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QScale: Modular Quantum Computer Scaling

Illustration of a series of lenses connected by wires into a motherboard

Scaling quantum computers to useful dimensions will likely require a modular approach, where subsystem quantum computer modules are “wired” together. This is natural in optically-active qubits such as trapped atomic ions.

We have an active research program on interfacing atomic qubits to photonic qubits. These single photons allow the remote entanglement between the atomic qubits, and by using photonic switching and detection technology, this forms the backbone for an indefinitely-scalable quantum computer network.

Recent News

Iman Marvian, Jungsang Kim and Kenneth Brown in Kim's lab in The Chesterfield building in downtown Durham

‘More Possibilities Than There Are Particles in the Universe’

Jungsang Kim was a bit of an anomaly at Duke when he joined the faculty in 2004. Fresh out of the telecommunications industry, and with a PhD in physics from Stanford, Kim soon filled his new Duke lab in electrical and computer engineering with delicate, complex constructions marrying physics and engineering: reconfigurable optical systems whose… Read More »‘More Possibilities Than There Are Particles in the Universe’

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Chris Monroe headshot in black and white on a blue background

Chris Monroe: Realizing Ion-Trap Quantum Computers to Solve Unsolvable Problems

An international leader in quantum computing, architect of the U.S. National Quantum Initiative, and member of the National Academy of Sciences, Chris Monroe will join longtime long-distance collaborators at Duke to build practical quantum computers for use in fields from finance to pharmaceuticals. Chris Monroe, one of the world’s leading experts in trapping atoms and… Read More »Chris Monroe: Realizing Ion-Trap Quantum Computers to Solve Unsolvable Problems

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A closeup view of a surface ion trap used in the quantum computing technology being pursued by Duke researchers

Duke Joins Peers on New National Quantum Initiative Advisory Committee

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Marko Cetina posing in a lab

Marko Cetina: Building Quantum Machines to Understand Physical Processes

In July 2021, Marko Cetina will join Duke University’s Department of Physics as an Assistant Professor. An atomic, molecular and optical physicist, Cetina has used his wide-ranging research in light, lasers and atoms to both explore the basic physics of quantum phenomena and support the development of improved technology necessary for today’s leading quantum machines.… Read More »Marko Cetina: Building Quantum Machines to Understand Physical Processes

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Close up photo of a surface ion trap

Quantum Systems Accelerator (QSA)

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Software Tailored Architectures for Quantum CoDesign (STAQ)

Researchers from Duke University will lead a seven-university, $15 million collaboration with the audacious goal of building the world’s first practical quantum computer. Dubbed the Software-Tailored Architecture for Quantum co-design (STAQ) project, the effort seeks to demonstrate a quantum advantage over traditional computers within five years using ion trap technology. The project is the result… Read More »Software Tailored Architectures for Quantum CoDesign (STAQ)

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Photo of the EURIQA quantum computer

Extensible Universal Reconfigurable Ion trap Quantum Archtype (EURIQA)

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