SBIR-STTR Award

We propose to investigate the feasibility and design of deployment-ready quantum memories, useful for the construction of entanglement sharing quantum networks and their applications. We will benchmark a scalable prototype and make it suitable for immediate applications in quantum communication, entanglement distribution and in high-energy physics, cosmology and astrophysics detection at the sensitivity frontier. The main deliverable of this project will be the engineering of a state-of-the-art, deployment-ready quantum memory for entanglement, based on room-temperature atomic ensembles, including fully developed noise- cancellation concepts and feedback mechanisms for long-term maximum performance. This novel off-the-shelf tool will become the backbone of near-future quantum networks, serving in unhackable quantum communication systems and as quantum sensors for dark-matter and other dark-sector searches. Problem and Opportunity. One of the most pursued implementations in quantum technology is the creation of photonic long-range quantum correlations and its mapping to long-lived atomic arrays. The next technological frontier for the successful development of these applications is the creation of quantum networks of many such quantum devices in which entanglement is shared among many network nodes. Harnessing quantum correlations among billions of atoms can be the heart of a new generation of experiments used for quantum-enhanced hyper-sensitive detection of fields and particles, particularly useful and novel for astrophysical and cosmological measurements. While there are not quantum memories ready for operation outside of the laboratory, elementary versions of these technologies could be upgraded and tailored to be deployed in real-environment settings. A commercialization-ready quantum memory can be achieved by using novel room-temperature atomic systems capable of mapping photonic states on collective spin excitations and successfully retrieving them back onto photons at any desired time. This allows the memory to be used for quantum computing as well as secure quantum communication protocols. To match the portability criterion, the quantum memory has to demonstrate its potential towards scalability both from an engineering and physics standpoint. It should be modular, fast to deploy and plug and play. Other essential quantum aspects include high-fidelity storage, storing multiple photons within one unit, efficient cascadability between several memories and an all-environmental friendly operation. All of these requirements are of utmost relevance to construct a network with a large number of nodes. Technical Approach. The first step towards such milestone is having readily deployable quantum memories available in the market, providing solutions for scalable point-to-point and fiber network communication, quantum signal synchronization, and for the development of functional quantum repeaters. Qunnect LLC, a spin-off venture of the Quantum Physics Technology group at Stony Brook University, has engineered new advanced prototypes and is currently working on a commercial off-the-shelf rack-mounted solution for these devices, a first of its kind. To make this technology accessible to a broader range of applications and for network integration, laboratory prototypes were simplified in cost, size, and amount of required infrastructure whilst operating performances where upgraded. Our systematical and iterative development process resulted in a substantial reduction of technical obstacles which usually impede the realization of multi-node quantum networks. Qunnect staff now operates, in collaboration with the SBU laboratory, several high-duty-cycle room-temperature quantum memories for polarization qubits. Our all-in-one all-environmental-capable rack-mount implementation comprises tailored optical elements, custom manufactured mechanical parts, and commercially available off-the shelf components. Early prototype units have been manufactured and are under extensive testing. The design consists of two main sections: a dual-rail polarization qubit storage system designed for long-time storage, and a frequency filtering system to filter all unwanted light from detection. Further customized electronics will be added to monitor in real time the performance of the device in remote locations. Anticipated Public Benefits. Providing open science tools for the fundamental understanding of our universe is a key mission for DOE. To this end, next-generation scientific measurements can benefit from capabilities enabled by quantum technologies, in particular entangled quantum networks. Combining long distance entanglement generation with hypersensitive quantum sensing can provide unique opportunities and insights into new discoveries in the physical sciences. A network with separated quantum memory nodes has a long baseline between network nodes, which could be exploited to look for long-distance effects in modern physics problems. Furthermore, entangled networks allow for the use of quantum metrology techniques to increase the sensitivity of detection in high energy. We believe that the developments of portable room temperature quantum memories will help to create a roadmap to determine how a network of entangled systems could be used as a high-sensitivity probe of the universe. Ideally, a deployable quantum memory network architecture could be the launching point for future experimental concepts that will use long distance quantum correlations to enhance the detection of dark-matter and other dark sector particles. Furthermore, room temperature quantum technology can also be the basis of full-optical quantum computation systems. Customer Segments and market feasibility. Qunnect’s main mission is to bring to market a commercial toolbox of quantum devices specifically designed and optimized to support room temperature ultra-secure long- distance quantum entanglement distribution networks. After an extensive market study, Qunnect has identified the potential markets to penetrate into over a span of ten years. As a part of stage I, Qunnect has already initiated discussions with early adopters of cutting-edge quantum technologies which are mainly scientists and engineers in various academic or industrial research and development centers. At stage II, we will employ our full quantum package to address various cyber-security challenges that currently exist around highly valued data and devices. This market includes defense agencies looking for long-term data protection that will be resilient against computational developments and data centers at financial firms. Finally, Qunnect will evolve to its full potential, exploiting both communication and computation markets. We project that the current technologies under investigation by Qunnect have the potential to create scalable fully-optical quantum computers at room- temperature. Qunnect is the first company to provide opto-atomic technologies such as quantum memories working at room temperature, making it an appealing partner to many mid-size companies and research centers. Several re- search centers and laboratories in Sweden, Italy, and Mexico have already requested quotations for our de- vices. We have also initiated negotiations for possible partnerships with well-known quantum/optical companies. For example, Single Quantum (SQ, Netherlands), develops state-of-the-art super-conducting nano-wire photo-detectors. Together with Laser Components and QuantumOpus, they cover most of the American and European market. We have already discussed with SQ several research partnership opportunities, especially since it could facilitate the eventual expansion of our market to Europe. We are also in contact with Toptica US, who provides high-quality lasers for quantum information sciences, regarding potential future collaborations. We estimate the Serviceable Available Market to be $50-$500M annually for this initial R&D sector, which could provide near-immediate revenue. Likelihood of a marketable product.Qunnect has one major advantage over the current competitors in the quantum cryptography market, as the current commercial technologies are purely optoelectrical. This means they only provide devices capable of creating randomized photons and receiving them at the final node, limiting their operational distance to numbers below 100km. Qunnect, for the first time, is offering an opto- atomic solution. Indeed, we are not only aiming to provide an end-to-end direct link solutions, but also unique prototypes using the atomic physics toolbox, incorporating quantum amplifiers to extend the quantum-secured networks to any arbitrary distance through fiber optics. The realization of this goal will potentially remove the upper cap on the current market size estimation and make quantum technologies suitable for many communication and information enterprises. Besides this important consideration, Qunnect portable room temperature quantum memories can also be used”in mass” to provide off-the-shelf solutions for national laboratories lacking the technology to develop their internal quantum network and detection systems.

Quantum technologies are the next frontier. Qunnect has developed a prototype Quantum Buffer device that provides networks the capability to store, coherently manipulate, and temporally synchronize quantum-states. Their technology is one of the critical enablers of quantum repeaters, which will form the basis of large-scale quantum networks, and eventually, the Quantum Internet. The first stages of these networks will enable unbreakable privacy and security in communications. More developed networks will permit a range of applications for spectacular entanglement-based technologies which cannot be achieved with classical systems alone, enabling novel applications including quantum teleportation of large amounts of data and distributed quantum computing. US DOE support has enabled a feasibility study on these quantum buffers, engineered to be placed into existing fiber beds with minimal infrastructural support, and enabling buffered quantum communications. The SBIR phase II will support the design of a commercial MVP with improved performance specifications for field deployment and telecom integration, including plug-&-play features and remote-controlled monitoring. These devices will bring the US a step closer to the realization of nationwide quantum networks. Qunnect is developing a modular room-temperature Quantum Buffer (QB) device, an integral component within full-scale distributed quantum networks, permitting efficient synchronization of qubits across the network. To achieve high fidelity storage, the QB uses a light-matter coupling to provide an interface that allows for temporary mapping of the photonic qubits on a collective atomic state. This collective atomic excitation can be retrieved as a photonic qubit, indistinguishable from the input qubit, but with a time delay programmed to synchronize the network. Our design goals include compatibility and easily integration into existing fiber-based photonic networks to utilize existing telecom infrastructure in our long-term vision of realizing a nationwide quantum-secure network. In Phase I, we completed a prototype of a rack-mounted, room-temperature QB with superior performance specifications to the original laboratory implementation. We demonstrated the prototype’s portability and performance by deploying the device outside of a laboratory and storing photon packets (classical storage) sent from a distant laboratory with storage times of up to 400?s. Our Phase II goals include the buildout of improved performance features and remote monitoring/control of the QB devices. These features are of great interest to our first customers and will enable the device’s commercialization. To our knowledge, we are the first company pursuing commercialization of room temperature deployable rackmount QBs. Qunnect sees this as an exceptional opportunity to fill a market need and to become a standard component for the field. At present, commercial demonstrations of fiber-based quantum communications have been distance-limited due to the technical barriers to producing quantum-compatible hardware, analogous to the existing optical telecom device suite. To realize their true commercial potential, quantum devices need to be designed to operate in the existing telecom fiber beds with minimal support infrastructure, field stability, and remote monitoring/control. Qunnect is developing a field-deployable Quantum Buffer device that provides the network the capability to store, coherently manipulate, temporally synchronize, and retrieve quantum-states on-demand. The buffer is an essential component to other devices, most importantly, a quantum repeater, which will eliminate distance limitations, enabling the buildout of nationwide quantum networks. In Phase I, Qunnect completed a prototype of a rack-mounted, quantum buffer that operates at room temperature, with performance specifications that exceeded our original table-top design. We demonstrated the prototype’s field-compatibility storing photon packets sent from a distant laboratory to the device’s location (outside of the laboratory). Using efficiency-optimization protocols, these devices have obtained an operating qubit fidelity of close to 90% and have been confirmed at classical levels to achieve up to 400?s lifetimes with >50% storage efficiency. Based on the outcome of the prototype, we drafted the design of the next generation. The objectives of Phase II are to transition the existing prototype into a Minimal Viable Product. The performance milestones can be split into two categories: 1) quantum performance features: higher fidelity (ultra-low-noise regimes), improved storage efficiency, and telecom wavelength operation; and 2) mechanical/electro-optical engineering features: devices must be modular, stable, cost-effective, and remotely monitored/controlled. Quantum networks and the Quantum Internet, exploiting the unique effects of quantum mechanics, would be fundamentally different from the classical Internet we use today; research groups and industries worldwide are working on its development. The first stages promise virtually unbreakable privacy and security in communications. More mature networks will include a range of applications for big-science, and spectacular entanglement-based technologies which cannot be achieved with classical systems alone, enabling novel applications including quantum teleportation of large amounts of data, distributed quantum computing, large-scale quantum communication, cooperative synchronization of atomic clocks, and even sensing beyond the shot-noise frontier.