Quantum Institute opens Wednesday at Laboratory

After years of working in discrete spaces across the Laboratory, Los Alamos quantum information, science, and technology researchers now have a new quantum space — the Quantum Institute Briefing Center. Developed under the auspices of the Los Alamos Quantum Institute, the new space is the result of a wider effort by Los Alamos quantum researchers from several Laboratory divisions to explore their mutual interest in a common space.

The Quantum Institute is hosting an open house for the Quantum Institute Briefing Center at 10 a.m., Wednesday, in Room N101 of the Physics Building at Technical Area 3 — the space once occupied by the Physics Library. A ribbon cutting ceremony will begin at 10:15 a.m. with Laboratory Director John Browne, Bill Press, deputy Laboratory director for science and technology, and Tom Meyer, associate Laboratory director for strategic research, offering comments.

All employees are invited to attend, but space is limited.

The Quantum Institute was created in 2001 out of a desire to unite the different, and sometimes competing, groups of quantum researchers at the Laboratory. Quantum research at Los Alamos has grown from a $400,000 start in 1996 to an $11 million effort in 2002. The Laboratory currently accounts for more than 10 percent of the nation's total quantum research funding dollars in such areas as quantum computing, quantum information theory and quantum cryptography.

According to Judith Bannon Snow, chair of the Quantum Institute's Steering Committee, quantum research is a potential growth area for the Laboratory, particularly in the fields of atomic and molecular optics and condensed matter physics. Members of the Quantum Institute Steering Committee are Richard Hughes, Manny Knill, Toni Taylor, Dave Vieira, Wojciech Zurek, Pam French and Snow. In many areas of quantum research, such as quantum information theory and quantum cryptography, Los Alamos is leading the nation and the world.

Under the sponsorship of Press and Meyer, the Quantum Steering Committee has led the Quantum Institute. This year the group has engaged in strategic planning, managed the refurbishing of new laboratory, office and meeting spaces in the Physics Building, and coincided the publication and release of a new issue of "Los Alamos Science – Information, Science, and Technology in a Quantum World."

The Quantum Institute recently sponsored a Laboratorywide two-day workshop on quantum information, science and technology in the Briefing Center. The purpose of the workshop was to develop a coordinated framework for quantum information, science and technology research at the Laboratory. This framework will enable the Laboratory to promote quantum research and development more effectively and cohesively to both internal and external customers, as well as plant the seeds for future Laboratorywide collaborations. Twenty-five presenters engaged more than 40 participants with overviews of current quantum research, along with plans and ideas for future research, and how each could contribute to the Quantum Institute.

-- Todd Hanson

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