
model aircraft in a wind tunnel - we’re building
engage each other; it will be a major driver of
Professor Michael Biercuk, the director of
quantum scale models in order to simulate
our long-term economic performance.”
the University’s Quantum Control Laboratory
much more complex systems.”
The couple describe being delighted to be
and a Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of
“We hope to help unlock some extraordinarily
giving back to an institution that gave them
Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems.
important but elusive questions about the
both a wonderful education - and the chance
However, it was also the opportunity to
behaviour of exotic materials known as high-
to meet.
support one of the most important areas of
temperature superconductors which may
“My grandmother studied English at the
21st century science that inspired the Harleys’
transform the production and distribution of
University, my father studied medicine and
donation.
energy.”
our sons are now pursuing studies in science
Hugh Harley, financial services leader at
The couple believe that philanthropy has a
and the arts. This is a chance to look back and
PricewaterhouseCoopers Australia, knew that
crucial role to play in supporting the University
repay what the University has given us but
quantum information science could ensure an
in an increasingly competitive financial
also to contribute to this groundbreaking area
enormous leap in encryption technology or
environment, requiring it to seek a diversity of
of quantum science,” said Hugh Harley.
provide incredibly powerful computers, but was
income streams.
INSPIRED - the Campaign to support the
more impressed to learn about its potential to
“In a globalised world Australia will rise and
University of Sydney aims to raise $600 million
revolutionise the generation and distribution of
fall by the quality of its private and public
from 40,000 supporters to fund the pursuit of
energy.
institutions and support for universities is
ideas that will shape the world in which we
Anne Harley, a former lawyer and now a
critical for that success.”
live.
farmer, says the experience of using science
Hugh Harley sees a role for business in
to improve soil and water quality has brought
that relationship: “If Australia is to remain
home to her the practical importance of
science.
“We have been thinking about giving to the
University for some time and science was
always where our interest lay for this. We were
pleasantly surprised by the progress Michael’s
laboratory has made in this challenging area
and excited by its possible range of gamechanging applications,” Anne Harley said.
Associate Professor Biercuk commented,
“Hugh and Anne’s generous support will
42
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Anne and Hugh
Harley have
supported the
transformative
possibilities
of quantum
science with a
$500,000 gift to
the University
of Sydney’s
Quantum Control
Laboratory.
Michael Tobar winner of Clunies
Ross Award 2014
EQuS CI and internationally recognised
has boosted the defence sector through
physics researcher Professor Michael Tobar,
the advancement of radar and navigation
won a 2014 Clunies Ross Award from the
systems, as well as other areas that require
Australian Academy of Technological Sciences
sophisticated, low-noise, high-precision
and Engineering. Michael Tobar, together with
frequency standards.
fellow prizewinner Eugene Ivanov, leads the
Frequency Standards and Quantum Metrology
For more information on the work of the
Research group at UWA.
Frequency Standards and Quantum Metrology
Research group at EQuS, visit the Centre’s
Professor Tobar and colleagues have invented
website
new technologies based on microwave circuit
www.equs.org
and sapphire dielectric resonator technology.
They have developed the world’s lowest-noise
oscillators. The oscillators have been used
in laboratories worldwide to enable modern
atomic clocks to keep time with unprecedented
accuracy.
Professor Tobar, left,
receiving his award.
(Professor Ivanov,
centre.)
These inventions have found a range of
applications, from fundamental research
to metrology, hi-tech communications
and defence. Their high-value technology
CI Tobar has also been recognised by the
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
EQuS CI Michael Tobar received the 2014 IEEE W. G. Cady Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions related to
the fields of piezoelectric or other classical frequency control, selection and measurement; and resonant sensor devices.
Specifically, he received the award for his work on the development of high-Q resonators and low-noise devices with
application to frequency control, precision measurement and sensing.
43
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Arkady Fedorov new laboratory in
2014 set up with UQ infrastructure
grant
Superconducting quantum circuits are one of
oxide layer (in fact this thin layer of oxide is
the instrument, has an exclusive reputation
the most promising systems for future quantum
even less than a nanometer and comprises
among leading research teams working in the
technologies. These devices have been
only a few atomic layers of material!). The
field of superconducting quantum devices.
studied intensively at research labs around the
fabrication of this is done with two films of
The installation of this instrument will add the
world and, now, even such commercial giants
Aluminium deposited at different angles with
missing link for fabrication of this promising
as Google are starting to join the bid to build
an oxidation step in between. These steps
technology at the University of Queensland
a quantum computer with superconducting
require an extremely delicate environment
and nationwide.
circuits. The ARC Centre for Engineered
and a device being fabricated cannot be put
Quantum Systems provides intensive support
into open air before the final deposition step is
to The Superconducting Quantum Devices
complete.
Laboratory at the University of Queensland
established in 2013 by CI Fedorov as an
Dr Fedorov and the team of physicists from
initiative to keep up with this new technology.
UQ were awarded a UQ Major Infrastructure
Grant in 2014. These funds helped The
A key element of the superconducting quantum
Superconducting Quantum Devices Laboratory
devices is a small element of a nanometer
to purchase and install a new electron beam
scale, called, a Josephson junction fabricated
evaporator which, in particular, provides
with two thin superconducting films of
capabilities for fabrication of Josephson
superconductors separated by an even thinner
junction. Plassys Bestek, a manufacturer of
44
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
ECRs and PhD students in the
spotlight
From EQuS to Vienna
EQuS PhD student Nora Tischler has
activity.
started a one year research stay at the
Nora was born in Hungary and spent her
University of Vienna under the supervision
teens in Germany, moving to Australia for
of Professor Zeilinger. CI Molina-Terriza and
her undergraduate studies. This wonderful
Professor Zeilinger have been collaborating
opportunity allows Nora to get back to her
for several years on the control of the
roots, where she can enjoy the delights of
spatial and polarization degrees of freedom
imperial Vienna.
in entangled photon states. Nora’s
stay at this prestigious institute will
greatly strengthen this collaboration.
While CI Molina-Terriza has moved
in the direction of applications in
nanophotonics, Professor Zeilinger
The collaboration between
EQuS and the University
of Vienna will be greatly
strengthened.
continues his interest in quantum
imaging applications. Nora’s project examines
EQuS PhD student Ms Nora Tischler
the quantum metrology of molecular optical
EQuS PhD student Sahar Basiri
Esfahani
Following her passion in Quantum physics
twice and presented and discussed her
has brought Centre PhD student Sahar Basiri
research with others.
Esfahani from Iran to Australia, now working in
quantum optics. Her PhD project investigates
Sahar has received the EQuS Outreach
single photon opto-mechanics and quantum
Demo/Activity award for demo presentation at
measurement and control.
the Outreach workshop held at the University
of Queensland. She also won the first prize for
Sahar was attracted to EQuS because of
the best poster in physics in SMP poster day.
its people, who she describes as the best
theoretical and experimental researchers in
Sahar would like to pursue a career in
different fields of quantum optics.
academia.
Making the most of her opportunities, she has
attended the Gordon Research Conference
EQuS PhD student Ms Sahar
Basiri Esfahani
45
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
EQuS ECR Karin Cedergrin
Karin Cedergrin, an inspiring woman in
physics, came to EQuS from Sweden to do
exactly her kind of research.
Based at the UNSW node, Karin is part of a
busy team. Within two years, Karin and her
present time, Karin is however keen to build
bridges between the laboratory and industry.
“I think both sides would benefit from having
more people going back and forth. That could
possibly be the next thing to work towards”.
colleagues have filled an empty lab, building
their own devices from scratch.
Following a Masters from Chalmers University
of Technology in Gothenburg, Karin completed
her PhD between Sweden and Italy as part of
a European collaboration.
At EQuS, her primary research focus has
turned towards charge transport in Josephson
“Quantum physics differs from law or history in
that it is not made by humans or described for
humans. Nature doesn’t care if we understand it
or not, it just has to work. It is contra-intuitive and
beautifully logical at the same time”
arrays. A Josephson array is an engineered
system that provides an excellent platform for
studying a variety of phenomena.
Making the most of the Centre’s collaborative
network, she has built extensive collaborations
with Jared Cole’s group in Melbourne and with
members of UQ groups including CIs Stace,
McCulloch and Fedorov.
When asked why she followed a career in
quantum physics, Karin is quite philosophical,
musing that any deep question of nature will
invariably end in quantum physics. “Quantum
physics differs from law or history in that it is
not made by humans or described for humans.
Nature doesn’t care if we understand it or not,
it just has to work. It is contra-intuitive and
beautifully logical at the same time”.
On a more practical level, Karin is fascinated
by the advances in technological approaches
over the past decades and is excited to take
that technology even further.
Enjoying the opportunities in academia for the
46
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
EQuS postdoctoral fellow Dr Karin
Cedergrin, based at the University of
New South Wales node.
Microscopic photo of a semiconductor
47
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
PROGRAM 2
QUANTUM-ENABLED
SENSORS AND
METROLOGY
Delivering unprecedented levels of sensitivity and
precision in applications of quantum systems to sensing,
biomedical imaging, and metrology
48
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
GRAND CHALLENGES
1. Realise sub-cellular in vivo imaging in real time with
microsecond time-resolution using biocompatible
nanoparticles. The Centre has achieved the first quantum enhanced measurement of a biological system,
allowing nanoparticles to be tracked inside a living
cell with quantum-enhanced precision and probing
the nanoscale structure of the cell, which can provide
information about both cell health and function.
2. Use quantum mechanical coherence to produce enhanced sensing technologies with unrivaled performance. We have met this challenge, developing the
world’s only research program focussed on the use of
nanodiamonds as hyperpolarized contrast agents in
medical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for early
detection of diseases, proving the suitability of nanodiamonds for such. We recently developed a new
technique to map out field distributions with a single
nanodiamond spin over a macroscopic distance, an
enabling technology for non-invasive probing of biological systems.
3. Achieve new field and force sensing regimes using
arrays of quantum controlled mechanical oscillators.
We have developed a range of quantum-control techniques and devices towards this end. As one example,
we have proposed a novel quantum photonic crystal
sensor that promises unrivalled performance for strain
sensing and chemical assays with exceptionally low
power and high bandwidth.
49
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
QUANTUM-ENABLED
SENSORS AND METROLOGY
This research program is key to the Centre’s applications strategy,
with the goal to demonstrate advantages in metrology and sensing.
There is a rapidly developing industry based on new sensing
technologies and the internet of things—witness Google’s acquisition
of Nest. Quantum-enabled sensors also form the key element in the
UK’s quantum technology initiative. As the detailed example below
shows, the Centre has made considerable progress towards the first
Grand Challenge of this theme: realising sub-cellular in vivo imaging
with microsecond time-resolution using biocompatible nanoparticles
and spin manipulation.
PROJECTS
Quantum control with trapped ions
Quantum optomechanics
Nanoparticles for sensing and bioimaging
Single photon optomechanics
CHIEF INVESTIGATORS
Michael Biercuk, The University of Sydney
Warwick Bowen, The University of Queensland
Gerard Milburn, The University of Queensland
Gabriel Molina-Terriza, Macquarie University
HIGHLIGHTS
•
•
Q&A with EQuS postdoc Glen Harris
World leading expert in quantum measurement and control visits EQuS
50
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
3 NODES
4 PROJECTS
34 RESEARCHERS
14 COLLABORATORS
ARE ACTIVE IN THIS PROGRAM
From PhD to
postdoc - learn
more about this
young physicist
on the move
Local Brisbane boy Dr Glen Harris loved his PhD topic so much
Glen was a very active student, becoming an ATSE youth science
that he decided to stay and see it through to completion. Glen not
ambassador and was the President of the UQ chapter of the OSA
only enjoys the really good research atmosphere, where everyone
(Optical Society of America), which funded and organised yearly “teach
is friendly/approachable (and ‘no huge egos!’), but also appreciates
at the beach” conferences at Stradbroke Island for PhD students from
the easy access to a strong theory group related to his field (i.e.
UQ and Griffith University.
Gerard Milburn’s group) is very useful.
Glen is a problem solver, fascinated by the natural world and
Following a dual degree at UQ, Bachelor of Arts (extended major
discoveries in science. “I guess quantum physics represents a very
in mathematics)/ Bachelor of Science (physics), Glen joined
fundamental building block of the world we live in. It’s also completely
EQuS (UQ node) where he pursued research in optomechanics.
counter-intuitive, which makes for really fun experiments!”
Fundamentally it’s the interaction between a mechanical oscillator
(like a miniaturized tuning fork) and light. It turns out that each
Glen fully intends to pursue research in academia, hoping to reach
photon (a photon is the smallest possible chunk of light) that hits the
Europe via a US postdoctoral fellowship.
mechanical oscillator gives it a tiny little “push”, or momentum kick,
that can be used to control the vibration of the mechanical oscillator.
Glen’s most recent project aims to replace the vibrations of the
miniaturized tuning fork with the surface waves of a “superfluid”
(made from ultracold helium, a superfluid has absolutely zero
viscosity!).
In his fairly young career, Glen has already taken advantage
of many opportunities, building networks and collaborations
with theorists (primarily CI Andrew Doherty from Sydney) and
experimentalists (Technical University of Denmark).
52
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Postdoc Andreas Naesby - from
Copenhagen to Brisbane
EQuS postdoctoral fellow Andreas Naesby joined the team,
fascinated by the research of CI Warwick Bowen and the prospect of
adventure a long way from home.
Originally from Frederikssund in Denmark, Andreas studied civil
engineering in technical physics at the University of Denmark (DTU),
in Lyngby outside Copenhagen. Subsequently, he completed a PhD
at the Niels Bohr Institute in Copenhagen in the group of Eugene
Polzik.
Inspired by the nanorevolution of the 1990s and the new world of
applied quantum mechanics, his current research interest lies in
quantum optomechanics, specifically new hybrid implementations
where the possibilities extend beyond pure coupling between light
and mechanics.
Andreas has already made a mark in his area, with a publication in
Nature Physics and hopes to continue a career either side of
academia or industry.
53
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
PROGRAM 3
SYNTHETIC QUANTUM
SYSTEMS AND
QUANTUM SIMULATION
Producing novel states of light and matter exhibiting
strong quantum-mechanical correlations that enable
simulations of complex interacting quantum systems
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
GRAND CHALLENGES
1. Produce programmable quantum simulators capable
of outperforming the best classical technology.
Quantum simulators will be unnecessary for
exponentially-efficient simulation if the Extended
Church-Turing thesis—a fundamental tenet of modern
computer science—is correct. However, the thesis
would be strongly contradicted by any device that
efficiently performs a computational task believed to
be intractable for classical computers. We have tested
such a task—Boson Sampling—finding it robust and
thus scalable to large numbers of photons. Scaling
our experiment will have profound implications for
both computer science and physics, as highlighted
in numerous articles—in both popular and technical
outlets including New Scientist, Scientific American,
Nature, and Science (refer Annual Reports).
2. Achieve complete control over individual quantum
particles in a strongly interacting many-body
system with tunable interactions. In 2012 EQuS,
in collaboration with the US National Institute of
Standards and Technology (NIST), published research
detailing achievements towards realization of the first
quantum simulator at a computationally relevant scale,
using a crystal of just 300 atoms suspended in space.
Significantly, we were able to realise interactions
previously unknown in nature, engineering totally new
forms of quantum matter.
3. Address key fundamental theoretical questions.
We have made substantial advances in classifying
novel phases of quantum matter over a range of
antiferromagnetic models—including the renowned
AKLT model—and connecting their computational
power to well-studied pilot models. We have
proposed an architecture that achieves some of the
robustness properties of topological models, but
with a drastically simpler construction, and created a
new way to simulate classical Ising models in 2D or
3D using a relatively simple quantum state overlap
experiment. This is a notable advance, since prior
work in the discipline only showed how to do this for
imaginary temperature classical systems whereas our
new method works for real temperatures.
55
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
PROGRAM 3QUANTUM SYSTEMS
SYNTHETIC
AND QUANTUM
SYNTHETIC
QUANTUM
SIMULATION
SYSTEMS
AND QUANTUM SIMULATION
The Challenges in this program focus on engineering quantum
systems
so that
can be used
as tools across
the sciences.
key can be used
Focussing
on they
engineering
quantum
systems
so that Athey
aspect of this is developing the theoretical foundations for processing
as
tools across
the sciences.
information
using quantum
matter.A key aspect of this is developing the
theoretical foundations for processing information using quantum
matter.
PROJECTS
Limits on measurement uncertainty
Simulation of closed timelike curves
Quantum phase transitions and simulation
Quantum simulations and boson sampling
Programmable quantum simulation
Quantum matter
Quantum chemistry with Quantum simulators
CHIEF INVESTIGATORS
Stephen Bartlett, The University of Sydney
Michael Biercuk, The University of Sydney
Andrew Doherty, The University of Sydney
Steven Flammia, The University of Sydney
Alexei Gilchrist, Macquarie University
Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop, The University of Queensland
Tom Stace, The University of Queensland
Andrew White, The University of Queensland
HIGHLIGHTS
•
•
Dr Who meets Professor Heisenberg
Probing the sound of a quantum dot
3 NODES
7 PROJECTS
22 RESEARCHERS
14 COLLABORATORS
ARE ACTIVE IN THIS PROGRAM
57
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Doctor Who
meets Professor
Heisenberg
Lead author and PhD student Martin
Ringbauer, from UQ’s School of Mathematics
and Physics, said the study used photons –
single particles of light – to simulate quantum
particles travelling through time and study
their behaviour, possibly revealing bizarre
aspects of modern physics
Space-time structure exhibiting closed
paths in space (horizontal) and time
(vertical). A quantum particle travels
through a wormhole back in time
and returns to the same location in
space and time. (Photo credit: Martin
Ringbauer)
A study by University of Queensland physicists sheds light on one of
This and other paradoxes seem to make time travel implausible, at
the most intriguing and puzzling questions in science – the possibility of
least in the classical world. For quantum systems, however, it has been
time travel.
predicted in 1991 by David Deutsch that time travel can be formulated
in an entirely consistent way. Quantum systems can access a much
Lead author and PhD student Martin Ringbauer, from UQ’s School
larger set of states than classical systems, including superpositions and
of Mathematics and Physics, said the study used photons – single
mixtures, which allows them to avoid inconsistent situations.
particles of light – to simulate quantum particles travelling through
time and study their behaviour, possibly revealing bizarre aspects of
The team simulated the Deutsch model of a single photon travelling back
quantum physics.
in time and interacting with itself. Quantum mechanics is not well tested
in regions of extreme gravitational effects and the study might thus give
“The question of time travel features at the interface between two of our
important insights into where and how nature changes in such regimes.
most successful yet incompatible physical theories – Einstein’s general
relativity and quantum mechanics,” Mr Ringbauer said.
Their results illustrate how a quantum system might deviate from standard
behaviour in regions of extreme gravitational effects. The presence of
“General relativity describes the world at the very large scale of stars
a closed timelike allows for intriguing possibilities such as violations of
and galaxies, while quantum mechanics is an excellent description of
Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, perfect cloning of quantum states or
the world at the very small scale of atoms and molecules.”
cracking of quantum cryptography.
Einstein’s theory suggests the possibility of travelling backwards in
Published in Nature Communications, the paper “Experimental
time by following a space-time path that returns to the starting point in
Simulation of Closed Timelike Curves” includes Dr Matthew Broome,
space, but at an earlier time—a closed timelike curve.
Dr Casey Myers, Professor Andrew White and Professor Timothy
Ralph, all from The University of Queensland. http://www.nature.com/
This possibility has puzzled physicists and philosophers alike since it
ncomms/2014/140619/ncomms5145/full/ncomms5145.html.
was discovered by Kurt Gödel in 1949, as it seems to cause paradoxes
in the classical world, such as the grandparents paradox, where a
time traveller could prevent their grandparents from meeting, thus
preventing the time traveller’s birth. This would make it impossible for
the time traveller to have set out in the first place.
58
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
The work was supported by the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence
for Engineered Quantum Systems and Centre of Excellence for Quantum
Computation and Communication Technology.
Media:
Mr Martin Ringbauer (m.ringbauer@uq.edu.au)
Professor Timothy Ralph (ralph@physics.uq.edu.au)
Professor Andrew White (agx.white@gmail.com)
Probing the sound of a quantum dot
Physicists at the University of Sydney have
“Our work is a further step towards
discovered a method of using microwaves
understanding the issues that enable or
to probe the sounds of a quantum dot, a
disable quantum machines. Sound waves
promising platform for building a quantum
in solids are a key mechanism that can lead
computer. The findings have been published
to quantum devices interacting with their
in Nature Communications today.
environment.”
A quantum dot consists of a small number of
These sounds waves are called phonons,
electrons trapped in zero dimensions inside
and are similar to the waves one can make
a solid. The quantum mechanical properties
in a stretched slinky. The ‘slinky chain’, in this
of these electrons can be used to store and
case, is formed by the atoms which make up
manipulate quantum data for revolutionary
the solid. It turns out that interactions between
applications in computing, communication,
sound waves and electrons reveal information
sensing and bio-medical diagnostic
about the environment of the electron - akin
applications.
to detecting the size and shape of a room by
James Colless and Xanthe Croot, PhD
listening to a singer’s voice in that room.
candidates in the University’s School of
The interaction between quantum dots and the
Physics, uncovered a way to study what
solids in which they form is a double-edged
happens when electrons in quantum dots
sword for the purpose of quantum computing.
interact with sound waves of the solid they are
On the one hand, sound vibrations have been
trapped in.
used to ‘shuttle’ electrons from place to place
“The possibility of computing using quantum
in quantum circuits - almost like a wave might
logic, rather than the classical logic on which
pick up a surfer and take them into the beach.
today’s machines are based, has changed the
“However, there are other contexts where
boundary between hard and easy problems.
sound interacting with electrons can cause
Previously it was thought that certain tasks
huge problems: in particular, when you are
- exactly modeling a complex molecule to
performing a quantum algorithm and only want
construct new medicines or computing certain
the electron to interact with certain parameters
mathematical functions - were simply too hard
that the experimenter controls,” said Xanthe
for any computer, no matter how big,” said
Croot.
“We found that if you apply microwaves with energy slightly higher than the electron energy difference, the system creates sound of a very specific
frequency. It is almost like the electron saying, if
you hit me too hard I’ll scream.”
Professor David Reilly, from the Centre of
Unwanted sound can significantly limit the time
Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems
you have to perform the algorithm before the
(EQuS) and the University’s School of Physics.
electron loses all the information it was storing.
“The rules of the game have now changed.
Understanding how the size and geometry of
We now know that quantum mechanics allows
the quantum circuit affects these interactions is
certain interesting problems to be computed
therefore extremely important.
with ease, so long as you can build a machine
In quantum computing, different configurations
that operates according to quantum mechanics
of electrons within the dot represent something
- a daunting task”.
similar to the 0 and 1 (or on and off) states
Xanthe Croot and James Colless uncovered a
way to study what happens when electrons in
quantum dots interact with sound waves of the
solid they are trapped in.
in classical computing. The 1 and the 0
states have different energies: if you apply
microwaves with exactly this energy difference
you can change the state from 0 to 1 and vice
versa.
“We found that if you apply microwaves with
energy slightly higher than the electron energy
difference, the system creates sound of a very
specific frequency. It is almost like the electron
saying, if you hit me too hard I’ll scream.”
“Changing the microwave energy will change
the frequency of the sound that the system
creates in the solid. The results show that
some frequencies of sound interact very
strongly with the system, while others less
so. There are hints in the data that the
geometry of the quantum dot plays a key role
in determining which frequencies will interact
strongly.”
This collaboration harnessed the expertise
across the EQuS Centre of Excellence,
bringing together experimentalists and
theorists at the University of Sydney, University
of Queensland and materials scientists in the
United States.
Contact: Tom Gordon
Email: tom.gordon@sydney.edu.au
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
59
EQuS PROJECTS
Plasmonics and nanooptics
Coupling superconducting devices to sapphire resonators
Quantum opto-magneto-mechanical interface between distant superconducting chips
Addressing spins in diamond with macroscopic microwave cavities
Nanodiamond levitation
Hybrid high-Q oscillators / resonators
Testing quantum contextuality with superconducting circuits
Theory of quantum measurement and control in semiconductor qubits
Controlling electron spin in semiconductor quantum devices
Nanoparticles for sensing and bio imaging
Single photon optomechanics
Limits on measurement uncertainty
Simulation of closed timelike curves
Quantum phase transitions and simulation
Quantum simulations and boson sampling
Programmable quantum simulation
Quantum matter
60
Quantum chemistry with quantum simulators
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
S
Quantum optomechanics
SQ
Error robust multiqubit gates
SQ
C
Quantum control with trapped ions
SM
QE
QM
PROJECT TITLE
Quantum control with trapped ions
GRAND CHALLENGES
•
Realise new capabilities through the development of a comprehensive and flexible quantum
control toolkit.
The discipline of control engineering provides extraordinary capabilities to the modern
engineering community – producing systems that are stable and which can even gain new
capabilities through the application of ideas from this field.
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Michael Biercuk
A beautiful demonstration of this power comes in the form of a 1980s experimental aircraft. The
X-29, an American airplane that was designed like a dart being thrown backwards, was able to fly
because of major advances in a discipline called control engineering that were able to stabilise
RESEARCHERS
Harrison Ball, Todd Green,
Marie Claire Jarratt,
James McLoughlin, Jarrah
Sastrawan, Alex Soare
COLLABORATORS
Ken Brown, Lorenza Viola,
Amir Yacoby, William Oliver
the airplane.
This technological example has served as a major inspiration for our work in the newly emerging
field of quantum control engineering. Our EQuS research program is interested in how similar
concepts can play a role in bringing quantum technologies to reality. If control engineering
can turn an unstable dart into a high-performance fighter jet, the potential to transform today’s
sensitive quantum systems into next-generation quantum technologies is extraordinary.
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p99 (Appendix 3)
Error robust multiqubit gates
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Michael Biercuk
GRAND CHALLENGES
•
Realise new capabilities through the development of a comprehensive and flexible quantum
control toolkit.
This work addressed a problem of fundamental physical and technological significance
– suppressing error in entangling quantum logic gates. Entangling logic operations is of
tremendous importance to the field of quantum information, which attracts broad interest in the
physics community. Moreover, dealing with error is a significant hurdle in the development of
quantum technologies and has attracted significant attention in the community.
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p101 (Appendix 3)
61
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Quantum optomechanics
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Warwick Bowen
This research directly contributes towards the EQuS grand challenges
•
Quantum Measurement & Control (QMC): Realise new capabilities through the development
of a comprehensive and flexible quantum control toolkit.
RESEARCHERS
Lars Madsen, Joachim
Knittel, Michael Vanner, Robin
Cole, Eoin Sheridan, David
McAuslan, Kiran Khosla,
Glen Harris, George Brawley,
Michael Taylor, Jon Swaim,
Alexander Szorkovszky,
Sarah Yu, James Bennett,
Andrew Doherty, Gerard
Milburn, Uzma Akram, Halina
Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Mark
Baker, Tyler Neely
COLLABORATORS
Ulrik Andersen, Hans Bachor,
Jong H. Chow, Malcolm B.
Gray, Jiri Janousek, Vincent
Daria, Boris Hage, Francesca
Iacopi, Aashish Clerk,
Atieh R. Kermany, Neeraj
Mishra, Ulrich B. Hoff, Hugo
Kerdoncuff, Mikael Lassen,
Bo M. Nielsen, Mankei
Tsang, Shan Zheng Ang, Anja
Boisen, Silvan Schmid
62
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
•
Quantum-Enabled Sensors & Metrology (QESM): Realise sub-cellular, in vivo, imaging
in real time with microsecond time-resolution using biocompatible nanoparticles and spin
manipulation.
In quantum optomechanics optical fields are used to control and manipulate the quantum
behaviour of a micro- or nano-mechanical oscillator. Such research has prospects for not only
fundamental tests of quantum mechanics at size scales inaccessible to other approaches, but
allow applications in precision sensing, metrology, and information technology. In 2014, we have
made significant progress in this direction.
The opto- and nanomechanics program seeks to
•
•
•
•
•
•
Cool mechanical oscillators to their ground state
Develop and apply new quantum control techniques that enable non-classical states of
mechanical oscillators to be generated.
Develop optomechanical systems with very high light-mechanics coupling strengths
Apply quantum control to enhance sensing applications of micromechanical systems
Interface optomechanics with other quantum systems including atoms and NV centres
Study quantum and classical phenomena in arrays of optically coupled micromechanical
oscillators
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p102 (Appendix 3)
Plasmonics and nanooptics
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Gabriel Molina-Terriza
This research directly contributes towards the EQuS grand challenge
•
Quantum-Enabled Sensors & Metrology (QESM): Realise new and otherwise inaccessible
regimes of physics through the construction of hybrid quantum systems.
RESEARCHERS
Mathieu Juan, Nora Tischler,
Ivan Fernandez-Corbaton,
Xavier Zambrana-Puyalto
COLLABORATORS
Xavier Vidal, Alexander
Minovich
One of our most ambitious projects within the Centre is the achievement of Quantum Control
of metallic nanostructures, such as spheres, holes in metallic surfaces, nanorods, etc. These
kinds of structures are becoming more and more important for technology, and they are now
being used in sensing applications, as optical transducers, etc. One key property that enables
all this range of technologies is that these structures can present localized plasmon resonances.
These resonances appear at optical frequencies and happen when the collective oscillations of
the electrons in the metallic structure resonate with the driving optical field. One of our aims is to
achieve an unprecedented control on the state of those electrons and their resonances, reaching
the quantum limit.
In 2014, we published our experimental results in two Nature Publishing Group journals: Nature
Communications and Light, Science and Applications.
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p103 (Appendix 3)
CHIEF INVESTIGATORS
Michael Tobar, Timothy Duty
Coupling superconducting devices to
sapphire resonators
RESEARCHERS
Daniel Creedon, Maxim
Goryachev, Sergey Kafanov
This research directly contributes towards the EQuS grand challenge
COLLABORATORS
Jose Aumentado, Ray
Simmonds, Adam Sirois
An important goal of the UWA team is to develop a microwave optomechanical capability, using
•
Realise new and otherwise inaccessible regimes of physics through the construction of
hybrid quantum systems.
microwave cavity QED coupling of a Qubit with a high-Q resonator that will become a phonon
counting readout to measure the ground state and a variety of Fock states of a mechanical
oscillator. The UWA team will continue to work collaboratively with experts on qubits and will
work towards achieving these goals in 2015.
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p104 (Appendix 3)
63
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Quantum opto-magnetomechanical interface between distant
superconducting chips
Our research directly contributes towards the EQuS grand challenge
•
their utility in experimental applications.
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Jason Twamley
RESEARCHERS
Dr Keyu Xia
COLLABORATOR
Dr Michael Vanner
Develop design principles for robust control of hybrid quantum systems and demonstrate
EQuS researchers have developed a theoretical design allowing superconducting quantum chips
to communicate quantum mechanically to each other over large distances through an optical
fibre. If achieved, this would allow long distance quantum entanglement or teleportation – both
key steps towards building a truly global quantum internet via a quantum repeater. Devised by
Dr Keyu Xia and Professor Jason Twamley from the ARC Centre of Excellence for Engineered
Quantum Systems (EQUS) at Macquarie University, and Dr Michael Vanner at the University
of Queensland, this work makes use of the tiny magnetic fields generated by superconducting
quantum chips to alter the properties of an optical cavity, via a magnetostrictive material. A
material that is “magnetostrictive” physically expands in the presence of a magnetic field.
By using this novel property, this project was able to show how the magnetic fields from a
superconducting quantum chip can effectively transmit and receive via a connected optical cavity
and optical fibre through to a distant superconducting chip in another laboratory elsewhere.
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p105 (Appendix 3)
Addressing spins in diamond with
macroscopic microwave cavities
CHIEF INVESTIGATORS
Thomas Volz, Michael Tobar
This research directly contributes towards the EQuS grand challenge
•
Use nanoscale diamonds as ultra-sensitive probes of magnetic fields in industrial and
biological environments.
RESEARCHERS
Jean-Michel Le Floch, Carlo
Bradac, Nitin Nand
COLLABORATORS
Stefania Castelletto
This project is a joint effort between the groups of Dr Thomas Volz at Macquarie University
Sydney and Professor Michael Tobar at the University of Western Australia. The project is geared
towards a new method for addressing and manipulating solid-state spins using macroscopic
microwave cavities both at liquid-helium and room temperature. Conventional methods for
addressing diamond spins rely on on-chip solutions with the potential of generating too much
dissipated heat, leading to drifts and undesirable heating of the sample to be investigated. The
new approach is contactless and intrinsically requires much less drive power since the cavity
provides a local enhancement of the circulated microwave power (approximately by the cavity
Q-factor).
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p106 (Appendix 3)
64
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Nanodiamond levitation
CHIEF INVESTIGATORS
Thomas Volz, Gabriel MolinaTerriza
This project combines the expertise of CI Volz’s group on manipulating NV centres in
nanodiamonds and cold-atom trapping with the expertise in Molina-Terriza’s group on trapping
and levitation of nanoparticles in order to study the influence of embedded “artificial atoms”
on the motion of the crystal as a whole for near-resonant trapping lasers. The ultimate goal is
twofold: on the one hand, we want to design novel optical tweezers with enhanced optical forces
for manipulating ultrasmall nanodiamonds in liquid, and on the other hand, we want to exploit the
RESEARCHERS
Mathieu Juan, Carlo Bradac,
Benjamin Besga
optical forces from the NV centres to cool the centre-of-mass motion of a levitated nanodiamond
as a whole.
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p107 (Appendix 3)
Hybrid high-Q oscillators / resonators
This research directly contributes towards the EQuS grand challenge
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Michael Tobar
•
RESEARCHERS
Maxim Goryachev, Daniel
Creedon, Jean-Michel Le
Floch, Yahoui Fan
At The University of Western Australia, CI Michael Tobar leads a team seeking to engineer
COLLABORATORS
Serge Galliou, John Clarke,
Arkady Fedorov, Thomas Volz,
Ray Simmonds, Pavel Bushev
We are investigating known high-Q acoustic and electrical materials such as Sapphire, Niobium
Realise new and otherwise inaccessible regimes of physics through the construction of
hybrid quantum systems.
new high-Q mechanical and electrical systems based on low-loss crystalline materials and low
temperature superconductors. Our efforts are broadly classed as relating to (i) quantum-limited
cooling of mechanical systems for precision metrology and (ii) controlling impurity spin states in
high-Q microwave resonators.
and Quartz. Our investigations are targeting systems with the potential for efficient cooling to the
quantum mechanical ground state of motion.
In 2014, we made further progress towards our investigation of dilute paramagnetic systems in
low-loss crystals.
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p107 (Appendix 3)
65
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Testing quantum contextuality with
superconducting circuits
This research directly contributes towards the EQuS grand challenge
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Arkady Fedorov
RESEARCHERS
Pascal Macha, Markus Jerger,
Yarema Reshitnyk
COLLABORATOR
Nathan Langford
•
Realise new capabilities through the development of a comprehensive and flexible quantum
control toolkit.
Superconducting qubits are one of the leading platforms for quantum computation. The
three lowest energy states of a superconducting artificial atom constitute the most logical
realization of a qutrit: a system with almost equidistant energy levels. However, due to the
latter property, realization of a projective measurement on a particular state without disrupting
quantum coherence in two other states poses a substantial challenge to test KS inequality with
superconducting qutrits. Using 3D superconducting qutrit of the transmon type incorporated
into microwave cavity, we engineered the dispersive shifts of the cavity frequency for the first
and second excited states to be identical. As a result, an observer cannot distinguish between
these two states by measuring transmission of microwave radiation through the cavity. We
experimentally tested that our scheme realizes the strong projective measurement on the
ground state of a qutrit by measuring quantum coherence between different levels of the qutrit, a
prerequisite for testing of contextuality.
In the next step, we are going to use this property and our capabilities for quantum manipulation
of the state of the qutrit for measurement of correlation for different pairs of observables in order
to violate Kochen–Specker inequality.
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p110 (Appendix 3)
CHIEF INVESTIGATORS
Andrew Doherty, Stephen
Bartlett
Theory of quantum measurement and
control in semiconductor qubits
Our research directly contributes towards the EQuS grand challenge
•
Develop design principles for robust control of hybrid quantum systems and demonstrate
their utility in experimental applications.
COLLABORATOR
Amir Yacoby
Together with the team of Amir Yacoby at Harvard, we are investigating how electrons in a
semiconductor chip can be used to store and process quantum information. These spins have
the potential for very long coherence times relative to gate operation times, but experience a
noisy environment from the atomic nuclei of all the surrounding semiconductor atoms. Left on
their own, these nuclei will destroy the quantum nature of the electron very quickly, in a few
billionths of a second.
We have invented a new technique where we use the electron to monitor
its environment, very quickly learn the effect of all of these nuclei, and then use this information to
compensate for its effect.
This research was published in 2014 in Nature Communications.
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p111 (Appendix 3)
66
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
CHIEF INVESTIGATORS
David Reilly, Andrew Doherty,
Tom Stace
Controlling electron spin in
semiconductor quantum devices
Our research directly contributes towards the EQuS grand challenge
RESEARCHERS
James Colless, Xanthe Croot,
Matthew Wardrop
COLLABORATORS
Sean Barrett (deceased), Jing
Lu, Arthur Gossard
•
Realise new and otherwise inaccessible regimes of physics through the construction of
hybrid quantum systems.
Single electrons individually trapped and manipulated in semiconductors are one of the most
promising avenues for engineered quantum systems. This project investigates the ways in which
the magnetic moment, or spin, of these electrons can be controlled, either electrically or through
applying microwaves, and how acoustic vibrations, or phonons, affect this control. These results
highlight the role of the phononic environment in understanding the driven dynamics of coherent
quantum systems and provide a path for transducing quantum information between photons,
phonons, spins and charge.
The work is a strong collaboration between theorists CI Tom Stace (UQ) and CI Andrew Doherty
(Sydney) and the experimental team of CI Reilly’s laboratory (Sydney).
This work has been published in Nature Communications.
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p112 (Appendix 3)
Nanoparticles for sensing and bio
imaging
Our research directly contributes towards the EQuS grand challenges
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Gabriel Molina-Terriza
•
RESEARCHERS
Mathieu L. Juan, N. Tischler
•
COLLABORATOR
A. Zeilinger
The group at Macquarie University has already demonstrated a method that can be used to
Realise sub-cellular in vivo imaging in real time with microsecond time-resolution using
biocompatible nanoparticles.
Use quantum mechanical coherence to produce enhanced sensing technologies with
unrivaled performance.
accurately determine the position of nanoparticles. This will increase the sensitivity on the
detection and imaging of nanoparticles such as the ones being developed at Sydney University.
This method is based on exploiting the geometrical properties of such systems and the
interactions of light and the nanoparticles. In collaboration with CI Brennen, we have extended
this kind of measurement into a more general framework, which could be used for general
metrology systems and to quantum measurements.
As an extension of this project, the group led by CI Molina-Terriza has modified the position
sensing technique to detect the presence of the bonding of a single molecule to a nanostructure.
We are using functionalized gold nanospheres which are capable to adsorb selected kinds of
biomolecules. The sensitivity of our measuring system is such that we expect to be able to detect
the adhesion of a single biomolecule to the nano-sphere.
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p113 (Appendix 3)
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
67
Single photon optomechanics
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Gerard Milburn
RESEARCHERS
Sahar Basiri Esfahani, Casey
Myers
An integrated quantum photonic sensor.
This research directly contributes towards the EQuS grand challenge
•
Achieve new field and force sensing regimes using arrays of quantum controlled mechanical
oscillators.
Photonic-crystal-based integrated optical systems have been used for a broad range of sensing
COLLABORATORS
Josh Combes, Ardalan Armin
applications with great success. This has been motivated by several advantages such as high
sensitivity, miniaturization, remote sensing, selectivity and stability. Many photonic crystal sensors
have been proposed with various fabrication designs that result in improved optical properties.
We developed a proposal for a novel multipurpose sensor architecture that can be used for force,
refractive index and possibly local temperature detection. In this scheme, two coupled cavities
behave as an effective beam splitter. The sensor works based on fourth order interference --- the
Hong-Ou-Mandel effect --- a uniquely quantum phenomenon.
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p114 (Appendix 3)
Limits on measurement uncertainty
Measurement—assigning a number to a property of a physical system—is the keystone of
the natural sciences. The arrival of quantum mechanics a century ago shattered our belief in
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Andrew White
RESEARCHERS
Marcelo Pereira de Almeida,
Cyril Branciard, Alessandro
Fedrizzi, Ivan Kassal, Till
Weinhold
perfect measurement precision, so it is surprising that even today active debate persists over the
fundamental limits on measurement imposed by quantum theory. Understanding this is key, as it
sets the limit in all engineered quantum systems.
At the heart of the measurement debate is Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, which
encompasses at least three distinct statements about the limitations on preparation and
measurement of physical systems: (i) a system cannot be prepared such that a pair of
noncommuting observables (e.g. position and momentum) are arbitrarily well defined; (ii) such a
pair of observables cannot be jointly measured with arbitrary accuracy; and (iii) measuring one
of these observables to a given accuracy disturbs the other accordingly. Kennard accurately
quantified (i) in 1927 with the famous relation xΔp ≥ ħ/2, where Δx and Δp are the standard
COLLABORATOR
Matthew Broome
deviations of the position and momentum distributions of the prepared quantum system,
respectively. For measurement uncertainties (ii) and (iii), the corresponding quantities of interest
are the measurement inaccuracies ε and disturbances η. Heisenberg argued that the product of
εx and ηp should obey a similar bound to (i) in a measurement-disturbance scenario. Proof of this
was lacking until 2013, when a series of theoretical papers introduced various Heisenberg-like
relations, incurring instant debate as to whether they held generally—it seems not—and whether
they were optimal—also not the case. In a paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences in 2013, EQuS theorist Cyril Branciard introduced a set of optimal relations, providing
the tightest bound on measurement. In 2014, we experimentally tested these relations. We
engineered exceptional—indeed, unprecedented—quantum state fidelities of up to 0.99998(6),
allowing us to verge upon the fundamental limits of measurement uncertainty and establish, after
nearly nine decades, the limits of quantum measurement.
68
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Simulation of closed timelike curves
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Andrew White
RESEARCHERS
Marcelo Pereira de Almeida,
Cyril Branciard, Alessandro
Fedrizzi, Ivan Kassal, Till
Weinhold
COLLABORATORS
Casey Myers, Timothy Ralph,
Simulation. Quantum mechanics is an outstandingly successful theory of nature at the small
scale. In principle, it can be used to model a wide array of systems in biology, chemistry
and physics. However in practice this is impossible, as the number of equations—and the
computation time—grows exponentially with the number of particles, e.g. atoms in a molecule.
Over thirty years ago, Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman proposed a better solution: model
quantum systems with technology that is itself quantum mechanical. It is now widely recognised
that quantum simulation will provide a versatile and powerful tool for investigating quantum
systems that are hard—or even impossible—to access in practice. Even simple quantum
simulators require a level of control of quantum systems that is at—or beyond—the forefront of
today’s capabilities.
One of the most controversial features of modern physics is closed timelike curves. As legitimate
solutions to Einstein’s field equations, they allow for time travel, which instinctively seems
paradoxical. However, in the quantum regime these paradoxes can be resolved, leaving closed
timelike curves consistent with relativity. The study of these systems therefore provides valuable
insight into nonlinearities and the emergence of causal structures in quantum mechanics—
essential for any formulation of a quantum theory of gravity. In 2014, we experimentally simulated
the nonlinear behaviour of the simplest nontrivial quantum system—a qubit—interacting unitarily
with an older version of itself, addressing some of the fascinating effects that arise in systems
traversing a closed timelike curve [3]. These include: perfect discrimination of non-orthogonal
states—which would allow quantum cloning—and most intriguingly, the ability to distinguish
nominally equivalent ways of preparing pure quantum states—an effect that arises due to
consistency with relativity, in contrast to similar effects due to mixed quantum states. Finally,
we examine the dependence of these effects on the initial qubit state, the form of the unitary
interaction and the influence of decoherence, finding that they are surprisingly robust.
Quantum phase transitions and
simulation
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop
RESEARCHERS
Tyler Neely, Nicholas McKayParry, Isaac Lenton, Thomas
Bell, Jake Glidden, Thomas
Carey, James Bennett, Lars
Madsen, Mark Baker
COLLABORATORS
Matthew Davis, Stuart
Szigeti, Simon Haine, Michael
Bromley, Warwick Bowen
This research directly contributes towards the EQuS grand challenge
•
Produce programmable quantum simulators capable of outperforming the best classical
technology.
Over the past decade, ultracold atom experiments have demonstrated a high degree of precision
and control over a number of system parameters, such as confinement geometries, system
dimension, and engineering a range of different interparticle interactions. Recently, the state of
the art has been to achieve single atom imaging resolution in a single component degenerate
gas held in an optical lattice. This impressive technology has enabled a number of experimental
demonstrations of quantum simulations/emulations using ultracold atoms.
We have embarked on a similar route in the Atom Optics Laboratory, but with an additional
innovation: we are developing an experiment with similar imaging capability, but for a two-species
bosonic quantum gas, consisting of 87Rb and 41K. With their large symmetry groups, such
multicomponent gases exhibit a wide range of phases and non-trivial dynamics. In particular,
these two species can be experimentally driven far from equilibrium by utilising a magnetic
resonance.
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p115 (Appendix 3)
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
69
Quantum simulations and boson
sampling
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Alexei Gilchrist
This research directly contributes towards the EQuS grand challenge
•
Produce programmable quantum simulators capable of outperforming the best classical
technology within the theme Synthetic Quantum Systems and Quantum Simulation.
RESEARCHERS
Peter Rohde, Keith Motes
COLLABORATORS
Jonathan Dowling; Joseph
Fitzsimons; William J. Munro
A surprising question that remains open is where does the advantage in quantum algorithms
actually come from? That is, where can we expect that using a quantum device will be more
efficient than using a classical device. One avenue to tackling this question is to study the
simplest controlled quantum systems that can lead quickly to a device that cannot be simulated
with classical resources. Boson Sampling is one such architecture, and is one particularly well
suited to implementation in photonic systems.
We have presented an architecture for arbitrarily scalable Boson Sampling using two nested fiber
loops, and which employs time-bin encoding. This architecture has fixed experimental complexity,
irrespective of the size of the desired interferometer, and its scale is limited only by fiber and
switch loss rates, making its implementation much more desirable [K.R. Motes, A. Gilchrist, J.P.
Dowling, and P.P. Rohde, “Scalable Boson Sampling with Time-Bin Encoding Using a LoopBased Architecture,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 113(12), (2014)].
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p116 (Appendix 3)
Programmable quantum simulation
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Michael Biercuk
Our research directly contributes towards the EQuS grand challenge
•
Realise new and otherwise inaccessible regimes of physics through the construction of
hybrid quantum systems.
RESEARCHERS
Harrison Ball, Claire
Edmunds, Sam Henderson,
Terry McRae, Alistair Milne,
Karsten Pyka
COLLABORATOR
John Bollinger
Our primary focus in this project for 2014 has been on the development of advanced hardware
systems which will provide unique capabilities in quantum simulation. A major area for development this year has been the construction of a new high-optical-access Penning ion trap for
quantum simulation experiments with two-dimensional ion crystals.
Postdoctoral researcher Karsten Pyka and PhD student Harrison Ball have led this hardware
development, producing an exciting and technically complex system which will provide the ability
to trap, manipulate, and measure up to approximately 1000 trapped ions in regular triangular
lattices. The system has been specifically designed to permit the integration of high-power
Raman laser systems at angles sufficient to generate long-range, high-fidelity entanglement.
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p117 (Appendix 3)
70
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Quantum matter
This research directly contributes towards the EQuS grand challenges
CHIEF INVESTIGATORS
Stephen Bartlett, Andrew
Doherty, Steve Flammia
RESEARCHERS
Dominic Williamson, Courtney
Brell, Andrew Darmawan,
Simon Burton, Jacob
Bridgeman
•
Address key fundamental theoretical questions. For example: when can one quantum
system simulate another? How can one know that a quantum simulation is correct, or even
quantum?
•
Preserving quantum states against decoherence indefinitely.
The Synthetic Quantum Systems program aims to address the key fundamental theoretical
questions: how can we create and harness quantum matter to process information in new ways,
and what new principles can we learn from a classification of this matter? We theoretically
construct and explore new phases of strongly-coupled quantum many-body systems that
exhibit powerful exotic properties such as topological order, and direct these properties towards
applications such as quantum memories and processors.
COLLABORATORS
David Poulin, David Bacon,
Aram Harrow
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p118 (Appendix 3)
Quantum chemistry with quantum
simulators
This research directly contributes towards the EQuS grand challenge
•
Produce programmable quantum simulators capable of outperforming the best classical
technology.
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Andrew Doherty
One of the most anticipated applications of quantum simulations is to increase the accuracy of
calculations in quantum chemistry. For example, the energy of metastable transition states of
even rather small molecules can be critical to understanding industrially significant chemical
reactions that involve catalysts. The highest accuracy simulations performed currently to
COLLABORATORS
David Poulin, Matthew
Hastings
estimate such energies are termed full configuration interaction simulations, and if they could
be performed on systems involving as few as one hundred orbitals, this would already be an
enormous advance. This work, in collaboration with researchers at the University of Sherbrooke
and Microsoft Research, aims to investigate the usefulness of digital quantum simulators for
performing full configuration interaction simulations, as compared to classical devices.
A detailed research report on this project can be found on p119 (Appendix 3)
71
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
72
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Research direction 2015
In 2014, the Fedorov group finished building
the measurement setup for performing
quantum control measurements with the
superconducting qubits and microwave
photons. The setup consists of a dilution
cryostat with several sample holders, digital
and microwave electronics and dedicated
measurement software. The group installed
e-beam evaporator which enabled fabrication
of Josephson junctions at UQ.
fabrication of the chip with superconducting
circuitry is on the way and the experiments are
expected to commence in the first half of 2015.
The long term goals of this project include
achieving a full control over quantum state of
mechanical degree of freedom with the help of
a superconducting qubit.
In 2014, the Quantum Materials and
In 2015, the group will spend extensive
Quantum
Measurement
and Control
resonator mode down to its ground state. The
efforts on developing fabrication tools for
superconducting quantum circuits on campus.
Ultra-sensitive measurements are enabled by
use of on-ship parametric amplifiers especially
useful for high-fidelity qubit measurements,
efficient characterization of microwave fields at
single photon levels and for quantum feedback
schemes. As a first step in 2015, the Fedorov
group is going to test squeezing the vacuum
fluctuations by the parametric amplifier using
the superconducting qubit as a probe.
Applications Group, led by CI Volz, has
acquired a new low-temperature laboratory
located at CSIRO Lindfield. While large parts
of the equipment were set up in the second
half of 2014 and first fiber-cavity polaritons
were demonstrated in December 2014, the
laboratory setup at CSIRO still needs to be
finalized in the next few months. In parallel,
we will carry out measurements on polariton
blockade very soon, once we receive new
quantum-well samples from our international
collaborators. In addition, we are pushing
towards the implementation of diamond light-
Over the past two years, the laboratory has
been constantly developing the hardware and
software framework for realizing single qubit
rotations with specially shaped microwave
pulses and multi-qubit interactions with the
help of a superconducting cavity serving as
a quantum bus. These building blocks have
been tested on three and two qubits samples
in 2014. As the next step we want to develop
several new architectures to realize circuit
QED regime using 3D microwave cavities and
superconducting qubits. The Fedorov group
will also use this framework for a quantum
control and measurement of a three-level
matter interfaces at low temperatures with the
fiber cavities we fabricated in 2014.
In 2014, the Volz group started a new joint
project with the Molina-Terriza group on
trapping and levitation of nanodiamonds
containing colour centres. We are currently in
the stage of finalizing our first joint manuscript
on liquid trapping. We will also set up a
vacuum chamber for nanodiamond levitation
during the first half of 2015. We are planning to
demonstrate Doppler cooling of a nanocrystal
by addressing the embedded NV centres in
2015.
quantum bit to test contextuality of quantum
Quantum sensors
mechanics in solid state.
In the nanodiamond laboratory at Macquarie
University, we will finish the setting up of
In collaboration with the group of CI Tobar,
the closed-cycle cryostat to be able to do
the Fedorov group theoretically investigated
low-temperature spectroscopy of NV and
schemes to couple a superconducting qubit
SiV centres in nanodiamonds. In parallel, we
to a bulk acoustic wave resonator with
are implementing time-resolved microwave
extremely high quality factor. By combing
control using the microwave cavity developed
resonant interaction and driving sidebands of
together with CI Tobar´s group at UWA in
the combined qubit-resonator system, one is
2014. Once we see Rabi oscillations of an NV
expected to be able to cool the mechanical
electron spin, the next step will be to measure
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
73
coherence times in nanodiamonds as a
gallery modes in sapphire, a novel hybrid
function of nanodiamond size – this will be a
system.
very important preparatory study for our efforts
on quantum sensing with diamond. In the
The Twamley group will focus in 2015 on
second half of 2015, we will tackle the setup of
developing quantum measurement and control
a low-temperature AFM system in the closed-
methods to manipulate and engineer spin
cycle cryostat.
baths in solids. Traditionally the surrounding
accidental spin baths surround diamond
Quantum
Measurement
and Control
In 2014 and beyond, the Tobar group at the
defects are seen as detrimental, i.e. their
University of Western Australia will
randomness degrades the quantum coherence
•
•
•
of the defect itself. By manipulating the spin
Show ultra-strong coupling to magnons
environment of NVs in diamond, one can begin
in YIG with new microwave resonator (we
to gain detailed control of this spin bath and
did this)
to consider using it as a quantum resource for
Show strong coupling to crystals with
quantum sensing and simulation. The Twamley
rare earth paramagnetic impurities with
group will work with PI Jelezko [Ulm] and CIs
Pavel Bushev from Saarland University,
Tobar [UWA] and Volz [MQ] to consider cases
Germany (we did this)
of spin control in cavity-QED setups using a
With Macquarie University couple 3D
combination of microwave and optical cavities.
rutile cavity to NV diamond centres (we
•
•
•
did this)
The Twamley group will use quantum optical
With UQ and FEMTO-ST couple qubit to
method in collaboration with microwave
quartz resonator (undertaking this with
cavity-QED to explore new designs for ultra-
Arkady Fedorov)
sensitive magnetic field sensors. This work is
With UNSW and NIST couple transmons
in collaboration with the Tobar group at UWA.
to sapphire resonator (first experiments
The Twamley group will explore new routes for
completed, will be achieved and written
optomechanical sensors based on cavity-QED
up in 2015)
setups using quantum optical methods that
With USYD develop low noise amplifiers.
may have the capability of sensing many types
(Still under development)
of quantities, e.g. magnetic and electric fields,
with high precision.
In 2015, we aim to finish developing all of the
above and use pulsed techniques to these
In a growing collaboration, CIs Twamley,
devices to store and recover photons.
Brennen and Tobar will explore
The Duty group will continue new strategic
magnetomechanical based quantum sensors.
direction in nanomechanics interacting with
Magneto-quantum-mechanics is a very new
superconducting quantum circuits. Device
discipline of quantum engineering. It is a novel
fabrication is proceeding both at UNSW
counterpart to optomechanics where instead
and with a new collaboration with Yuri
of using optical forces, one uses magnetic
Pashkin at Lancaster University in the UK.
forces to engineer and measure the quantum
Strong-coupling of nano-mechanical modes
mechanical motion of objects.
to superconducting degrees of freedom
Using nano-structured Josephson-junction
should be achieved in the coming year. This
chains, the Duty group at UNSW will refine a
experimental project will involve a collaboration
“dual-Josephson effect”, which results from
with the theory group at The University of
the collective tunnelling of Cooper-pairs of
Queensland. The Duty group is also pursuing
electrons throughout the chain. This effect will
a new collaborative project with Tobar’s group
be harnessed to provide a quantum-coherent
at UWA to transduce mechanical modes in
experimental link between current and
liquid Helium using microwave whispering
frequency via the elementary charge, thereby
establishing a new primary current standard.
74
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Quantum-Enabled Sensors and Metrology
The key strategic directions for Bowen’s
mechanical oscillators coupled in vacuum
past year or so. It offers great potential, with
research program in Quantum Opto/Nano-
to whispering allergy mode optical cavities.
exceptionally high optomechanical interaction
mechanics are to reach the quantum regime
We now have all the tools in place required
strengths, and recognised future applications
of interaction strengths for room temperature
to reach the quantum regime at room
in areas such as accelerometry. The area
optomechanical systems for the first time, and
temperature. This is an important goal since it
displays rich physics, from 2D quantum
to fully understand and define the capabilities
brings applications of quantum optomechanics,
condensed physics, to vortices, and superfluid
of thin-film superfluid optomechanical systems.
such as inertial sensing and metrology, out of
lasing. To fully capitalise on this EQuS
cryogenic environments and into a more wide-
discovery, it is vital to understand each of
For the former, over the past few years we
spread space. Superfluid film optomechanics
these phenomena at a quantitative level.
have been developing nanostring-based
is an area first developed in EQuS in the
Synthetic Quantum Systems and Quantum
Simulation
Quantum simulation is a promising near term
Even simple quantum simulators require a
our work was the invention and demonstration
application for quantum information processors
level of control of quantum systems that is at—
of a new efficient and accurate method for
with the potential to solve computationally
or beyond—the forefront of todays’ capabilities,
experimentally characterising unitary circuits.
intractable problems using just a few dozen
hence the EQuS Grand Challenge: Produce
The method does not require the use of
interacting qubits. A range of experimental
programmable quantum simulators capable of
nonclassical light sources, or single quanta
platforms has recently demonstrated the basic
outperforming the best classical technology.
detectors, and we expect it to be widely
functionality of quantum simulation applied
to quantum magnetism, quantum phase
transitions and relativistic quantum mechanics.
However, in all cases, the physics of the
underlying hardware restricts the achievable
inter-particle interactions and forms a serious
constraint on the versatility of the simulators.
To broaden the scope of these analog devices,
the Quantum Control Laboratory, led by CI
Biercuk, developed a suite of pulse sequences
that permit a user to efficiently realize average
Hamiltonians that are beyond the native
interactions of the system. Earlier theoretical
work showed that determining the appropriate
‘program’ of unitary pulse sequences
which implements an arbitrary Hamiltonian
transformation can be formulated as a linear
program over functions defined by those pulse
sequences, running in polynomial time and
scaling efficiently in hardware resources.
Moving forward, the Quantum Control
Laboratory is planning to implement
Hamiltonian transformations using this
technique in its linear Paul trap. We are
currently implementing entangling operations
using our new pulsed Raman system, and will
add single-ion addressing capabilities in order
to fully demonstrate dynamic Hamiltonian
engineering for quantum simulation.
adopted. The EQuS results indicate that the
In 2011, we identified the problem of
BOSONSAMPLING as one most likely to
allow us to meet this challenge. This problem
simulator will indeed work when scaled to
larger numbers.
arises from considering a seemingly innocuous
The next step towards meeting the Grand
problem: predict how quanta will appear at
Challenge is to produce a source of 8 to 10
the output of one of the simplest engineered
indistinguishable photons, which will allow
quantum devices imaginable—a linear unitary
us to run the simulator in significantly less
circuit. If the quanta are fermions, then the
time than that required for the classical
problem is indeed straightforward, with the
calculation. Towards this end, at the beginning
calculation time growing polynomially, n3,
of EQuS we began a collaboration with Dr
with the number of quanta, n. Remarkably,
Pascale Senellart, Laboratory for Photonics
if the quanta are bosons—such as photons,
and Nanostructures, France, who fabricates
phonons, or polaritons, all of key interest
the brightest single-photon sources ever
in EQuS—then the calculation time grows
demonstrated: GaAs dots in micropillar
factorially, n!. For large instances, it grows
cavities. Our first joint paper demonstrated
as ~nn, i.e. much worse than exponentially:
that these sources are also the most efficient
thus a BOSONSAMPLING quantum simulator
photon sources ever devised: at 79%, they
should—in theory—be able to surpass
are some six orders-of-magnitude more
classical computation with only a small number
efficient than spontaneous downconversion,
of quanta, indeed calculating the output of 20
the current gold standard for photon sources.
to 30 photons is estimated to require more
We also showed that the photons are highly
than the combined global computational
indistinguishable—by entangling two of
power.
them together—a necessary condition for all
We began an experimental program to test if
engineered applications. With Dr Mirko Lobino
the advantage of the quantum simulator will
at Griffith University we are now engineering
still hold true in the presence of unavoidable
a robust solution to fast temporal-to-spatial
real-world effects such as photon loss,
multiplexing, one that will scale well as the
mode mismatch, and noise, publishing our
photon sources improve.
conclusions in Science. A particular feature of
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
75
Key results areas
95
Papers in international peer reviewed journals
NINE
Patent applications
17
RHD completions in 2014
77
International visitors to the Centre in 2014
THIRTY
Public lectures given by Centre staff in 2014
Research findings
Performance measure
Number of research outputs
Papers in international peer review journal
Quality of research outputs
Target
Outcome
80
95
93 publications in A*A tier
72
90% papers in A*/A tier journals
Number of invited talks/papers/keynote lectures given at major
international meetings
Media releases
journals
20-30
58
10
14
10
6
5
9
Number and nature of commentaries about the Centre’s
achievements (electronic media, newspapers and magazine
articles)
Number of Patent applications
Research training and professional education
Performance measure
Number of attended professional training courses for staff and
postgraduate students
Number of Centre attendees at all professional training
courses
Target
Outcome
10
14
35
298
17
21
5
7
10-15
10 Honours students
Number of new postgraduate students working on core Centre
research supervised by Centre staff (including PhD, Master by
research and Masters by coursework)
Number of new postdoctoral researchers recruited to the
Centre working on core Centre research
Number of new Honours students working on core Centre
research and supervised by Centre staff
Number of postgraduate completions and completion times,
by students working on core Centre research and supervised
by Centre staff
Number of Early Career Researchers (within five years of
PhD: 3-4 years, Target
14
12 PhD
Research Masters: 2
5 Masters
years Target 3
19
34
Number of students mentored
71
47
Number of mentoring programs
2
4
completing PhD) working on core Centre research
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
77
International, national and regional links
Performance measure
Target
Outcome
Number of international visitors and visiting fellows
34
72
Number of national and international workshops held/
2
7
80
67
organised by the Centre
Number of visits to laboratories and facilities (overseas
research collaborative visits)
Quantum effects biology
Examples of relevant interdisciplinary research supported by
the Centre
Biosensors
Microwave electronics and
Electrical
Details of relevant
interdisciplinary research
supported by the centre can
be found on the Research
Progress reports pages 99 to
Engineering
119
End-user links
Performance measure
Number of government, industry and business community
briefings
Target
Outcome
9
7
School visits Target 12
Number and nature of public awareness programs
Currency of information on the Centre’s website
Number of revisions
Number of website hits (unique)
Number of public talks given by Centre staff
Numbers of Cis and PIs on Editorial Boards for International
Peer Reviewed Journals in the research field of the Centre
Numbers of Cis and PIs on International Advisory Boards/
Committees in the research field of the Centre
78
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Science teacher workshops Target
3
School visits: 6 events
associated with multiple
schools
Science Teacher workshops: 2
6
20
1000
12,919
10
30
4
12
6
9
Organisational support
Performance measure
Annual Cash contributions from Collaborating Organisations
Annual In-Kind contributions from Collaborating Organisations
Target
Outcome
University of Queensland $600,000
University of Queensland $600,000
Macquarie University $330,000
Macquarie University $250,000
University of Sydney $200,000
University of Sydney $200,000
University of Western Australia $87,500
University of Western Australia $93,625
University of New South Wales $50,000
University of New South Wales $50,000
University of Queensland $1,747,984
University of Queensland $2.392.838
Macquarie University $322,053
Macquarie University $899,685
University of Sydney $1,310,971
University of Sydney $5,435,588
University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia
$1,121,599
$4,962,011
University of New South Wales $72,581
University of New South Wales
$1,356,726
Annual Cash contributions from Partner Organisations
Annual In-Kind contributions from Partner Organisations
Imperial College $5,057
Imperial College $5,057
University of Ulm $4,506
University of Ulm $4,506
University of Innsbruck $5,000
University of Innsbruck $5,000
University of Vienna $10,000
University of Vienna $10,000
Imperial College $9,119
Imperial College $9,119
University of Ulm $12,392
University of Ulm $20,000
University of Innsbruck $21,609
University of Innsbruck $21,609
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical
Physics $30,000
Physics $30,000
University of Copenhagen $65,000
University of Copenhagen $65,000
Other research income secured by Centre staff (list research
$7,088,013
from ARC grants, other Australian competitive grants, grants
$500k
from the public sector industry and CRCs and other research
Details of other research income
provided on page 80
income separately)
Number of new organisations collaborating with, or involved in,
11
2
the Centre
Governance
Performance measure
Target
Outcome
Target: 2 per annum
Frequency, attendance and value added by Advisory Board
80% of membership to attend on
2 in 2014 with > 80%
meetings
average
attendance on average
National benefit
Performance measure
Contribution to the National Research Priorities and the
National Innovation Priorities % of papers
Target
80
Outcome
95
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
79
Income derived from other sources
The Centre is successful in leveraging off its Centre of Excellence grant and has been able to
attract other research and consultancies in 2014. These additional grants and consultancies are
not part of the Centre’s Collaborative Organisation Agreement, but are shown here to provide
research grants and consultancies associated with the Centre for the year.
Funding body/scheme
Details
2014 Funding
(AUD)
NSW Science Leveraging Fund
$250,000
International Funding - Bahamas (TWCF0064/ AB38). White, A. &
Milburn, G. "The causal power of information in a quantum world"
$380,243
State Government Organisation
New South Wales State Government Trade and
Investment
Overseas University/Research Institute
Templeton World Charity Foundation
Asian Office of Aerospace Research and
Development
International Funding - Japan (FA2386-13-1-4070). White,
A."Computational complexity of bosons in linear networks".
$15,943
DAAD - German Academic Exchange Service
Group of Eight - Australia (2013001743). FEDOROV, Arkady.
"Microwave photon engineering with superconducting qubit chains".
US National Institute of Standards and Technology
US Funding (60NANB12D265). Stace, T. "Thermometry a the
double shot-noise limit".
$52,981
US National Institute of Standards and Technology
2014 Research Collaboration Award from UWA and US National
Institute of Standards and Technology
$17,000
$5,550
Overseas Government Organisation
International Funding - US (DARPA-BAA-11-65). RubinszteinDunlop, H. & Bowen, W. "Achieving high sensitivity in cavity
optomechanical magnetometry"
$159,372
Development
International Funding - Japan (FA2386-14-1-4046). Bowen, W.
"Quantum microrheology"
$275,815
Japan National Institute of Informatics
Japan National Institute of Informatics
US Department Defence - Defence Science &
Technology
Asian Office of Aerospace Research and
80
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
$3,783
Income derived from other sources, cont.
Funding body/scheme
Airforce Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)
/ Asian Office of Aerospace Research and
Development (AOARD)
US Army Research Office
Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA)
and New South Wales State Government Science
Leveraging Fund
Details
2014 Funding
(AUD)
Airforce Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) / Asian Office of
Aerospace Research and Development (AOARD)
$238,296
US Army Research Office, Biercuk, M.J., Bartlett, S., Reilly, D.,
Flammia, S.
$1,476,809
Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) and New
South Wales State Government Science Leveraging Fund
$294,915
Industry/Private
Lockheed Martin Corporation
International Funding - US (2013001771). Bowen, W. "Phononic
Circuits"
Microsoft Corporation
Microsoft Corporation
$78,496
$1,333,009
Administering and Collaborating Organisations
The University of Queensland
UQ Internal Grant. Vice-Chancellor's Senior Research Fellowship
(2011001752). White, A.
The University of Queensland
UQ Internal Grant. UQ Early Career Researcher. Fedorov, A.
(ECR111). "Design and characterization of coherent threedimensional quantum circuits".
$38,900
The University of Queensland
UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure. Fedorov, A.
(2014000120). Facility for fabrication and characterisation of micro/
nano-optoelectronic devices".
$24,000
The University of Sydney
The University of Sydney, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research)
support to M.J. Biercuk.
The University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia 2014 Research Collaboration Award
with University of Sydney
The University of Western Australia
University of Western Australia 2014 Research Collaboration Award
with University of Queensland
$397,168
$270,000
$20,000
$17,000
81
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Income derived from other sources, cont.
Funding body/scheme
The University of Western Australia
Details
University of Western Australia Research Collaboration Award with
University of Washington
2014 Funding
(AUD)
$10,000
Other ARC Grants
ARC Future Fellowship
Duty, Timothy (FT100100025). Nanoscale quantum metrology using
circuit quantum electrodynamics.
$101,649
ARC Future Fellowship
Molina-Terriza, Gabriel (FT110100924). Understanding nature with
twisted photons.
$190,564
ARC Future Fellowship
Flammia, Steve (FT130101744). Powerful techniques and methods
of machine learning to identify, characterise, and correct noise
sources in the next generation of quantum information processors.
$159,045
ARC Future Fellowship
Bowen, Warwick (FT140100650). Optomechanical metrology:
pushing optical sensing to its limit.
$111,539
ARC Future Fellowship
Fedorov, Arkady (FT140100338). Distributed quantum networks with
cascaded superconducting circuits.
$96,188
ARC Future Fellowship
McCulloch, Ian (FT140100625). Simulating quantum states of
matter: connecting theory to applications in science and technology.
$94,923
ARC Future Fellowship
Stace, Tom (FT140100952). Quantum-Assisted Sensing.
$96,513
ARC Linkage
Biercuk, Michael (LP130100857). Foundation technology for
quantum measurement, sensing and computing.
ARC Discovery
Bartlett, Stephen & Doherty, Andrew (DP130103715). Bulkboundary correspondence in quantum many-body systems.
$90,000
ARC Discovery
Biercuk, Michael (DP130103823). Frequency standards with
breakthrough performance: engineering immunity to local oscillator
instabilities using dynamical error suppression.
$90,000
ARC Discovery
Tobar, Michael (DP130100205). Precision measurement to test
fundamental physics.
ARC Discovery
Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Halina (DP140100753). Force microscopy
with arbitrary optically-trapped probes and application to internal
mechanics of cells.
ARC Discovery
Bowen, Warwick (DP140100734). Ultraprecise sensing with
microcavity optomechanics.
$113,500
ARC Centres of Excellence
White, Andrew (CE12231). ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum
Computation and Communication Technology.
$197,313
TOTAL
82
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
$142,500
$170,000
$75,000
$7,088,013
83
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Financial statement
INCOME
2013 (AUD)
2014 (AUD)
$3,500,000 a
$3,500,000
$333,949
$449,815
$600,000
$600,000
Macquarie cash contribution as per agreement
$250,000
$250,000
Macquarie additional cash contribution (PhD Scholarships Program)
$240,000b
ARC Centre of Excellence Grant
Base Income
Indexation on Base Income
Administering and Collaborating Organisation Contributions
The University of Queensland
Macquarie University
The University of Sydney
$0
$200,000
$200,000
$87,500
$87,500
The University of Western Australia
UWA cash contribution as per agreement
UWA additional cash contribution
The University of New South Wales
$6,125c
$6,125
$50,000
$50,000
The University of Innsbruck
$5,000
$5,000
University of Ulm
$4,506
$4,506
Imperial College of Science and Technology
$5,057
$5,057
Partner Organisation Contributions
Overseas Government Organisations and Other Grants
Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) and New South
Wales State Government Science Leveraging Fund
UWA other grants
TOTAL INCOME
84
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
$1,060,315
$544,915
$45,600
$-45,600e
$6,388,052
$5,657,318
EXPENDITURE
Salaries
Scholarships (incl MQ PhD Scholarships Program)
Equipment and Maintenance
Travel
Other Expenditure
2013 (AUD)
2014 (AUD)
$3,213,721
$3,231,809
$506,121
$301,424
$2,821,455d
$1,061,134
$617,187
$670,887
$278,182
$372,727
$945,468
$123,977
$14,563
$14,563
TOTAL EXPENDITURE
$8,396,697
$5,776,518
ANNUAL SURPLUS/(DEFICIT)
$-2,008,645
BALANCE BROUGHT FORWARD FROM PREVIOUS YEAR
$3,221,849
$1,213,204
TOTAL CARRYFORWARD TO NEXT YEAR
$1,213,204
$1,094,004
Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) and New South
Wales State Government Science Leveraging Fund
Partner Organisations
$-119,200
Notes:
a
Includes undistributed indexation income to nodes
b
MQ PhD Scholarship Program included in 2013 as a cash contribution. In 2014, this is reported as an in-kind contribution
c UWA cash contribution in addition to the EQuS Centre Agreement
d
Separate equipment and maintenance expense categories in 2013 Annual Report merged into one combined equipment and
maintenance category for 2014 Annual Report.
e
Reversal of 2013 UWA other grant as this is not part of the EQuS Centre Agreement.
Financial outlook
The forecasted cash budget for EQuS from January to December 2015 totals $5,277,371
85
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Appendix 1
Publications
Almeida, M. P., Gu, M., Fedrizzi, A., Broome,
Boissonneault, M., Doherty, A. C., Ong, F.
M. A., Ralph, T. C. & White, A. G. 2014.
R., Bertet, P., Vion, D., Esteve,D. & Blais, A.
Entanglement-free certification of entangling
2014. Superconducting qubit as a probe of
gates. Physical Review A, 89(4): 042323.
squeezing in a nonlinear resonator.
Armin, A., Kassal, I., Shaw, P. E., Hambsch,
During 2014 EQuS
researchers published over
95 papers. 93% of these
were in A*A journals.
Physical Review A, 89(2).
M., Stolterfoht, M., Lyons, D. M., Li, J., Shi,
Brell, C., Bartlett, S.D. & Doherty, A.C. 2014.
Z., Burn, P. L. & Meredith, P. 2014. Spectral
Perturbative 2-body parent Hamiltonians for
Dependence of the Internal Quantum
projected entangled pair states. New Journal
Efficiency of Organic Solar Cells: Effect of
of Physics, 16(12): 123056.
Charge Generation Pathways. Journal of the
American Chemical Society, 136(32): 1146511472.
Brell, C., Burton, S., Dauphinais, G., Flammia,
S.T. & Poulin, D. 2014. Thermalization, Error
Correction, and Memory Lifetime for Ising
Babatunde, A. M., Cresser, J. & Twamley,
J. 2014. Using a biased quantum random
walk as a quantum lumped element router.
Physical Review A, 90(1): 012339.
Anyon Systems. Physical Review X, 4(3).
Camilleri, E., Rohde, P. P. & Twamley, J. 2014.
Quantum walks with tuneable self-avoidance
in one dimension. Sci. Rep., 4:6115.
Baldwin, C. G., Downes, J. E., McMahon,
C. J., Bradac, C. & Mildren, R. P. 2014.
Nanostructuring and oxidation of diamond by
two-photon ultraviolet surface excitation: An
XPS and NEXAFS study. Physical Review B,
Carvalho, N. C., Fan, Y., Le Floch, J.-M.
& Tobar, M. E. 2014. Piezoelectric voltage
coupled reentrant cavity resonator. Review of
Scientific Instruments, 85(10): 104705.
Chaitanya, J., Uzma, A. & Milburn, G. J. 2014.
89(19): 195422.
Bara-Maillet, R., Goryachev, M., Creedon, D.
L., Le Floch, J.-M. & Tobar, M. E. 2014. Metal
Bulk Foil Resistor Characterization for BAW
An all-optical feedback assisted steady state
of an optomechanical array. New Journal of
Physics, 16(2): 023009.
Application at Low Cryogenic Temperatures.
Cirio, M., Palumbo, G. & Pachos, J. K. 2014.
Instrumentation and Measurement, IEEE
(3+1)-dimensional topological quantum field
Transactions on, 63(3): 628-632.
theory from a tight-binding model of interacting
Barz, S., Kassal, I., Ringbauer, M., Lipp, Y.
O., Dakić, B., Aspuru-Guzik, A. & Walther, P.
spinless fermions. Physical Review B, 90(8):
085114.
2014. A two-qubit photonic quantum processor
Colless, J. I., Croot, X. G., Stace, T. M.,
and its application to solving systems of linear
Doherty, A. C., Barrett, S. D., Lu, H., Gossard,
equations. Sci. Rep., 4.
A. C. & Reilly, D. J. 2014. Raman phonon
emission in a driven double quantum dot. Nat
Bennett, J. S., Madsen, L., Baker, M.,
Rubinsztein-Dunlop, H. & Bowen, W. 2014.
Commun, 5.
Coherent control and feedback cooling in a
Colless, J. I. & Reilly, D. J. 2014. Modular
remotely coupled hybrid atom–optomechanical
cryogenic interconnects for multi-qubit devices.
system. New Journal of Physics, 16(8):
Review of Scientific Instruments, 85(11):
083036.
114706.
Berthelot, J., Acimovic, S. S., Juan, M. L.,
Demarie, T. F., Linjordet, T. L., Menicucci
Kreuzer, M. P., Renger, J. & Quidant, R. 2014.
N. C. & Brennen, G. K. 2014. Detecting
Three-dimensional manipulation with scanning
topological entanglement entropy in a lattice of
near-field optical nanotweezers. Nat Nano,
quantum harmonic oscillators. New Journal of
9(4): 295-299.
Physics, 16(8): 085011.
87
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Publications
Darmawan, A. & Bartlett, S. D. 2014. Graph
Goryachev, M., Farr, W. G., Creedon, D. L.,
Higgins, K. D. B., Benjamin, S. C., Stace, T.
states as ground states of two-body frustration-
Fan, Y., Kostylev, M. & Tobar, M. E. 2014.
M., Milburn, G. J., Lovett, B. W. & Gauger, E.
free Hamiltonians. New Journal of Physics,
High-Cooperativity Cavity QED with Magnons
M. 2014. Superabsorption of light via quantum
16(7): 073013.
at Microwave Frequencies. Physical Review
engineering. Nat Commun, 5.
D’Errico, C., Lucioni, E., Tanzi, L., Gori, L.,
Applied, 2(5): 054002.
Hoban, M. J., Wallman, J.J., Anwar, H., Usher,
Roux, G., McCulloch, I. P., Giamarchi, T.,
Goryachev, M., Farr, W. G., Creedon, D. L. &
N., Raussendorf, R. & Browne, D. E. 2014.
Inguscio, M. & Modugno, G. 2014. Observation
Tobar, M. E. 2014. Controlling a whispering-
Measurement-Based Classical Computation.
of a Disordered Bosonic Insulator from Weak
gallery-doublet-mode avoided frequency
Physical Review Letters 112(14).
to Strong Interactions. Physical Review
crossing: Strong coupling between photon
Letters 113(9).
bosonic and spin degrees of freedom.
De Sá Neto, O. P., de Oliveira, M. C.,
Physical Review A, 89(1): 013810.
Hornibrook, J. M., Colless, J. I., Mahoney,
A. C., Croot, X. G., Blanvillain, S., Lu, H.,
Gossard, A. C. & Reilly, D. J. 2014. Frequency
Nicacio, F. & Milburn, G. J. 2014. Capacitive
Goryachev, M., Farr, W. G., Creedon, D. L. &
multiplexing for readout of spin qubits. Applied
coupling of two transmission line resonators
Tobar, M. E. 2014. Spin-photon interaction in
Physics Letters, 104(10): 103108.
mediated by the phonon number of a
a cavity with time-reversal symmetry breaking.
nanoelectromechanical oscillator. Physical
Physical Review B, 89(22): 224407.
Review A, 90(2): 023843.
Goryachev, M., Farr, W. G., Galliou, S. &
Iblisdir, S., Cirio, M., Boada, O. & Brennen, G.
K. 2014. Low depth quantum circuits for Ising
models. Annals of Physics, 340(1): 205-251.
Dinani, H. T. & Berry, D. W. 2014. Loss-
Tobar, M. E. 2014. Jump chaotic behaviour
resistant unambiguous phase measurement.
of ultra low loss bulk acoustic wave cavities.
Physical Review A, 90(2): 023856.
Applied Physics Letters, 105(6): 063501.
Doherty, A. C. 2014. Entanglement and the
Goryachev, M., Ivanov, E. N., van Kann, F.,
oscillator frequency stabilization. Ultrasonics,
shareability of quantum states Journal of
Galliou, S. & Tobar, M. E. 2014. Observation of
Ferroelectrics, and Frequency Control,
Physics A: Mathematical and Theoretical
the fundamental Nyquist noise limit in an ultra-
IEEE Transactions on, 61(4): 575-581.
47(42).
high Q-factor cryogenic bulk acoustic wave
Fan, B., Johansson, G., Combes, J., Milburn,
G. J. & Stace, T. M. 2014. Nonabsorbing
cavity. Applied Physics Letters, 105(15):
153505.
Ivanov, E., Parker, S., Bara-Maillet, R. &
Tobar, M. 2014. Noise properties of cryogenic
microwave amplifiers and relevance to
Janani, C., Merino, J., McCulloch, Ian. P.
& Powell, P. J. 2014. Low-energy effective
theories of the two-thirds filled Hubbard model
high-efficiency counter for itinerant microwave
Goryachev, M. & Tobar, M. E. 2014.
on the triangular necklace lattice. Physical
photons. Physical Review B, 90(3): 035132.
Gravitational wave detection with high
Review B 90(3).
Farr, W. G., Goryachev, M., Creedon, D. L., &
Tobar, M. E. 2014. Strong coupling between
frequency phonon trapping acoustic cavities.
Physical Review D, 90(10): 102005.
Javaherian, C. & Twamley, J. 2014.
Robustness of optimal transport in one-
whispering gallery modes and chromium ions
Halimeh, J. C., Wöllert, A., McCulloch, I.,
dimensional particle quantum networks.
in ruby. Physical Review B, 90(5): 054409.
Schollwöck, U. & Barthel, T. 2014. Domain-
Physical Review A, 90(4): 042313.
Forstner, S., Sheridan, E., Knittel, J.,
Humphreys, C. L., Brawley, G. A.,
Rubinsztein-Dunlop, H. & Bowen, W. P. 2014.
wall melting in ultracold-boson systems with
hole and spin-flip defects. Physical Review
A 89(6).
Kabytayev, C., Green, T. J., Khodjasteh, K.,
Biercuk, M. J., Viola, L. & Brown, K. R. 2014.
Robustness of composite pulses to time-
Ultrasensitive Optomechanical Magnetometry.
Hartnett, J. G., Parker, S. R., Ivanov, E. N.,
dependent control noise. Physical Review A,
Advanced Materials, 26(36): 6348-6353.
Povey, T., Nand, N. R. & Floch, J-M. 2014.
90(1): 012316.
Goryachev, M., Abbé, P., Dulmet, B., Bourquin,
R. & Galliou, S. 2014. Measurements of
elastic properties of langatate at liquid
helium temperatures for design of ultra low
Radio frequency signals synthesised from
independent cryogenic sapphire oscillators,
Electronics Letters, Vol. 50: 294-295:
Institution of Engineering and Technology.
loss mechanical systems. Applied Physics
Hayes, D., Flammia, S. T. & Biercuk, M. J.
Letters, 104(26): 261904.
2014. Programmable quantum simulation
by dynamic Hamiltonian engineering. New
Journal of Physics, 16(8): 083027.
88
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Kafri, D., Taylor, J. M. & Milburn, G. J. 2014.
A classical channel model for gravitational
decoherence. New Journal of Physics, 16(6):
065020.
Publications
Kermany, A. R., Brawley, G., Mishra, N.,
Loredo, J. C., Broome, M. A., Smith, D.
Piraud, M., Cai, Zi., McCulloch, I. P. &
Sheridan, E., Bowen, W. P. & Iacopi, F. 2014.
H. & White, A. G. 2014. Observation of
Schollwöck, U. 2014. Quantum magnetism of
Microresonators with Q-factors over a million
Entanglement-Dependent Two-Particle
bosons with synthetic gauge fields in one-
from highly stressed epitaxial silicon carbide
Holonomic Phase. Physical Review Letters,
dimensional optical lattices: A density-matrix
on silicon. Applied Physics Letters, 104(8):
112(14): 143603.
renormalization-group study. Physical Review
081901.
A, 89(6).
Macha, P., Oelsner, G., Reiner, J.-M.,
Khosla, K., Swaim, J. D., Knittel, J. & Bowen,
Marthaler, M., André, S., Schön, G., Hübner,
Probst, S., Tkalčec, A., Rotzinger, H., Rieger,
W. P. 2014. Yield enhancement in whispering
U., Meyer, H.-G., Il’ichev, E. & Ustinov,
D., Le Floch, J-M., Goryachev, M., Tobar, M.
gallery mode biosensors: microfluidics and
A. V. 2014. Implementation of a quantum
E., Ustinov, A. V. & Bushev, P. A. 2014. Three-
optical forces. Journal of Modern Optics,
metamaterial using superconducting qubits.
dimensional cavity quantum electrodynamics
61(5): 415-418.
Nat Commun, 5.
with a rare-earth spin ensemble. Physical
Le Floch, J.-M., Bradac, C., Nand, N.,
Goryachev, M. & Tobar, M. 2014. Effects of
Castelletto, S., Tobar, M. E. & Volz, T. 2014.
geometry on quantum fluctuations of phonon-
Queffelec, P., Laur, V., Chevalier, A., Le Floch,
Addressing a single spin in diamond with
trapping acoustic cavities. New Journal of
J-M., Passerieux, D., Cros, D., Madrangeas,
a macroscopic dielectric microwave cavity.
Physics, 16(8): 083007.
V., Le Febvrier, A., Députier, S., Guilloux-
Applied Physics Letters, 105(13): 133101.
McKay-Parry, N., Baker, M., Neely, T., Carey,
Le Floch, J.-M., Fan, Y., Humbert, G., Shan,
T., Bell, T. & Rubinsztein-Dunlop, H. 2014.
Q., Férachou, D., Bara-Maillet, R., Aubourg,
Note: High turn density magnetic coils with
M., Hartnett, J. G., Madrangeas, V., Cros,
improved low pressure water cooling for
D., Blondy, J.-M., Krupka, J. & Tobar, M.
use in atom optics. Review of Scientific
E. 2014. Invited Article: Dielectric material
Instruments, 85(8): 086103.
characterization techniques and designs of
high-Q resonators for applications from micro
to millimeter-waves frequencies applicable at
room and cryogenic temperatures. Review of
Scientific Instruments, 85(3): 031301.
Lee, M. W., Jarratt, M. C., Marciniak, C. &
Biercuk, M. J. 2014. Frequency stabilization
of a 369 nm diode laser by nonlinear
spectroscopy of Ytterbium ions in a discharge.
Optics Express, 22(6): 7210-7221.
Lee, Y.C., Hsieh, M. H., Flammia, S. T. & Lee,
R. K. 2014. Local PT Symmetry Violates the
No-Signaling Principle. Physical Review
Letters, 112(13).
Lehmann, A., Bradac, C. & Mildren, R. P. 2014.
Two-photon polarization-selective etching
of emergent nano-structures on diamond
surfaces. Nat Commun, 5.
Review B, 90(10): 100404.
Viry, M., Houzet, G., Lacrevaz, T., Bermond,
C. & Fléchet, B. 2014. Intercomparison of
permittivity measurement techniques for
ferroelectric thin layers. Journal of Applied
Physics, 115(2).
Ringbauer, M., Biggerstaff, D. N., Broome,
Meaney, C., Nha, H., Duty, T. & Milburn,
G. 2014. Quantum and classical nonlinear
dynamics in a microwave cavity. EPJ
M. A., Fedrizzi, A., Branciard, C. & White,
A. G. 2014. Experimental Joint Quantum
Measurements with Minimum Uncertainty.
Physical Review Letters, 112(2): 020401.
Quantum Technology, 1(1): 7.
Motes, K. R., Gilchrist, A., Dowling, J. P. &
Rohde, P. P. 2014. Scalable Boson Sampling
with Time-Bin Encoding Using a Loop-Based
Architecture. Physical Review Letters,
113(12): 120501.
Ringbauer, M., Broome, M. A., Myers, C. R.,
White, A. G. & Ralph, T. C. 2014. Experimental
simulation of closed timelike curves. Nat
Commun, 5.
Ringbauer, M., Fedrizzi, A., Berry, D. W. &
White, A. G. 2014c. Information Causality in
Nand, N. R., Goryachev, M., Le Floch,
J.-M., Creedon, D. L. & Tobar, M. E. 2014.
Hyperparametric effects in a whispering-gallery
the Quantum and Post-Quantum Regime. Sci.
Rep., 4:6955.
mode rutile dielectric resonator at liquid helium
Sathyamoorthy, S. R., Tornberg, L., Kockum,
temperatures. Journal of Applied Physics,
A. F., Baragiola, B. Q., Combes, J., Wilson,
116(13): 134105.
C. M., Stace, T. M. & Johansson, G. 2014.
Ortíz, O., Yugra Y., Rosario, A., Sihuincha, J.
C., Loredo, J. C., Andrés, M. V. & De Zela, F.
2014. Polarimetric measurements of single-
Quantum Nondemolition Detection of a
Propagating Microwave Photon. Physical
Review Letters, 112(9): 093601.
León-Montiel, R. d. J., Kassal, I. & Torres, J. P.
photon geometric phases. Physical Review A,
Shan, Q., Jun, Y., Le Floch, J-M., Fan, Y.,
2014. Importance of Excitation and Trapping
89(1): 012124
Ivanov, E. N. & Tobar, M. E. 2014. Simulating
Conditions in Photosynthetic EnvironmentAssisted Energy Transport. The Journal
of Physical Chemistry B, 118(36): 1058810594.
Palmer, M. C., Girelli, F. & Bartlett, S. D.
2014. Changing quantum reference frames.
Physical Review A, 89(5): 052121.
GPS radio signal to synchronize network--a
new technique for redundant timing. IEEE
Trans Ultrason Ferroelectr Freq Control,
61(7): 1075-1085.
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
89
Publications
Shulman, M. D., Harvey, S. P., Nichol, J. M.,
Taylor, M. A., Janousek, J., Daria, V., Knittel,
Yukawa, E., Milburn, G. J., Holmes, C. A.,
Bartlett, S. D., Doherty, A. C., Umansky, V. &
J., Hage, B., Bachor, H.-A. & Bowen, W. P.
Ueda, M. & Nemoto, K. 2014. Precision
Yacoby, A. 2014. Suppressing qubit dephasing
2014. Subdiffraction-Limited Quantum Imaging
measurements using squeezed spin states via
using real-time Hamiltonian estimation. Nat
within a Living Cell. Physical Review X, 4(1):
two-axis countertwisting interactions. Physical
Commun, 5.
011017.
Review A, 90(6): 062132.
Sia, P. I., Luiten, A. N., Stace, T. M., Wood,
Tischler, N., Fernandez-Corbaton, I.,
Zambrana-Puyalto, X., Vidal, X. & Molina-
J. P. M. & Casson, R. J. 2014. Quantum
Zambrana-Puyalto, X., Minovich, A., Vidal,
Terriza, G. 2014. Angular momentum-induced
biology of the retina. Clinical & Experimental
X., Juan, M. L. & Molina-Terriza, G. 2014.
circular dichroism in non-chiral nanostructures.
Ophthalmology, 42(6): 582-589.
Experimental control of optical helicity in
Nat Commun, 5.
Singh, S., Pfeifer, R. N. C., Vidal, G. &
nanophotonics. Light Sci Appl, 3: e183.
Zatloukal, V., Lehman, L., Singh, S., Pachos,
Brennen, G. K. 2014. Matrix product states
Wallman, J. J., & Flammia, S. T. 2014.
J. K. & Brennen, G. K. 2014. Transport
for anyonic systems and efficient simulation of
Randomized benchmarking with confidence.
properties of anyons in random topological
dynamics. Physical Review B, 89(7): 075112.
New Journal of Physics, 16(10).
environments. Physical Review B, 90(13):
Soare, A., Ball, H., Hayes, D., Sastrawan,
Wardrop, M. P. & Doherty, A.C. 2014.
J., Jarratt, M. C., McLoughlin, J. J., Zhen,
Exchange-based two-qubit gate for singlet-
Zhan, F. & McCulloch, I. P. 2014. Comment
X., Green, T. J. & Biercuk, M. J. 2014.
triplet qubits. Physical Review B, 90(4).
on “Phase separation in a two-species Bose
Experimental noise filtering by quantum
control. Nat Phys, 10(11): 825-829.
Weng, W., Anstie, J. D., Stace, T. M.,
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mixture”, Physical Review A, 89(5).
Campbell, G., Baynes, F. N. & Luiten, A.
Zhan, F., Sabbatini, J., Davis, M. J. &
Soare, A., Ball, H., Hayes, D., Zhen, X., Jarratt,
N. 2014. Nano-Kelvin Thermometry and
McCulloch, I. P. 2014. Miscible-immiscible
M. C., Sastrawan, J., Uys, H. & Biercuk,
Temperature Control: Beyond the Thermal
quantum phase transition in coupled two-
M. J. 2014. Experimental bath engineering
Noise Limit. Physical Review Letters,
component Bose-Einstein condensates in one-
for quantitative studies of quantum control.
112(16): 160801.
dimensional optical lattices. Physical Review
Physical Review A, 89(4): 042329.
Wolf, A., McCulloch, I. P., Parcollet, O. &
A, 90(2).
Szigeti, S. S., Carvalho, A. R. R., Morley,
Schollwöck, U. 2014. Chebyshev matrix
Zhang, R., Xue, P. & Twamley, J. 2014. One-
J. G. & Hush, M. R. 2014. Ignorance Is
product state impurity solver for dynamical
dimensional quantum walks with single-point
Bliss: General and Robust Cancellation of
mean-field theory. Physical Review B, 90(11).
phase defects. Physical Review A, 89(4):
Decoherence via No-Knowledge Quantum
Feedback. Physical Review Letters, 113(2):
020407.
Szigeti, S. S., Tonekaboni, B., Lau, W. Y. S.,
Hood, S. N. & Haine, S. A. 2014. Squeezedlight-enhanced atom interferometry below the
standard quantum limit. Physical Review A,
90(6): 063630.
Szorkovszky, A., Clerk, A. A., Doherty, A. C.
& Bowen, W. P. 2014. Detuned mechanical
parametric amplification as a quantum nondemolition measurement. New Journal of
Physics, 16(4): 043023.
Szorkovszky, A., Clerk, A. A., Doherty, A. C. &
Bowen, W. P. 2014. Mechanical entanglement
via detuned parametric amplification. New
Journal of Physics, 16(6): 063043.
Xia, K. 2014. Tunable slowing, storing, and
releasing of a weak microwave field. Physical
Review A, 89(2): 023815.
Xia, K., Lu, G., Lin, G., Cheng, Y., Niu, Y.,
Gong, S., & Twamley, J. 2014. Reversible
nonmagnetic single-photon isolation using
unbalanced quantum coupling. Physical
Review A, 90(4): 043802.
Xia, K., Vanner, M. R. & Twamley, J. 2014. An
opto-magneto-mechanical quantum interface
between distant superconducting qubits. Sci.
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Yaohui, F., Zhengyu, Z., Carvalho, N. C.,
Le Floch, J-M., Qingxiao, S. & Tobar, M. E.
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ANNUAL REPORT 2014
042317.
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ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Appendix 2
Key performance details
postgraduate recruits
postdoctoral recruits
international visitors
end-user links
Centre postgraduate recruits
Name
Mostafa El Demery
EQuS recruited 17
postgraduate students
during 2014
Topic
Supervisor
Quantum sensors using massive
mechanical resonators
Jason Twamley
Gulliaume
Emulation using neutral 87Rb 41K
Tyler Neely, Halina Rubinsztein-
Gauthier
atomic bose einstein condensates
Dunlop
Christina
Giarmatzi
Jake Glidden
Quantum correlations with no
causal order-in theory and
experiments
Fedrizzi, Gerard Milburn
Emulation with dual-species Bose
Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Tyler
Einstein Condensates
Neely
Marie-Claire
Quantum Hall and Quantum Dot
Jarratt
Devices in GaAs
Angela Karanjai
Quantum Information
Daniel Lombardo
Andrew White , Alessandro
Hybrid Quantum Systems in Cavity
QED and Optomechanics
Nicolas
Quantum limited evanescent
Mauranyapin
biosensing
David Reilly
Stephen Bartlett
Jason Twamley, Thomas Volz
Warwick Bowen
Testing the AdS3/CFT2
Nathan McMahon
correspondence: an entanglement
Gerard Milburn
renormalization approach
Sebastian Pauka
Improving readout methods for
spin qubits
David Reilly
Erick Romero
Single photon cavity quantum
Warwick Bowen , Michael Ross
Sanchez
optomechanics
Vanner
Quantum state engineering
Farid Shahandeh
via coherent single quanta
manipulation
Matthew van
Breugel
Bowen
Exploring the Silicon Vacancy Centre
in CVD Grown Nanodiamond for
Thomas Volz, Carlo Bradac
Near-Resonant Optical Trapping
Muhammad
Biological imaging at the attoscale,
Waleed
breaking the quantum limits
Andrew Wood
Michael Ross Vanner , Warwick
Fiber cavities for exciton cavity
polaritons
Warwick Bowen , Michael Taylor
Thomas Volz, Benjamin Besga
Ultra strong optomechanical
Nicholas Wyatt
coupling of nanoscopic mechanical
Warwick Bowen
systems
Yimin Yu
Cavity Optomechanical
Magnetometry
Warwick Bowen
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
93
Centre postdoctoral recruits
In 2014, EQuS successfully
recruited seven new
postdoctoral researchers at
three of its nodes.
Name
Country of origin
Marcus Appleby
Australia
Benjamin Besga
France
Supervisor
Steven Flammia
Thomas Volz
Andrew Darmawan
Australia
Stephen Bartlett
Glen Harris
Australia
Warwick Bowen
Mattias Johnsson
Australia
Jason Twamley, Gavin Brennen
Robert Pfeifer
Australia
Gavin Brennen
Yarema Reshitnyk
Australia
Arkady Fedorov
International, national and regional links
and networks - visitors to EQuS
EQuS actively encourages
visits from Australian and
overseas colleagues and
peers and is pleased
to have hosted 72
international visitors in
2014.
Mete Atature, University of Cambridge, United
Kingdom
Benjamin Brown, Imperial College London,
United Kingdom
Alexia Auffeves, The French National Centre
for Scientific Research, France
Pavel Bushev, Saarland University, Germany
Jose Aumentado, National Institute of
Standards and Technology, United States
Valentina Baccetti, Victoria University, New
Zealand
Jeremy Baumberg, University of Cambridge,
United Kingdom
Juan Collar, University of Chicago, United
States
Vincenzo D’Ambrosio, Sapienza Universita di
Roma Piazzale, Italy
Johann Berthelot, ICFO Institute of Photonic
Sciences, Spain
Simon Devitt, National Institute of Informatics,
Japan
Rainer Blatt, University of Innsbruck, Austria
Jonathan Dowling, Louisiana State University,
United States
Jochen Braumueller, KIT, Germany
Jess Brewer, University of British Columbia,
Canada
Ken Brown, Georgia Tech, United States
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Tuan Chien, The University of Auckland, New
Zealand
Patrice Bertet, CEA, France
Robin Blume-Kohout, The University of New
Mexico, United States
94
Carlton Caves, University of New Mexico,
United States
Zhenglu Duan, Jiangxi Normal University,
China
Andy Ferris, University of Sherbrooke, Canada
Joseph Fitzsimons, Singapore University of
Technology and Design, Singapore
Christophe Galland, Physics Department
Swiss Federal Institute of Technologies,
Switzerland
Carlton Caves spent three
months at The University of
Queensland node in 2014.
Professor Caves is a pioneer
of quantum measurement
and the Director of the
Center for Quantum
Information and Control
(CQuIC) at The University
of New Mexico. Major
research collaborations
continue to grow on the
joint expertise and interests
of the two Centres. In 2014,
Professor Caves worked
with Australian researchers
at UQ and elsewhere on
nondeterministic linear
amplification, high-precision
interferometry using
information recycling, and
in-situ characterization
of errors in a quantum
computer using error
syndrome data.
Rafael Garca Malonda, University of Valencia,
Spain
John Rarity, University of Bristol, United
Kingdom
Aitzol Garcia-Etxarri, Stanford University,
United States
Robert Raussendorf, University of British
Columbia, Canada
Christopher Granade, The University of
Waterloo, Canada
Enrique Rico-Ortega, University of Ulm,
Germany
John Harvey, University of Auckland, New
Zealand
Mark Rudner, Niels Bohr Institute, the
University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Paul Hess, Harvard University, United States
Terence Rudolph, Imperial College London,
United Kingdom
David Hume, National Institute of Standards of
Technology, United States
Michael Hush, University of Nottingham,
United Kingdom
Ruediger Schack, Royal Holloway University
of London, United Kingdom
David Jennings, Imperial College London,
United Kingdom
Pascale Senellart, The French National
Centre for Scientific Research, France
Sania Jevtic, Imperial College London, United
Kingdom
Raymond Simmonds, National Institute of
Standards and Technology, United States
Shelby Kimmel, Massachusetts Institute of
Technology, United States
Stephanie Simmons, St John’s College
Oxford, United Kingdom
Sir Peter Knight, Imperial College London,
United Kingdom
Adam Sirois, National Institute of Standards
and Technology, United States
Bogdan Kochetov, Institute of Radio
Astronomy of the National Academy of
Sciences of Ukraine, Ukraine
Marco Tomamichel, National University of
Singapore, Singapore
Nathan Langford, Royal Holloway University
of London, United Kingdom
Robert Mann, University of Waterloo, Canada
Tom Milburn , University of Vienna, Austria
Tomoyuki Morimae, Keio University, Japan
Arjan Ferdinand van Loo, ETH Zurich,
Switzerland
Guifre Vidal , Perimeter Institute for Theoretical
Physics, Waterloo, Canada
Shayne Waldron, The University of Auckland,
New Zealand
Bill Munro, NTT Basic Research Labs, Japan
Stephanie Wehner, National University of
Singapore, Singapore
Kae Nemoto, National Institute of Informatics,
Japan
Christopher Wood, University of Waterloo,
Canada
Tobias Osborne , Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz
University, Germany
Amir Yacoby, Harvard University, United States
Jiannis Pachos, The University of Leeds,
United Kingdom
Giandomenico Palumbo, University of Leeds,
United Kingdom
Professor Carlton Caves
Barry Sanders, University of Calgary, Canada
Ping Yang, KIT, Germany
Nan Zhao, Beijing Computational Science
Research Centre, China
Xinglong Zhen, Tsinghua University, China
Jin Pei-qing, Shanghai Maritime University,
China
Achim Peters, Humboldt University, Germany
David Poulin, Sherbrooke University, Canada
Sana Amairi Pyka, Physikalisch-Technische
Bundesanstalt (PTB), Germany
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
95
End-user links, editorial boards
Professor Gerard Milburn
Memberships of editorial
boards
The Centre CIs were on 12
editorial boards
Editor in Chief, EPJ Quantum Technology
Editorial Board, New Journal of Physics
Editorial Board, Journal of Quantum Computation
Chair: Scientific Advisory Board, The Institute for Quantum Computing, Canada.
Professor Andrew White
Editorial Board, Journal of Modern Optics
Editorial Board, Journal of Quantum Technology
Government, industry
and business community
briefings
The Centre actively
promotes its activities and
uses government, industry
and business community
briefings to encourage
investment from these
agencies.
Associate Professor Warwick Bowen
Editorial Board, Scientific Reports (broad scope journal of the Nature Publishing Group)
Professor Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop
Scientific Advisory Board, NTT Basic Research Laboratories, Japan
Board of Directors, Beckman Laser Institute Inc (Non-Profit Corporation)
Board, Australian Plasma Fusion Research Facility
Editorial Board, IOP Journal of Optics
Associate Professor Michael Biercuk
Academic Editor, AIP Advances
Nature Quantum Information Editorial Advisory Board, 2014
Associate Professor Andrew Doherty
Committee Member, Topical Group on Quantum Information (GQI) American Physical Society
Committee Member, Quantum Information Processing Program Committee
Associate Professor Gavin Brennen
Guest Editor, New Journal of Physics 2014
Professor Michael Tobar
Chair of the SC2 Physics and Astronomy Selection Committee for 2015 and 2016
96
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
New EQuS-Enabled Collaborations
A major aspect of our
Centre is the manner in
which new collaborations
are catalyzed across nodes,
projects and research
subfields. In addition,
EQuS has become a
recognized leader in the
international community,
and has facilitated the
development of many
substantial collaborations
with partner investigators
and colleagues all over the
world. Here we provide
some highlights of major
collaborative efforts, which
are ongoing or commenced
in 2014
COLLABORATION GRANT AWARDED TO UWA CI
CI Tobar was awarded a UWA collaboration grant in 2014, enabling him to establish an important
collaboration with Pavel Bushev, a senior research assistant at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.
This joint research project involves the transferring signals between microwave and optical
frequencies. This area of research is very important for a variety of applications, including
the transfer of frequency and timing signals and for the future transfer of quantum encoded
information.
COLLABORATION WITH CNRS FRANCE
CI White at UQ, in collaboration with Professor Pascale Senellart, CNRS, France—demonstrated
the most efficient photon sources ever devised, which at 79% are some six orders-of-magnitude
more efficient than spontaneous downconversion, the current gold standard. They also
demonstrated that the generated photons are highly indistinguishable, a necessary condition for
all engineered applications. The next step of this program is to achieve strong coupling between
photons using quantum dots in engineered structures, such as photonic bandgap waveguides.
COLLABORATION WITH SERGE GALLIOU AT FEMTO-ST
BESANCON
CI Tobar at UWA, and Serge Galliou at FEMTO-ST Besancon, France, developed high-Q Bulk
Acoustic Wave (BAW) Resonators at the Quantum Limit. This technology comes from stateof-the-art high-stability oscillator technology, which the UWA node of EQuS is modifying for
applications for quantum measurement and inclusion within an engineered quantum system.
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ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Appendix 3
Project reports
Quantum control with trapped ions
The discipline of control engineering provides
a Paul trap, as reported in 2013. This trap
for the calculation of expected operational
extraordinary capabilities to the modern
system now represents one of the highest-
fidelity in the presence of noise characterized
engineering community – producing systems
fidelity quantum control systems globally in
by a specific power spectral density. In
that are stable and which can even gain new
terms of achievable coherence times and
these experiments, we are able to compare
capabilities through the application of ideas
operational error rates for single qubit gates.
experimental measurements with full
from this field.
Additional technical advances focussed on
numerical integration of the Schroedinger
stabilization of laser systems for Ytterbium
equation, finding excellent agreement
A beautiful demonstration of this power comes
ions were published in Optics Express. These
between data and theory. In addition, we
in the form of a 1980s experimental aircraft.
techniques have already seen adoption by
find good agreement with the first-order filter
The X-29, an American airplane that was
leading groups in the trapped-ion community.
function formalism up to limits imposed by
designed like a dart being thrown backwards,
the first-order approximation. Breakdown of
was able to fly because of major advances in a
Our experiments focus on the 12.6GHz
this approximation occurs where predicted
discipline called control engineering that were
microwave qubit in Yb+ ions, controlled via
analytically, forming a major experimental
able to stabilise the airplane.
a commercial vector signal generator. This
validation of our generalised noise filtering
hardware provides unique capabilities in
framework.
This technological example has served as
arbitrarily controlling the axis of rotation
a major inspiration for our work in the newly
of operations on the Bloch sphere – a key
Our work then moved on to test the efficacy
emerging field of quantum control engineering.
requirement for tests of novel quantum control
of known – and new – control protocols
Our EQuS research program is interested
techniques. One unique capability provided
designed to suppress error in quantum control
in how similar concepts can play a role in
by our ion-trap quantum control system is
experiments. We demonstrated that so-called
bringing quantum technologies to reality. If
the ability to use the internal IQ modulation
Dynamically Corrected Gates were able to
control engineering can turn an unstable
capabilities of our vector signal generator to
outperform primitive pulses for a range of
dart into a high-performance fighter jet,
engineer the path experienced by the qubit.
operations and noise power spectra, despite
the potential to transform today’s sensitive
We may thus use our trapped ions as a
requiring additional resources (e.g. additional
quantum systems into next-generation
model quantum system capable of providing
time for the control protocol). We extended
quantum technologies is extraordinary.
insights into the performance of alternate qubit
these experiments to fully validate the Walsh-
technologies.
functional synthesis of error suppressing
Previous work in this program focussed
quantum logic and rotary spin echo techniques
on the theoretical derivation of a complete
We implement this capability in our system by
discussed in last year’s report. Further, we
mathematical framework capturing the
numerically generating noise as a time-domain
validated a number of key assertions about
effect of environmental noise on quantum
IQ modulation protocol whose two-time
the functionality of composite pulse protocols
systems. This framework, based on quantum
correlation function produces a given power
in the presence of time-dependent noise, as
generalizations of transfer functions, permits
spectral density when Fourier transformed.
presented in another article in Physical Review
a user to abstract away the underlying
Noise is injected with user-defined amplitude
A.
quantum physical system and treat realistic
on top of any IQ modulation designed to
time-varying noise, or interference. In 2014,
implement a particular gate and spectral
our focus shifted to experimentally testing the
characteristics varied in accordance with
efficacy and bounds of this work in an effort
desired physical regimes. These results, and
to demonstrate its utility to a broad range of
general characterization of our measurement
groups focusing on quantum technologies.
and control hardware formed the basis of a
Continued over page
manuscript published in Physical Review A.
Performing this validation has required major
investment in classical control hardware
Using this foundational technique we have
allowing us to access and manipulate
been able to perform the first quantitative
quantum coherent effects of interest. In this
tests of the generalized filter transfer function
part of our program, we have focussed on the
formalism for arbitrary single-qubit gates.
development of a platform to test quantum
Experiments began by demonstrating the
control protocols using Ytterbium ions in
predictive power of the transfer functions
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
99
Quantum control with trapped ions, cont.
Our key results, presenting a validation of
the filter-transfer-function framework and
demonstrating its utility as a tool to craft
novel quantum control protocols suited for
a particular qubit, were published in Nature
Physics. The work was selected for the
cover of the November 2014 edition, and was
highlighted in a News & Views article.
These results culminated in the award of
another major US Government research
contract valued at US$2.7M over three
years to further develop concepts of control
engineering and error suppression for
quantum systems. Collaborators include
Professor Lorenza Viola (Dartmouth) and Dr
William Oliver (MIT).
M.W. Lee, M.C. Jarratt, C. Marciniak, and M.J.
Biercuk, “Frequency Stabilization of a 369 nm
Diode Laser by Nonlinear Spectroscopy of
Ytterbium Ions in a Discharge,” Optics Express
22 7210-7221 (2014).
A. Soare, H. Ball, D. Hayes, X. Zhen,
M.C. Jarratt, H. Uys, and M.J. Biercuk,
“Experimental bath engineering for quantitative
studies of quantum control” Phys. Rev. A. 89,
042329 (2014).
C. Kabytayev, T.J. Green, K. Khodjasteh,
M.J. Biercuk, L. Viola, and K.R. Brown,
“Robustness of composite pulses to timedependent control noise” Phys. Rev. A 90,
012316 (2014).
A. Soare, H. Ball, D. Hayes, M.C. Jarratt, J.J.
McLoughlin, X. Zhen, T.J. Green and M.J.
Biercuk, “Experimental noise filtering by
quantum control” Nature Physics 10, 825-829
(2014).
News & Views by W.D. Oliver, “Quantum
Control: Engineering a revolution”, Nature
Physics 10, 794–795 (2014).
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ANNUAL REPORT 2014
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR: Michael Biercuk
RESEARCHERS: Harrison Ball, Todd Green, Marie Claire Jarratt, James
McLoughlin, Jarrah Sastrawan, Alex Soare
COLLABORATORS: Ken Brown, Lorenza Viola, Amir Yacoby, William
Oliver
Error robust multiqubit gates
This work addressed a problem of fundamental
conditions, we demonstrate how the same
physical and technological significance –
framework allows decoupling of each mode to
suppressing error in entangling quantum logic
arbitrary order when noise leads to imperfect
gates. Entangling logic operations are of
evolution of the composite system.
tremendous importance to the field of quantum
We first present a generic description of the
information, which attracts broad interest in the
method and then demonstrate its application
physics community. Moreover, dealing with
in the context of Molmer-Sorensen (MS)
error is a significant hurdle in the development
gates for trapped-ion qubit pairs embedded
of quantum technologies and has attracted
in a linear chain, where residual coupling
significant attention in the community.
of ion internal states to multiple modes of
motion leads to reduced gate fidelity. This
Quantum mechanical entanglement is an
method complements existing optimal-control
important resource for a new generation of
techniques, but reduces technical complexity
quantum-enabled technologies, most notably
in gate implementation, permits suppression
quantum information processing (QIP). A
of noise in the drive, and has the potential
key requirement for scalable QIP is the ability
to achieve the same decoupling operation
to controllably produce high-fidelity multi-
in a shorter time. The results we present
particle entanglement on demand. This is
are directly applicable to a range of real
accomplished in experimental systems using
experimental systems including trapped ions,
a variety of techniques, but a prominent
superconducting qubits coupled to cavities,
approach relies on the realization of an
and optomechanical systems.
indirect interaction between basic quantum
T. J. Green and M. J. Biercuk, “Phase-
systems (here qubits) mediated by bosonic
modulated decoupling and error suppression
oscillator modes. A significant source of
in qubit-oscillator systems,” arXiv:1408.2749
infidelity in these experiments is the presence
(2014). Accepted to Physical Review Letters.
of residual qubit-oscillator entanglement at the
conclusion of an interaction period, leading to
decoherence and a degradation of the fidelity
of entanglement generation. Therefore, the
ability to effectively and efficiently disentangle
qubits from bosonic modes is vital for many
modern experimental implementations of
entangling QIP operations.
In this project, we developed a simple
technique to decouple qubits from multiple
intermediary bosonic modes in order to
improve entangling-gate fidelity. The
technique is based solely on technologically
simple, discrete shifts in the phase of the field
that mediates the qubit-oscillator coupling. We
present a generalized theoretical framework
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR: Michael Biercuk
permitting construction of protocols providing
suppression of residual qubit-oscillator
couplings in a densely packed mode structure.
In addition to ensuring that all excited
modes are decoupled under ideal operating
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ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Quantum optomechanics
The opto- and nanomechanics program seeks
We have developed a new cavity
The new capabilities we have developed place
to:
optomechanical system consisting of an
EQuS in a unique position to pursue these
ultrahigh quality optical whispering gallery
applications.
Cool mechanical oscillators to their ground state
mode coupled to millimeter scale silicon nitride
1.
Develop and apply new quantum control
nanostrings. Using this system, we have
In part of a collaborative project with CI
techniques that enable non-classical
demonstrated a classical implementation of a
Rubinsztein-Dunlop, we have developed
states of mechanical oscillators to be
new protocol to produce macroscopic quantum
the theory of atom-optomechanical cooling
generated.
superposition states of a mechanical oscillator
including quantum feedback control. This
Develop optomechanical systems with
via measurement and feedback control. To
theory has important ramifications not only
very high light-mechanics coupling
extend these results to the quantum regime, we
for an experimental project in EQuS on
strengths.
have developed, with collaborators at Griffith
the area, but also for projects underway in
Apply quantum control to enhance sensing
University, the first silicon carbide nanostrings
other institutions. In collaboration with CI
applications of micromechanical systems.
with mechanical quality factors in excess of a
Doherty at the University of Sydney, we have
Interface optomechanics with other
million. These strings will be a central element
continued to develop the theory of quantum
quantum systems including atoms and NV
in future experiments seeking to observe and
optomechanics in the presence of parametric
centres.
control quantum behaviour at millimeter size
nonlinearities, demonstrating that parametric
Study quantum and classical
scales and at room temperature.
nonlinearities enable both back-action
2.
3.
4.
5.
phenomena in arrays of optically coupled
micromechanical oscillators.
evading measurements, and the generation of
As part of our EQuS research program,
after several years of concerted efforts, we
We have EQuS collaborations with Gerard
implemented in 2013 a 300 mK Helium 3
Milburn, Andrew Doherty, Michael Tobar, Tom
cryostat with sufficient vibration isolation to
Stace, and Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop; and
undertake highly vibration
prospective future collaborations with Arkady
sensitive optomechanics
Fedorov and Thomas Volz.
experiments. This has allowed
mechanical entanglement.
Image of a microsphere coupled to a
tapered optical fibre and a nanostring
mechanical resonator
us to perform the first direct
Our research directly contributes towards the
measurements of thermal
EQuS grand challenges:
excitations in superfluid
Quantum Measurement & Control (QMC):
Helium, and demonstrate for
Realise new capabilities through the
the first time that fluids may
development of a comprehensive and flexible
be laser cooled. Superfluidity
quantum control toolkit.
is one of few emergent
Quantum-Enabled Sensors & Metrology
quantum phenomena and
(QESM): Realise sub-cellular, in vivo, imaging
naturally arise in nature and
in real time with microsecond time-resolution
has substantial promise for
using biocompatible nanoparticles and spin
precision inertial sensing.
manipulation.
In quantum optomechanics optical fields are
used to control and manipulate the quantum
behaviour of a micro- or nano-mechanical
oscillator. Such research has prospects for not
only fundamental tests of quantum mechanics
at size scales inaccessible to other approaches,
but allow applications in precision sensing,
metrology, and information technology. In 2014,
we have made significant progress in this
direction.
102
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR: Warwick Bowen, The University of Queensland
RESEARCHERS: Lars Madsen, Joachim Knittel, Michael Vanner, Robin
Cole, Eoin Sheridan, David McAuslan, Kiran Khosla, Glen Harris, George
Brawley, Michael Taylor, Jon Swaim, Alexander Szorkovszky, Sarah Yu,
James Bennett, Andrew Doherty, Gerard Milburn, Uzma Akram, Halina
Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Mark Baker, Tyler Neely
COLLABORATORS: Ulrik Andersen, Hans Bachor, Jong H. Chow, Malcolm
B. Gray, Jiri Janousek, Vincent Daria, Boris Hage, Francesca Iacopi,
Aashish Clerk, Atieh R. Kermany, Neeraj Mishra, Ulrich B. Hoff, Hugo
Kerdoncuff, Mikael Lassen, Bo M. Nielsen, Mankei Tsang, Shan Zheng
Ang, Anja Boisen, Silvan Schmid
Plasmonics and nanooptics
One of our most ambitious projects within the
Nature Communications and Light, Science
Centre is the achievement of quantum control
and Applications. In this landmark experiment,
of metallic nanostructures, such as spheres,
we show new techniques to characterize and
holes in metallic surfaces, nanorods, etc.
control the interaction of light with nanoparticles.
These kinds of structures are becoming more
In particular, we have shown that by controlling
and more important for technology, and they
the angular momentum content of the light,
are now being used in sensing applications,
we can switch on and off the transmission
as optical transducers, etc. One key property
through a nanoaperture. In parallel, we have
that enables all this range of technologies is
been developing our quantum sources of light,
that these structures can present localized
so that they are ready to interact efficiently
plasmon resonances. These resonances
with the nanostructures. We have shown how
appear at optical frequencies and happen when
the spatiotemporal correlations of entangled
the collective oscillations of the electrons in
photon states can affect their interaction with
the metallic structure resonate with the driving
particles. Following that line, we are developing
optical field. One of our aims is to achieve an
ways to control and reconstruct the temporal
unprecedented control on the state of those
wavefunction of entangled photon states.
electrons and their resonances, reaching the
All these studies will allow us to control
quantum limit.
the quantum state of nanoparticles and, in
In order to achieve this agenda, CI Molina-
particular, the electronic state of plasmonic
Terriza’s team at Macquarie University has
structures. During 2016, we will measure the
pioneered the study of plasmonic resonances
quantum properties of plasmons, using our
of simple structures such as spheres and
engineered quantum states of light.
holes, with both theoretically and experimental
investigations.
In 2014, we published our experimental results
in two Nature Publishing Group journals:
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Gabriel Molina-Terriza, Macquarie University
RESEARCHERS
Mathieu Juan, Nora Tischler, Ivan Fernandez-Corbaton, Xavier ZambranaPuyalto
COLLABORATORS
Xavier Vidal, Alexander Minovich
Polarization of light switches the transmissivity
of a nanohole (Credit: X. Vidal, A. Buese)
103
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Coupling superconducting devices to
sapphire resonators
An important goal of the UWA team is to
laboratory with UWA resonators during 2013
Collaboration Award 2015, $8,800.
develop a microwave optomechanical
with the first actual experiments of coupling
[2] Adam Sirois, American-Australian
capability, using microwave cavity QED
qubits undertaken in 2014 at the UNSW.
Association’s ‘US to Australia’ fellowship,
coupling of a Qubit with a high-Q resonator
$21,000 US.
that will become a phonon counting readout
The NIST low temperature group has
to measure the ground state and a variety of
remarkable fabrication facilities and can provide
Fock states of a mechanical oscillator. The
an alternative source of devices. Creedon
UWA team will continue to work collaboratively
and Tobar from the UWA laboratory visited
with experts on qubits and will work towards
the Aumentado group at NIST Boulder during
achieving these goals in 2015.
2013 and 2014, and took a small sapphire
resonator to NIST with preliminary experiments
Projects to try and achieve this are ongoing with
undertaken during this visit. Further funding
CI Tobar at UWA and CI Duty at the UNSW.
was obtained for future exchange of personnel
Funding for exchanging researchers was
starting in 2014, with a new grant leading
competitively obtained to set this experiment
for 2015 [1]. The Aumentado group will
up during 2012, resulting in the first prototype
manufacture complementary transmon qubits
experiments undertaken at the UNSW in 2013.
and SQUID devices on sapphire for better
The collaboration between Duty and Tobar led
coupling and lower loss. PhD student Adam
to the first cooling of a sapphire resonator to
Sirois won an American-Australian Association
mK temperature, showing the high-Q could be
US to Australia fellowship for $US21,000 to
maintained and the development of a new way
visit the UWA laboratory [2]. He brought some
to do Electron-Spin-Resonance spectroscopy
devices from NIST, including SQUIDS and
using Whispering Gallery modes. Currently,
transmon qubits. Some new experiments were
Duty has developed the fabrication techniques
performed during his visit in December 2014.
to manufacture qubits, and is developing qubits
[1] Daniel Creedon, “Coupling crystal
to couple to this resonator. Duty has already
resonators and novel cavities to highly
undertaken a proto-type experiment in his
coherent quantum devices,” UWA Research
CHIEF INVESTIGATORS
Michael Tobar, The University of Western Australia; Timothy Duty, The
University of New South Wales
RESEARCHERS
Daniel Creedon, Maxim Goryachev, Sergey Kafanov
COLLABORATORS
Jose Aumentado, Ray Simmonds, Adam Sirois
104
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Quantum opto-magneto-mechanical interface
between distant superconducting chips
EQuS researchers have developed a
are one of the most promising areas of
theoretical design allowing superconducting
development to become the hardware for
quantum chips to communicate quantum
tomorrow’s quantum devices and the devised
mechanically to each other over large distances
superconducting/optical interface will help
through an optical fibre. If achieved, this would
connect up these chips together over large
allow long distance quantum entanglement
distances. The design is a perfect example
or teleportation – both key steps towards
of an engineered hybrid-quantum system –
building a truly global quantum internet via a
which combines several disparate quantum
quantum repeater. Devised by Dr Keyu Xia
technologies (superconducting quantum
and Professor Jason Twamley from the ARC
systems, optomechanical systems and optical
Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum
quantum systems), together to achieve more
Systems (EQuS) at Macquarie University,
functionality than in each subsystem alone.
and Dr Michael Vanner at the University of
The approach devised allows EQuS to take
Queensland, this work makes use of the tiny
advantage of both the power of quantum
magnetic fields generated by superconducting
engineering with superconducting circuits
quantum chips to alter the properties of an
and existing low-loss high-speed optical
optical cavity, via a magnetostrictive material.
telecommunications technology. The design
A material that is “magnetostrictive” physically
has been patented and the work has been
expands in the presence of a magnetic field.
published in the open access online journal
By using this novel property, this project was
Scientific Reports 4, 5571 (2014).
able to show how the magnetic fields from a
superconducting quantum chip can effectively
transmit and receive via a connected optical
cavity and optical fibre through to a distant
superconducting chip in another laboratory
elsewhere. Superconducting quantum chips
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Jason Twamley, Macquarie University
RESEARCHERS
Keyu Xia
Schematic of design for an opto-magnetomechanical quantum interface between
superconducting chips via optical fiber [K. Xia,
M. R. Vanner and J. Twamley, Scientific Reports
4, 5571 (2014)]
105
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Addressing spins in diamond with macroscopic
microwave cavities
This project is a joint effort between the groups
of Dr Thomas Volz at Macquarie University
Sydney and Professor Michael Tobar at the
University of Western Australia. The project is
geared towards a new method for addressing
and manipulating solid-state spins using
macroscopic microwave cavities both at liquidhelium and room temperature. Conventional
methods for addressing diamond spins rely
on on-chip solutions with the potential of
generating too much dissipated heat, leading
to drifts and undesirable heating of the sample
to be investigated. The new approach is
contactless and intrinsically requires much
less drive power since the cavity provides a
local enhancement of the circulated microwave
power (approximately by the cavity Q-factor).
In a first experiment, we built a (roomtemperature) tunable microwave cavity around
2.88 GHz and demonstrated experimentally
that we are able to selectively address a single
nitrogen-vacancy (NV) spin in a nano-diamond
located right under cavity. In a second step, we
mapped out the local field of the microwave
cavity using the NV-centre spin as a local probe.
While this was a proof-of-principle experiment,
the field-mapping illustrates the power of NV
centres as sensitive magnetometers especially
Figure 1: Microwave cavity for spin manipulation (a) Photo of the microwave cavity. The
plunger enables easy tuning of the resonance frequency (b) Cavity resonance tuned to
the spin transition in for NV centres in diamond. (c) ODMR signal from a single NV spin.
(d) Mapping the local field strength of the MW field by monitoring the ODMR response
of a single spin as a function of position
also in rugged, technically relevant conditions.
The results were published in 2014 and
appeared in Applied Physics Letters [APL 105,
133101 (2014)].
In a next step, we are planning to use the
existing cavity to manipulate NV spins
coherently. This will then pave the way for
systematic studies of coherence properties
of NV spins in ultrasmall nano-diamonds. In
parallel, we are exploring cavity designs for
other colour centre spins in diamond and for
accessing spins at liquid-helium temperatures.
106
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
CHIEF INVESTIGATORS
Thomas Volz, Macquarie University and Michael Tobar, The University of
Western Australia
RESEARCHERS
Jean-Michel Le Floch, Carlo Bradac, Nitin Nand
COLLABORATOR
Stefania Castelletto
Nanodiamond levitation
This project combines the expertise of CI
experiment in water using the near-infrared ZPL
Volz’s group on manipulating NV centres in
transition of the singlet manifold was also set
nanodiamonds and cold-atom trapping with
up in parallel. Here the idea is to do mechanical
the expertise in Molina-Terriza’s group on
spectroscopy on the 1042nm transition in NV
trapping and levitation of nanoparticles in order
centres. Finally, in order to reduce the damping
to study the influence of embedded “artificial
due to Brownian motion and obtain clearer data,
atoms” on the motion of the crystal as a whole
a levitation setup was built. Late November
for near-resonant trapping lasers. The ultimate
2014 saw the first levitated nanodiamond
goal is twofold: on the one hand, we want to
at Macquare University – only the second
design novel optical tweezers with enhanced
system in the world to report levitation of
optical forces for manipulating ultrasmall
nanodiamonds. This important milestone for the
nanodiamonds in liquid, and on the other hand,
optical levitation project at Macquarie University
we want to exploit the optical forces from the
was achieved in collaboration with Dr Johann
NV centres to cool the centre-of-mass motion of
Bertholet and Professor Romain Quidant from
a levitated nanodiamond as a whole.
ICFO, Spain.
In 2014, three different experimental efforts
Next steps will involve theoretical modelling for
were initiated: the first experiment aims at a
understanding the rather complex (internal and
proof of principle demonstration of the effect in
external) dynamics of trapped nanodiamonds
water. By trapping NDs with a large density of
with large ensembles of NV centres and the
NV centres in an optical trap and monitoring
setting up of a vacuum system for levitation
the Brownian motion in the trap, we expect to
under vacuum conditions. This will eliminate air-
detect a slight modification of the trap stiffness
damping completely and allow for the study of
due to the presence of the NV centres in the
Doppler cooling of nanocrystals.
ND. Indeed, the data show a clear trend,
however, detailed theoretical modelling is
required to fully understand the data. A similar
CHIEF INVESTIGATORS
Thomas Volz and Gabriel Molina-Terriza, Macquarie University
RESEARCHERS
Mathieu Juan, Carlo Bradac, Benjamin Besga
Hybrid High-Q Oscillators / Resonators
At the University of Western Australia, CI
Niobium and Quartz. Our investigations are
quantum measurement and the inclusion within
Michael Tobar leads a team seeking to
targeting systems with the potential for efficient
engineered quantum systems. Promising
engineer new high-Q mechanical and electrical
cooling to the quantum mechanical ground
results have been obtained, with the ex PhD
systems based on low-loss crystalline materials
state of motion.
student of Professor Galliou, Maxim Goryachev
and low temperature superconductors. Our
instrumental in this work as a postdoctoral
efforts are broadly classed as relating to (i)
High-Q Bulk Acoustic Wave (BAW) Resonators
researcher in the Centre, and transferring
quantum-limited cooling of mechanical systems
at the Quantum Limit (Flagship Program)
the basics of this technology to Australia for
for precision metrology and (ii) controlling
development within the Centre. The research
impurity spin states in high-Q microwave
In collaboration with the BAW device group
group is close to measuring such oscillators
resonators.
of Serge Galliou at FEMTO-ST Besancon,
at the quantum limit. Current and future work
France, we are investigating state-of-the-art
has expanded our collaborations with other
(i) We are investigating known high-Q acoustic
high-stability quartz oscillator technology,
laboratories who are expert in quantum devices,
and electrical materials such as Sapphire,
which we are modifying for applications for
such as John Clarke’s group at Berkeley, Ray
107
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Hybrid high-Q oscillators / resonators, cont.
Simmonds’ group at NIST Colorado and Arkady
Cavity,” Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 105, 153505
storage and material characterization was
Fedorov’s group at UQ.
2014.
achieved [11], and in rutile we observed new
[2] M Goryachev, WG Farr, S Galliou, ME Tobar,
hyperparametric effects, due to phonon induced
During 2014, we undertook the first experiments
“Jump chaotic behaviour of ultra low loss bulk
non-linearities in rutile [12]. A rutile resonator
at low temperatures to measure the Nyquist
acoustic wave cavities,” Appl. Phys. Lett., vol.
was developed to address nano-diamond
mode temperature at 4K of the high-Q
105, 063501, 2014.
transitions at 2.8 GHz [13].
modes, by implementing superconducting
[3] M Goryachev, ME Tobar, “Effects of
The new collaboration with Professor Pavel
SQUID technology [1]. Attempts at millikelvin
geometry on quantum fluctuations of phonon-
Bushev from Saarland University continued to
temperature were not successful due to the
trapping acoustic cavities,” New J. Phys., vol.
gain momentum with investigation of rare-
SQUID, which was available, not performing
16, 083007, 2014.
earth doped YSO crystals. (This project targets
properly below 1 K (optimized for 4K). To
[4] R Bara-Maillet, M Goryachev, D Creedon,
implementation of the microwave-to-optics
this end, we have initiated collaboration with
J-M Le Floch, ME Tobar, “Metal Bulk
interface for future quantum telecommunication
the laboratory of John Clarke in Berkeley
Foil Resistor Characterization for BAW
networks). YSO resonators were developed
to couple near quantum limited mk SQUID
Application at Low Cryogenic Temperatures”,
to address rare-earth spins using Whispering
technology with the goal to measure milligram
IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation &
gallery modes, with the discovery of strong
acoustic resonators at the quantum limit.
Measurement, vol. 63, no. 3, pp. 628-632,
coupling between new transitions not yet
Such resonators have been observed
2014.
measured [14], and a mm scale YSO crystal
to have abnormal jump behaviour at mK
[5] M Goryachev, ME Tobar, “Gravitational wave
was loaded within a sapphire ring cavity and
temperatures [2] and we aim to uncover this
detection with high frequency phonon trapping
obtained strong coupling interactions between
physics in the future years of the Centre. We
acoustic cavities,” Phys. Rev. D., vol. 90,
rare-earth spins and photons [15]. This work
have also understood the effects of geometry
102005, 2014.
succeeds in completing milestone 4. We
on near quantum-limited behaviour [3] and
[6] A Lo, P Haslinger, E Mizrachi, L Anderegg, H
are now setting up a microwave to optical
determined techniques for characterisation at
Müller, M Hohensee, M Goryachev, ME Tobar,
experiment based on these measurements.
low temperature [4]. Adaptation as sensors for
“Testing the isotropy of space using rotating
We have purchased a laser and will push
precision tests of fundamental physics have
quartz oscillators,” arXiv:1412.2142 [gr-qc]
forward with a project to exchange microwave
been made, for example searching for high
[7] UQ - UWA Bilateral Research Collaboration
and optical photon information through these
frequency gravitational waves [5] and precision
Award: UWA (Tobar) – UQ (Fedorov):
devices at the quantum limit. Funding has been
tests of Lorentz Invariance [6]. The former
Measuring and manipulating sound at the
obtained to exchange researchers between
has brought some media attention. For future
quantum limit. $17,000, 2014.
Saarland and UWA to further this project [16].
work we are investigating with Fedorov and
108
We have also furthered the development of the
Simmonds ways to couple superconducting
(ii) In 2014, we made further progress towards
re-entrant (or Klystron) cavity, which is a 3D
devices to perform quantum operations
our investigation of dilute paramagnetic
version of the split-ring resonator [17-21]. We
once we have the devices operating at the
systems in low loss crystals.
have coupled piezoelectric devices to make
quantum limit. The recent interest in this topic
Strong coupling between many different spin
them voltage tuneable and developed the
is demonstrated by UWA node members
systems and photon modes in crystalline
multi-post version to enable the magnetic field
delivering presentations at major international
solids have been obtained. This includes
to be focussed into sub-millimetre samples at
conferences on quantum science and precision
Fe3+ in sapphire, where strong coupling was
frequencies, which can vary between 1 GHz
measurement. Travel money to collaborate with
observed between the bosonic and the spin
to 20 GHz [19-21]. This technology has been
the UQ CI Fedorov on this topic is ongoing [7].
properties of a photon, mediated by the Fe3+
protected with a patent [20]. The ultra-strong
Next year, we also have plans to investigate
paramagnetic ion[8]. Furthermore, we observed
coupling regime was achieved with magnons in
the possibility of optical read-out based on an
the non-reciprocal effect of time-reversal
a YIG sphere [19].
infrared Fabry-Perot cavity in the spirit of the
symmetry breaking due to angular momentum
In December 2014, the PhD student Warrick
state-of-the-art optomechanical systems.
conservation between the Fe3+ spin in direct
Farr submitted his PhD thesis based on some
interaction with the photon [9]. Strong coupling
of this work.
[1] M Goryachev, EN Ivanov, F van Kann,
was observed also in high concentration
[8] M Goryachev, WG Farr, DL Creedon, ME
S Galliou, ME Tobar, “Observation of the
Cr3+ doped sample (ruby) between different
Tobar, “Controlling a whispering-gallery-doublet-
Fundamental Nyquist Noise Limit in an Ultra-
photonics modes via the spin ensemble [10].
mode avoided frequency crossing: Strong
High Q-Factor Cryogenic Bulk Acoustic Wave
Different dielectric techniques for high-Q photon
coupling between photon bosonic and spin
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
Hybrid high-Q oscillators / resonators, cont.
degrees of freedom,” Phys. Rev. A, vol. 89,
$15,000.
Unlike nano-scale devices, to read out large
013810, 2014.
[17] Y Fan, Z Zhang, NC Carvalho, JM le
gram scale acoustic oscillators at the quantum
[9] M Goryachev, WG Farr, DL Creedon, ME
Floch, Q Shan, ME Tobar, “Investigation of
limit, the lowest noise oscillators and readouts
Tobar, “Spin-Photon Interaction in a Cavity with
higher order reentrant modes of a cylindrical
have to be developed. This is because the
Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking,” Phys. Rev.
Reentrant-Ring cavity resonator,” IEEE Trans.
signals are in general orders of magnitude
B, vol. 89, 224407, 2014.
on Microwave Theory and Techniques, vol. 62,
smaller. We have two PhD students working
[10] WG Farr, M Goryachev, DL Creedon, ME
no. 8, pp. 1657-1662, 2014.
on this project (R Bara-Maillet and J Bourhill).
Tobar, “Strong coupling between whispering
[18] NC Carvalho, Y Fan, J-M Le Floch, and ME
Bara-Maillet continues to study low noise
gallery modes and chromium ions in ruby,”
Tobar, “Piezoelectric Voltage Coupled Reentrant
microwave readout systems [22], with the
Phys. Rev. B, vol. 90, 054409, 2014.
Cavity Resonator,” Rev Sci. Instrum., vol. 85,
end goal to create a multi-purpose low noise
[11] J-M Le Floch, Y Fan, G Humbert,
104705, 2014.
tuneable and controllable oscillator to excite
Q Shan, D Férachou, R Bara-Maillet, M
[19] M Goryachev, WG Farr, DL Creedon, Y
parametric transducers at the quantum limit.
Aubourg, JG Hartnett, V Madrangeas, D Cros,
Fan, M Kostylev, ME Tobar, “High cooperativity
J-M Blondy, J Krupka, ME Tobar, “Invited
cavity QED with Magnons at Microwave
Bourhill has achieved kg scale interactions of
Article: Dielectric material characterization
Frequencies,” Phys. Rev. Applied, vol. 2,
acoustic modes with whispering gallery modes
techniques and designs of high-Q resonators
054002, 2014.
in one sapphire single crystal, with the goal to
for applications from micro to millimeter-waves
[20] M Goryachev, ME Tobar, Microwave
hybridize the acoustic and phonon resonances.
frequencies applicable at room and cryogenic
frequency magnetic field manipulation systems
High-Q parametric interactions have been
temperatures,” Rev. Sci. Instrum., vol. 85,
and methods and associated application
achieved in a room temperature device, and at
031301, 2014.
instruments, apparatus and system, Patent:
mK temperatures we have the long term goal of
[12] NR Nand, M Goryachev, J-M le Floch, DL
AU2014903143, 12 August, 2014.
reading out acoustic oscillations in the ground
Creedon, ME Tobar, “Hyperparametric effects
[21] M Goryachev, ME Tobar, The 3D Split-
state. A paper is in preparation.
in a whispering-gallery mode rutile dielectric
Ring Cavity Lattice: A New Metastructure for
resonator at liquid helium temperatures,”
Engineering Arrays of Coupled Microwave
[22] EN Ivanov, SR Parker, R Bara-Maillet,
Journal of Applied Physics, vol. 116, 134105,
Harmonic Oscillators, arXiv:1408.3228 [physics.
ME Tobar, “Noise properties of cryogenic
2014.
ins-det]
microwave amplifiers and relevance to oscillator
[13] J-M Le Floch, C Bradac, N Nand, S
frequency stabilization,” IEEE Transactions
Castelletto, ME Tobar, T Volz, “Addressing a
To engineer the necessary tools for quantum-
on Ultrasonics, Ferroelectrics, and Frequency
single NV- spin with a macroscopic dielectric
limited measurements, including the lowest
Control, vol. 61, no. 4, pp. 575-581, 2014.
microwave cavity,” Appl. Phys. Lett., vol. 105,
noise microwave and millimetre wave
133101, 2014.
oscillators, amplifiers and other devices for
[14] M Goryachev, WG Farr, NC Carvalho,
reading out extremely small transducer signals.
DL Creedon, J-M Le Floch, S Probst, P
Bushev, ME Tobar, “Strong Coupling Between
Whispering Gallery Photons and Spin States
of Iron Group Impurity Ions,” arXiv:1410.6578
[cond-mat.mes-hall]
[15] S Probst, A Tkalcec, H Rotzinger, D Rieger,
J-M Le Floch, M Goryachev, ME Tobar, AV
Ustinov, PA Bushev, “Three-dimensional cavity
quantum electrodynamics with a rare-earth spin
ensemble,” Phys. Rev. B, vol. 90, 100404 (R),
2014.
[16] ME Tobar, P Bushev, A Peters, “Linking
optical and microwave frequencies with
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Michael Tobar, The University of Western Australia
RESEARCHERS
Maxim Goryachev, Daniel Creedon, Jean-Michel Le Floch, Yahoui Fan
COLLABORATORS
Serge Galliou (FEMTO-ST), John Clarke (Berkeley), Arkady Fedorov (UQ),
Thomas Volz (Macquarie), Ray Simmonds (NIST), Pavel Bushev (Saarland
University)
application to precision and quantum limited
information transfer and fundamental tests’”
UWA Research Collaboration Award, 2015,
109
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Testing quantum contextuality with
superconducting circuits
In classical realism, physical reality is non-
by measuring quantum coherence between
contextual and should not depend on the
different levels of the qutrit, a prerequisite for
measurement arrangement. This intuitive
testing of contextuality.
property is violated if one adopts quantum
In the next step, we are going to use this
description. As has been proven by Kochen–
property and our capabilities for quantum
Specker (KS) theorem in 1967, it is possible
manipulation of the state of the qutrit for
to find a series of compatible measurements
measurement of correlation for different pairs of
whose outcomes cannot be explained by
observables in order to violate Kochen–Specker
any non-contextual hidden variable theories.
inequality.
Along with non-locality of quantum mechanics,
quantum contextuality attracted substantial
attention from theory and more recently from
experiment.
The KS inequalities for two-level systems
(qubits) have been demonstrated with a number
of physical realizations. More recently the
experiments have also demonstrated the KS
inequalities for a three-level system (qutrit)
which is the most fundamental system to test
quantum contextuality. Another recent result
established a link between contextuality and
quantum speed-up within fault-tolerant quantum
computation based on surface codes. Thus,
besides the fundamental importance, testing
quantum contextuality for a particular physical
platform provides an important step on the way
to realization surface codes.
Superconducting qubits are one of the leading
platforms for quantum computation. The three
lowest energy states of a superconducting
Figure 1: Testing quantum contextuality with superconducting circuits (a) 3D microwave
cavity with transmon qubits on a chip. (a-b) Ramsey fringes measured for transitions between
the ground and the first excited states and between the first and the second excited
states of a superconducting qutrit, respectively. (d-e) Similar to (a-b) but with simultaneous
microwave radiation passing the cavity. While coherence of the first transition decays due
to collapse of the wave function by a projective measurement the coherence between the
first and the second excited states stay intact. (f) Quantum protocol for the measurement
of correlations for two observables which is in the heart of contextuality test. Blue and red
microwave pulses represent quantum state rotations defining the observables. Red pulses
correspond to driving the transition between the ground and the first excited states while
the blue ones correspond to driving between the first and the second excited states. Green
curve stands for microwave measurement tone realizing projective measurement into the
ground state.
artificial atom constitute the most logical
realization of a qutrit: a system with almost
equidistant energy levels. However, due to
the latter property, realization of a projective
measurement on a particular state without
disrupting quantum coherence in two other
states poses a substantial challenge to test KS
inequality with superconducting qutrits. Using
3D superconducting qutrit of the transmon
type incorporated into microwave cavity we
engineered the dispersive shifts of the cavity,
frequency for the first and second excited
states to be identical. As a result, an observer
cannot distinguish between these two states by
measuring transmission of microwave radiation
through the cavity. We experimentally tested
that our scheme realizes the strong projective
110
measurement on the ground state of a qutrit
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Arkady Fedorov, The University of Queensland
RESEARCHERS
Pascal Macha, Markus Jerger, Yarema Reshitnyk
COLLABORATOR
Nathan Langford
Theory of quantum measurement and
control in semiconductor qubits
Together with the team of Amir Yacoby at
Harvard, we are investigating how electrons
in a semiconductor chip can be used to store
and process quantum information. These spins
have the potential for very long coherence times
relative to gate operation times, but experience
a noisy environment from the atomic nuclei
of all the surrounding semiconductor atoms.
Left on their own, these nuclei will destroy the
quantum nature of the electron very quickly, in
a few billionths of a second.
We have invented
a new technique where we use the electron to
monitor its environment, very quickly learn the
effect of all of these nuclei, and then use this
information to compensate for its effect. Our
technique performs hundreds of measurements
in a few millionths of a second and then uses
this information in real time to compensate.
(This is where most of the scientific innovations
came in. We needed to invent a very fast
learning algorithm that could work with very
few samples, and the Harvard team developed
the ultrafast electronics that could process this
information ‘on the fly’.)
Using this technique,
we show that the ‘lifetime’ of the qubit is
extended by a thousand-fold, to about 2us.
This is long enough to do 100s or even 1000s
of quantum gate operations on the spins before
it needs to be refreshed. For comparison, this
technique allows the quantum information to
persist for about as long as the bits in some of
the commonplace memory chips (‘RAM’) used
in our desktop computers today.
This research was published in 2014 in the
journal Nature Communications.
CHIEF INVESTIGATORS
Andrew Doherty, Stephen Bartlett, The University of Sydney
COLLABORATOR
Amir Yacoby, Harvard University
111
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Controlling electron spin in semiconductor
quantum devices
Single electrons individually trapped and
manipulated in semiconductors are one of
the most promising avenues for engineered
quantum systems. This project investigates the
ways in which the magnetic moment, or spin,
of these electrons can be controlled, either
electrically or through applying microwaves,
and how acoustic vibrations, or phonons, affect
this control. These results highlight the role of
the phononic environment in understanding the
driven dynamics of coherent quantum systems
and provide a path for transducing quantum
information between photons, phonons, spins
and charge.
CHIEF INVESTIGATORS
David Reilly, Andrew Doherty, The University of Sydney; Tom Stace, The
University of Queensland
RESEARCHERS
James Colless, Xanthe Croot, Matthew Wardrop
The work is a strong collaboration between
theorists CI Tom Stace (UQ) and CI Andrew
Doherty (Sydney) and the experimental team of
CI Reilly’s laboratory (Sydney).
In 2014, we published a paper in the journal
Nature Communications which showed that
Raman processes involving both microwaves
and phonons can prepare very highly excited
states of electrons trapped in one of two
quantum dots.
We also published a detailed theoretical study
of a proposal for coherently coupling electrons
in such quantum dot systems using electrical
control and the so-called exchange interaction.
This work showed that even when considering
all relevant experimental noise processes, very
high fidelity processes should be possible in
future experiments.
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ANNUAL REPORT 2014
COLLABORATORS
Sean Barrett (deceased), Jing Lu, Arthur Gossard
Nanoparticles for sensing and bioimaging
Use quantum mechanical coherence to
produce enhanced sensing technologies
with unrivaled performance
The group at Macquarie University has
already demonstrated a method that can be
used to accurately determine the position of
nanoparticles. This will increase the sensitivity
on the detection and imaging of nanoparticles
such as the ones being developed at Sydney
University. This method is based on exploiting
the geometrical properties of such systems and
the interactions of light and the nanoparticles.
In collaboration with CI Brennen, we have
extended this kind of measurement into a more
general framework, which could be used for
general metrology systems and to quantum
measurements.
As an extension of this project, the group led
by CI Molina-Terriza has modified the position
sensing technique to detect the presence of the
bonding of a single molecule to a nanostructure.
We are using functionalized gold nanospheres
which are capable to adsorb selected kinds of
biomolecules. The sensitivity of our measuring
system is such that we expect to be able to
detect the adhesion of a single biomolecule to
the nano-sphere, as shown in the figure.
This kind of capability will wave applications in
early diagnosis of diseases, where the detection
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Gabriel Molina-Terriza, Macquarie University
of a minute number of given molecules is
essential. At the same time, this will allow us
to progress in the direction of controlling the
quantum properties of single fluorophores and
their coupling to plasmonic structures.
More recently, in a collaboration with Professor
Zeilinger at the University of Vienna, we have
RESEARCHERS
Mathieu L. Juan, N. Tischler
COLLABORATOR
A. Zeilinger
started to investigate the possibility of using
quantum light to enhance the measurement
of the optical activity of biomolecules. This
technique is important in biochemistry to
distinguish certain molecules which have
the same atomic components, but a different
molecular structure.
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ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Single photon optomechanics
An integrated quantum photonic sensor.
Photonic-crystal-based integrated optical
systems have been used for a broad range of
sensing applications with great success. This
has been motivated by several advantages
such as high sensitivity, miniaturization,
remote sensing, selectivity and stability. Many
photonic crystal sensors have been proposed
with various fabrication designs that result in
improved optical properties. We developed
a proposal for a novel multi-purpose sensor
architecture that can be used for force,
refractive index and possibly local temperature
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Gerard Milburn, The University of Queensland
detection. In this scheme, two coupled cavities
behave as an effective beam splitter. The
sensor works based on fourth order interference
RESEARCHERS
Sahar Basiri Esfahani, Casey Myers
--- the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect --- a uniquely
quantum phenomenon.
The scheme requires a sequence of single
photon pulses and consequently has low
pulse power. Changes in the parameter to be
measured induce variations in the effective
beam splitter reflectivity and result in changes
to the visibility of interference. We demonstrate
this generic scheme in coupled L3 photonic
crystal cavities as an example and find that
this system, which only relies on photon
coincidence detection and does not need any
spectral resolution, can estimate forces as small
as10-7 Newtons and can measure one part per
million change in refractive index using a very
low input power of 10-10 W.
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ANNUAL REPORT 2014
COLLABORATORS
Josh Combes, Ardalan Armin
Quantum phase transitions and simulation
Over the past decade, ultracold atom
simultaneous MOT of 87Rb and 41K, making
system.
experiments have demonstrated a high degree
the experiment officially dual-species.
Additionally, the build-up phase of the
of precision and control over a number of
•
experiment resulted in a technical publication:
system parameters, such as confinement
up to 1 x 109 atoms to the science cell of our
“Note: High turn density magnetic coils with
geometries, system dimension, and engineering
experiment.
improved low pressure water cooling for use
a range of different interparticle interactions.
•
in atom optics”, Nicholas McKay-Parry, Mark
Recently, the state of the art has been to
initial cooling en-route to a BEC.
Baker, Tyler Neely, Thomas Carey, Thomas
achieve single atom imaging resolution in a
A substantial amount of work has additionally
Bell, Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop, Review of
single component degenerate gas held in an
focussed on producing novel optical potentials
Scientific Instruments, 85 086103, August 2014.
optical lattice. This impressive technology
for our optical trapping requirements. High-
Personnel
has enabled a number of experimental
resolution production and imaging of optical
We have attracted three new PhD students to
demonstrations of quantum simulations/
potentials has now been introduced into our
the laboratory this year. These include Jake
emulations using ultracold atoms.
system. In summary:
Glidden and Guillaume Gauthier. The group
•
We have embarked on a similar route in
the Atom Optics Laboratory, but with an
additional innovation: we are developing an
•
Magnetic trapping and transfer of
Microwave evaporation of atoms for
Implemented a digital micro-mirror
has also retained undergraduate research
device (DMD) on the system, along with
assistants Isaac Lenton and Thomas Carey.
associated laser and optics.
Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Tyler Neely is
Developed and implemented a custom
also continuing.
experiment with similar imaging capability,
microscope imaging and re-imaging
but for a two-species bosonic quantum gas,
system.
consisting of 87Rb and 41K. With their large
•
symmetry groups, such multicomponent gases
exhibit a wide range of phases and non-trivial
dynamics. In particular, these two species can
Demonstrated sub-micron resolution in the
imaging and re-imaging system, in nice
•
agreement with expectations.
Developed an optical design for the
be experimentally driven far from equilibrium by
holographic production of TEM01 sheet
utilising a magnetic resonance.
beams for vertical confinement of the
atoms, to be implemented early 2015.
Two-species Bose-Einstein Condensate
Experiment
Significantly, the demonstrated resolution
By the end of 2013, a large portion of the
implies that we should be able to produce
experimental infrastructure, including cooling
images with resolution down to the “healing-
laser systems, ultra-high vacuum chamber,
length,” the smallest relevant length-scale in our
and electronic control were implemented.
This set the stage for pursuing laser
cooling and trapping of atoms in 2014 and
culminated with our achievement of an 87Rb
Figure 1. (a) Schematic of the 3D MOT optics set up showing
four of the six cooling beams, the 87Rb repump and imaging
path. (b) Fluorescence image of an 87Rb cloud and (c)
fluorescence image of a 41K cloud.
BEC in November 2014. This represents a
formidable achievement, and arriving at it
within two years of the initial build-up start
date (late January 2013) is well within, if not
exceeding expectations, based on international
experience. Briefly, experimental achievements
are noted:
•
Achieved a BEC of 87Rb, with 1.2 X
105 atoms in a hybrid optical and magnetic trap.
•
Achieved an 87Rb MOT, with up to
2 x 109 atoms collected in approximately 10
seconds.
•
Achieved a 41K MOT, and
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop, The University of Queensland
RESEARCHERS
Tyler Neely, Nicholas McKay-Parry, Isaac Lenton, Thomas Bell, Jake Glidden, Thomas Carey, James Bennett, Lars Madsen, Mark Baker
COLLABORATORS
Matthew Davis, Stuart Szigeti, Simon Haine, Michael Bromley, Warwick
Bowen
ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
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Quantum simulations and boson sampling
A surprising question that remains open
permanents. This work provides very general
is where does the advantage in quantum
results for the operation of linear optics
algorithms actually come from? That is, where
interferometers in the presence of partially
can we expect that using a quantum device will
distinguishable photons. Publication to appear
be more efficient than using a classical device.
in 2015.
One avenue to tackling this question is to
study the simplest controlled quantum systems
We presented an architecture for arbitrarily
that can lead quickly to a device that cannot
scalable Boson Sampling using two nested fiber
be simulated with classical resources. Boson
loops, and which employs time-bin encoding.
Sampling is one such architecture, and is one
This architecture has fixed experimental
particularly well suited to implementation in
complexity, irrespective of the size of the
photonic systems.
desired interferometer, and its scale is limited
only by fiber and switch loss rates, making
Extensions to other states of light. The
its implementation much more desirable
original proposal for Boson Sampling used
[K.R. Motes, A. Gilchrist, J.P. Dowling, and
single photons as input, passive linear optical
P.P. Rohde, “Scalable Boson Sampling with
elements and single photon detection. We
Time-Bin Encoding Using a Loop-Based
have investigated other states of light that
Architecture,” Phys. Rev. Lett. 113(12), (2014)].
Figure 1 Wigner function of PACS state
can be used and that retain the classically
hard to simulate characteristic. We have
Rhode has also shown the same architecture
shown a direct mapping between the original
can be modified to implement full, universal
problem and using photon-added or photon-
linear-optics quantum computing. Publication
subtracted squeezed vacuum states and parity
to appear in 2015.
measurements to replace single photons and
photodetectors; that other quantum states
differing from the Fock states by a displacement
operation can be in the same complexity class
as Boson Sampling, or can interpolate from
being a classically simulatable to a problem
Figure 2 Fibre loop-based architecture.
that is just as hard as original Boson Sampling.
We have also presented evidence that a
broad class of quantum states consisting of
superpositions of coherent states (colloquially
known as a Schrodinger cat states) yield a
sampling problem that is also computationally
hard. Publications to appear in 2015.
Towards experimental implementation. In
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Alexei Gilchrist, Macquarie University
RESEARCHERS
Maxim Goryachev, Daniel Creedon, Jean-Michel Le Floch, Yahoui Fan
practice, it is difficult to generate single photon
states that are totally indistinguishable and
in general the states produced can have a
rich spectral structure that will modify the
interference properties, and potentially change
the simulation complexity of schemes like
Boson Sampling. Rohde considered the
operation of Boson Sampling with photons
of arbitrary spectral structure and related the
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sampling statistics of the device to matrix
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
COLLABORATORS
Jonathan Dowling, Joseph Fitzsimons, William J. Munro
Programmable quantum simulation
Our primary focus in this project for 2014
has been on the development of advanced
hardware systems which will provide unique
capabilities in quantum simulation. A major
area for development this year has been the
construction of a new high-optical-access
Penning ion trap for quantum simulation
experiments with two-dimensional ion crystals.
Postdoctoral researcher Karsten Pyka and PhD
student Harrison Ball have led this hardware
development, producing an exciting and
technically complex system which will provide
the ability to trap, manipulate, and measure up
to approximately 1000 trapped ions in regular
triangular lattices. The system has been
specifically designed to permit the integration
of high-power Raman laser systems at angles
sufficient to generate long-range, high-fidelity
entanglement.
In addition to the trap system a major
engineering challenge related to the
development of a speciality magnet system
required to provide the confining potential for
the Penning trap. We have designed and
developed with commercial vendor Cryomech
a custom recondensing system capable of
Custom-designed cryomechanical cooler for near-zero-loss ultrahigh homogeneity magnet.
converting our standard magnet into a nearzero-loss system. This unique capability
provides for ultra-low cryogen consumption
while also permitting the system to function
with the compressor turned off. This is a key
requirement, as vibrations induced by the
cryocooler cause fluctuations in the magnetic
field which can result in qubit decoherence.
CHIEF INVESTIGATOR
Michael Biercuk, The University of Sydney
RESEARCHERS
Harrison Ball, Claire Edmunds, Sam Henderson, Terry McRae, Alistair
Milne, Karsten Pyka
COLLABORATOR
John Bollinger
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ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
Quantum matter
The Synthetic Quantum Systems program aims
MBQC. Transitions in computational power,
Processing (QIP 2014). Dr Flammia has
to address the key fundamental theoretical
similar to percolation phase transitions, can be
also made a significant breakthrough in the
questions: how can we create and harness
observed when Hamiltonians are deformed in
design of new codes, in research posted to the
quantum matter to process information in
this way. Improving the fidelity of the ground
preprint server arXiv.org together with David
new ways, and what new principles can we
state comes at the cost of a shrinking gap.
Bacon and Aram Harrow. This work presents a
learn from a classification of this matter?
While analytically proving gap properties for
general method for turning quantum circuits into
We theoretically construct and explore new
these types of models is difficult in general, we
sparse quantum subsystem codes, which have
phases of strongly-coupled quantum many-
provide a detailed analysis of the deformation of
properties that are now the best known. With
body systems that exhibit powerful exotic
a spin-1 AKLT state to a linear graph state. This
realistic theoretical proposals for topological
properties such as topological order, and direct
research was published in the New Journal of
quantum memories, we are one step closer
these properties towards applications such as
Physics.
to the realization of Schroedinger’s cat in the
quantum memories and processors.
Engineering new quantum many-body systems
laboratory.
CI Bartlett and PhD student Andrew Darmawan
that possess different types of topological
have completed an investigation of how ground
order is a key theoretical Grand Challenge in
states of realistic quantum many-body systems
EQuS, and also connects closely with another
can allow for quantum information to be
Grand Challenge: preserving quantum states
processed. The framework of measurement-
against decoherence indefinitely. That’s
based quantum computation (MBQC) allows us
because topologically ordered systems can
to view the ground states of local Hamiltonians
serve as robust quantum memories, protected
as potential resources for universal quantum
from any noise that acts locally on the system.
computation. A central goal in this field is to find
EQuS researcher and new faculty member
models with ground states that are universal for
Dr Steven Flammia, together with EQuS PhD
MBQC and that are also natural in the sense
students Courtney Brell and Simon Burton,
that they involve only two-body interactions and
have been collaborating with researchers at
have a small local Hilbert space dimension.
Université de Sherbrooke, Canada, to develop
Graph states are the original resource states
efficient decoding schemes for a broad class
for MBQC, and while it is not possible to obtain
of topological models that go beyond the
graph states as exact ground states of two-
‘stabilizer’ codes such as the toric code: a
body Hamiltonians here we construct two-body
first in the field. A preprint on this result,
frustration-free Hamiltonians that have arbitrarily
entitled ‘Thermalization, Error-Correction, and
good approximations of graph states as unique
Memory Lifetime for Ising Anyon Systems,’
ground states. The construction involves taking
was published in the premiere journal Physical
a two-body frustration-free model that has a
Review X, and the results presented at the
ground state convertible to a graph state with
international conference Quantum Information
stochastic local operations, then deforming the
model such that its ground state is close to a
graph state. Each graph state qubit resides in
a subspace of a higher dimensional particle.
This deformation can be applied to two-body
frustration-free Affleck-Kennedy-Lieb-Tasaki
(AKLT) models, yielding Hamiltonians that are
exactly solvable with exact tensor network
expressions for ground states. For the starlattice AKLT model, the ground state of which
CHIEF INVESTIGATORS
Stephen Bartlett, Andrew Doherty and Steve Flammia, The University of
Sydney
RESEARCHERS
Dominic Williamson, Courtney Brell, Andrew Darmawan, Simon Burton,
Jacob Bridgeman
is not expected to be a universal resource for
MBQC, applying such a deformation appears to
enhance the computational power of the ground
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state, promoting it to a universal resource for
ANNUAL REPORT 2014
COLLABORATOR
David Poulin (University of Sherbrooke), David Bacon (Google), Aram
Harrow (MIT)
Quantum chemistry with quantum simulators
One of the most anticipated applications of
quantum simulations is to increase the accuracy
of calculations in quantum chemistry. For
example, the energy of metastable transition
states of even rather small molecules can be
critical to understanding industrially significant
chemical reactions that involve catalysts.
The highest accuracy simulations performed
currently to estimate such energies are termed
full configuration interaction simulations and if
they could be performed on systems involving
as few as one hundred orbitals this would
already be an enormous advance. This work, in
collaboration with researchers at the University
of Sherbrooke and Microsoft Research, aims
to investigate the usefulness of digital quantum
simulators for performing full configuration
interaction simulations, as compared to
classical devices.
CHIEF INVESTIGATORS
David Reilly, Andrew Doherty, The University of Sydney
COLLABORATORS
David Poulin (University of Sherbrooke), Matthew Hastings (Microsoft)
Recent work by the Microsoft group has
shown that, while such computations can be
performed on small systems, the calculations
could take an unfeasibly long time even on very
idealised devices. This has prompted a lot of
new work to study alternative approaches to
performing such computations, and to better
analyse the approximations involved so as to
reduce current estimates of the time required.
In major progress this year, we reduced the
time required for a calculation involving around
100 orbitals by several orders of magnitude to
the point that it may be possible to implement
on near future machines. This was achieved by
improving our understanding of errors in these
simulations and showing that they will be much
smaller than previously thought, and also by
improving the design of the algorithm. This work
will appear in the journal Quantum Information
and Computation in the April 2015 issue.
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ARC CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE FOR ENGINEERED QUANTUM SYSTEMS
CONTACT EQuS
ARC COE for Engineered Quantum Systems
School of Mathematics & Physics
The University of Queensland
Brisbane QLD 4072
TELEPHONE +61 (07) 7 3346 6495
EMAIL equs.admin@uq.edu.au
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