Quantum Science and Technology Turn 100
The College of Natural Sciences is celebrating a century of quantum science and technology.
Quantum research at The University of Texas at Austin could lead to faster, more compact computer memory, among other things. Image: Ella Maru Studio.
You probably don’t think about quantum mechanics much, but the phone or computer you’re reading this on is made of parts that could have only been designed and built with a deep understanding of quantum mechanics. Same goes for the lasers that transmit the data to you over the internet via fiber optic cables and the GPS systems that your phone taps into to help you find your way. And if you’ve ever needed a medical MRI scan, you can thank quantum science too.
To honor the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics — a revolution in physics as profound as the theory of evolution was for biology — and all the technological wonders it has unleashed, the United Nations has proclaimed 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology.
With dozens of core research faculty members who study related topics, UT has already earned an international reputation for groundbreaking quantum advances. Physicist Allan MacDonald claimed one of the world’s top physics prizes, the Wolf Prize, in recognition of his work launching the subfield of “Twistronics,” which could lead to revolutionary improvements in efficiency in electric power transmission. UT scientists are known for developing tests for quantum supremacy in computing and inventing a new imaging technique called microwave impedance microscopy. And with the launch of the Texas Quantum Institute last year, under the leadership of physicist Elaine Li and chemist and engineer Xiuling Li, the university is dedicated to building on this foundation to reach even greater heights.
We offer here highlights of recent and ongoing quantum research at UT and provide some ideas of where you can go for your next primer on all things quantum discovery alongside UT scientists and experts.
Scientists demonstrated quantum teleportation on Google’s Sycamore processor, a trick that could help tame noise in quantum computers. Credit: Erik Lucero, Research Scientist and Lead Production Quantum Hardware.
Quantum Computing
Quantum computers will one day dwarf the capabilities of even the world’s most powerful modern supercomputers, but between now and that day, we need ways to test their capabilities. Until now, computer scientists have struggled to demonstrate an application of quantum computers that is both extremely difficult (if not impossible) on classical supercomputers and actually useful in the real world. Computer scientist Scott Aaronson devised a method for generating random numbers and certifying that they are truly random, which could be useful in cryptography and data privacy. He’s working with experimentalists to demonstrate this method on a real quantum computer.
Another challenge has been managing errors resulting from noisy interactions between the qubits and the surrounding environment. Physicist Matteo Ippoliti and colleagues discovered that taking measurements on a 70-qubit chip caused quantum information to “teleport” instantaneously from one part of the chip to another. He proposes that this effect could be used to learn about noise in the system, which could help manage noise in future, more powerful quantum computers.
Quasi-particles called polarons (orange) could be the key to improved materials for generating hydrogen fuel. Courtesy of F. Giustino.
Clean Energy
Designing new materials at the atomic scale to help power our world is another project of researchers who draw on the principles of quantum mechanics for new innovations. For example, conventional silicon solar cells are inefficient, converting only about a quarter of the energy from sunlight into electricity.
Feliciano Giustino, a quantum physicist also appointed in UT’s Oden Institute, is exploring a group of compounds called perovskites that have the potential to boost efficiency if layered onto a silicon solar cell. He also has been exploring photocatalysts, materials like titanium dioxide that use light to facilitate a reaction that splits water into hydrogen and oxygen, which can be useful for clean-energy transportation. He and his team recently developed a new, high-resolution computer simulation that sheds light on how quasi-particles called polarons shuttle electrons to the surface, which could help guide them to more efficient photocatalytic materials. A better understanding of polarons might also lead to improved materials for light-emitting diode (OLED) TV’s, touchscreens, and more.
This gas cell is a key component of a compact wakefield laser accelerator that produces a high-energy electron beam that can be used for cancer therapy, medical imaging and more. Photo credit: Bjorn “Manuel” Hegelich.
Health and Medicine
Physicist Mark Raizen is co-leading a new international quantum sensing center where he is now working to develop diagnostic tools for affordable early detection of iron deficiency in infants and toddlers and for diagnosing chronic kidney disease. Raizen says quantum sensing — using the laws of quantum mechanics to count individual atoms, hear the weakest sounds and see the faintest light — holds the potential to transform biomedical and health sciences by improving diagnostics and prevention of diseases.
Some forms of cancer can be destroyed with beams of high-energy electrons that are very precise, minimizing damage to surrounding healthy tissue. But to generate these beams, it typically takes a linear particle accelerator that can stretch more than a kilometer long, making the treatment expensive and hard for most people to access. Physicist Bjorn “Manuel” Hegelich leads a team that has developed a compact accelerator that can generate these electron beams in less than 20 meters. They envision the technology also enabling advanced medical imaging techniques.
This illustration shows that a pair of extremely high-frequency laser pulses (blue and green waves) drives spin waves (red wave) in an antiferromagnetic material, which could lead to faster information transfer and processing. Illustration courtesy of University of Texas at Austin & MIT researchers.
Information Technology
Physicist Edoardo Baldini has discovered that, thanks to the way magnetic and electric fields strongly interact inside the material, nickel iodide might be an ideal material for building extremely fast and compact computer memories. The strong magnetoelectric coupling in this material might also be useful for chemical sensors or quantum computers.
Baldini is also researching materials called antiferromagnets, which could form the basis of systems that transfer and process information much more quickly than existing systems. He and his colleagues have found new ways to manipulate the behavior of these materials using extremely high-frequency light. Instead of carrying information in tiny magnets in a material, information would be carried in the spins of individual electrons (known as spintronics) or in waves of electron spins (called magnonics).
Quantum for the Public
Want to learn more about quantum mechanics and future quantum technologies? A number of upcoming events offer opportunities.
On Tuesday, Feb. 25, Elaine Li will be joined in conversation with Nobel Laureate Donna Strickland, Lawrence Livermore Lab Director Kim Budil and Toni Feder, editor of Physics Today in a conversation about laser science on the UT campus at the Texas Science Festival. On March 7, UT is participating in SXSW and hosting a panel, “Quantum Leaps: Universities and Startups Driving Quantum Innovation.” And most months, physics graduate students, faculty members and advanced undergraduates head to downtown Austin to deliver layperson-friendly talks, including about quantum science. These “Physics on the Rocks” events are held on the first Tuesday of most months at 7 p.m. at Darwin’s Pub, a piano bar on east Sixth Street.
