Researchers found a way to eliminate unwanted signals in microwaves by partnering them with magnons.
Quantum information provides new ways in which scientists can process and manipulate information for sensing, data transfer, and computing.
Researchers believe that microwaves will play an important role in quantum information science because their properties enable them to provide desired quantum functionality at temperatures near to absolute zero. This is necessary because heat creates errors in quantum operations. However, microwaves are susceptible to noise.
The research team from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana (UIUC) will explore the possibility of combining magnons with microwave photons to ensure that microwaves can only travel in one direction, thereby essentially eliminating noise.
The researchers will create superconducting detectors and sensors for understanding the workings of the universe at the most fundamental level.
“Many magnets work well with microwaves at room temperature,” said Axel Hoffmann, Founder Professor in Engineering at UIUC and the leader of this project. “We need materials that work also well at much lower temperatures, which may completely change their properties.”
“If we are successful within these three years, we will have magnetic structures directly integrated with quantum circuitry,” Hoffmann said. “This work could also apply to non-quantum devices for sensing and communication, such as in Wi-Fi or Bluetooth technologies.”
