A laboratory at the University of Sydney has been awarded a multimillion dollar grant to pursue quantum computing research by the US office of the Director of National Intelligence.
The Quantum Control Laboratory in the university's new Nanoscience Hub is the only facility in Australia chosen for the US funding, which has gone to an international consortium, including European research groups. The undisclosed grant forms part of the LogiQ program run by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity, known by its acronym IARPA.
IARPA's program aims to deliver a "logical quantum bit based on trapped ions". Quantum bits, or qubits, are the building blocks for quantum computing, which promises to revolutionise humanity's computing power.
"A logical qubit is considered a holy grail in quantum information," said Associate Professor Michael Biercuk, who runs the Quantum Control Laboratory.
Qubits use the very unusual behaviour of matter at the nanoscale in order to increase the computational power of computers.
However, the quantum states in which they operate are very fragile.
"There remain enormous challenges bringing any quantum computing technology to reality," Associate Professor Biercuk said. "However, trapped ions have demonstrated the potential to become building blocks essential for this effort."
An ion is an atom with one or more electron stripped from its outer shell, making it positively charged. This charge allows scientists to trap the ion in very stable and controlled environments down to the level of individual atoms or strings of atoms.
"The concept underlying this program is that delicate quantum states can be preserved indefinitely and put to work performing useful computational tasks," Associate Professor Biercuk said.
Combined with quantum research at the University of NSW, the Sydney basin is emerging as a global hub of quantum science. Through its National Innovation and Science Agenda initiative, the federal government has granted $26 million to the quantum computing labs at UNSW, which is investigating the feasibility of phosphorus qubits in a silicon environment.
The University of Sydney is looking at a variety of materials with which to develop quantum computing, from trapped-ion systems to gallium-arsenide and silicon-germanium.
"We're excited to be participating in this international project and are grateful for the substantial and continued support from the US government," Associate Professor Biercuk said. "There is extraordinary strength in advanced quantum technology right here in Sydney, and we hope that the opportunity this activity presents will fuel future innovation in Australia."
The grant builds on a long history of collaboration between US intelligence agencies and the University of Sydney's quantum science group, which is pursuing fundamental and applied research into the exotic phenomena of matter at the nanoscale.
Intelligence funding
Talking to the Herald, Associate Professor Biercuk said that the IARPA funding is untied and forms part of the organisation's "open research" programs. Unlike Australia, where most government funding comes through the Australian Research Council he said that there were a diversity of funding programs in the US, many from the military or intelligence organisations.
"These programs are not about building weapons but for supporting applied science research," he said.
He said there were no security clearances required for this funding or research. "They are just expecting us to do the research and publish our results," Associate Professor Biercuk said.
The US office of the Director of National Intelligence has a direct interest in the successful development of quantum computing because of its potential to fundamentally alter cryptography.
Stable and useful quantum computing will be able to develop unbreakable codes and also quickly break the most secure of existing encrypted systems.
Professor James Der Derian is the director of the University of Sydney's centre for international security studies. He told the Herald that powerful technology always has a dual use.
"Quantum tech can be used to break codes but can also be used to help maintain anonymity," he said.
Professor Der Derian said: "Quantum tech is not containable, no matter what these agencies want." He also said that it was important to remember the US intelligence and military are not monoliths. "Without them we wouldn't have computers, television or the internet," he said.
Associate Professor Jake Lynch is the director of the University of Sydney's centre for peace and conflict studies. He said: "There is nothing intrinsically wrong with this type of research. It's further down the line when it is applied that questions emerge.
"There are clearly privacy concerns connected to how the US intelligence services operate given the revelations by Edward Snowden."
