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June 15, 2023 Glance around Jason Orcutts office at IBMQuantum, and youll see circuit boards, hiking trail maps, qubit probes and his kids artwork. Part office, part lab, part gallery: Its a cross section of a life of rigorous research and vigorous recreation.

The scene also captures the kind of activity balancing that characterizes his work as a quantum information researcher, switching between hands-on investigation and high-level research strategy. He uses these wide-ranging skills in his role as a co-design engineer forQ-NEXT, the National Quantum Information Science Research Center led by the U.S. Department of Energys (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory.

A principal research scientist atIBMQuantum, Orcutt provides an industry perspective on one of the pillars of Q-NEXT research: developing simulations to better designquantum information systems.

Q-NEXT collaborators use quantum computers and classical supercomputers to simulate the behaviors of materials used for quantum applications, which are expected to be revolutionary. In the decades ahead, scientists will deploy quantum sensors that can detect an earthquake from space and run powerfulquantum computersthat can rapidly suss out solutions to intractable problems.

Were using simulations to better design materials and adapting those simulations to an interconnected quantum system, Orcutt said.IBMbrings a future-looking perspective on the problems we need to solve to develop a really useful quantum computer. And Q-NEXT really aligns with our vision on creating new types of quantum interconnects to scale quantum computers into the future.

Quantum interconnect is a fancy way of referring to the components that link quantum devices. It could be the instruments connecting a sensor to a computer, or it could be a line on a printed circuit board. Without interconnects, quantum devices cant talk to each other, and quantum information cant be shared.

AtIBMQuantum, Orcutt coordinates the development of long-range quantum interconnects, which link devices separated by meters to kilometers, such as the nodes in a future quantum data center.

How do we extend quantum information or connect quantum systems over physical distance? he said.Right now, ourIBMquantum systems are really restricted to a single chip. I and the people I work with, as well as the academic researchers such as those at Q-NEXT, are looking to develop connections between qubits that will extend beyond more than one chip.

Sending quantum information over longer distances is an obstacle course of physics challenges. For starters, quantum information is fragile. Qubits the fundamental units of quantum information fall apart at the smallest disturbance. Distance complicates matters. How do you provide qubits with safe, noise-free passage over a kilometer or more? The proposition is like asking a soap bubble not to pop as it travels down a galley of knives.

You cant use the same tools to pattern a centimeter size chip as you would a meter-scale cable, Orcutt said.

Qubits must also be continually converted and reconverted to the right frequencies to be read by the devices they encounter on their journey. The most fundamental frequency conversion requirements arise from the different levels of thermal noise at different frequencies. For example:IBMQuantum focuses on a type of qubit that lives in the microwave frequency range. In this range, the quantum information must be cooled to a few hundredths of a degree from absolute zero to be protected from thermal noise. To be transported in room temperature materials a requirement for long distancecommunication the quantum information must be converted to the optical-wave range, a whopping 10,000 times the frequency of microwaves.

The way that materials respond to the two frequency ranges is massively different. How do you engineer materials to successfully conduct information that starts as a murmur and ends in a trill?

Such challenges are part of the growing pains of the field of quantum information science, which is working to tap the potential of information that, until recently, was kept cozily inside tiny instruments such as microchips.

Were taking quantum information into places it traditionally doesnt live, Orcutt said. Instead of moving through chips built in clean rooms, qubits are having to find their way throughthe messy world of macroscopic objects, he said, such as meter-long coaxial cables or fiber optic cables that connect nodes that are miles apart.

The scientific community is working to build quantum systems that will eventually connect the globe. Simulating them from soup to nuts is key to ensuring that the interconnected systems of the future will be successful. Orcutt draws on his experience atIBMto inform Q-NEXTs quantum simulations work.

We have to reengineer our systems, and to do that, we have to simulate them, he said.But how do we reengineer our systems around quantum interconnects instead of a monolithic computing device? Systems where there are different levels of connectivity? We have to rethink not just how we build the systems, but also how we adapt our algorithms to best use them.

Orcutt began his journey into quantum information science at Columbia University, planning initially to be a patent lawyer, combining interests in debate and technology.

What I quickly realized was that there are many other ways to pursue science and have a fulfilling career that was closer to creating new technical ideas, he said.

He pivoted to a bachelors in electrical engineering, with no intention of attending graduate school. But, again, he changed his mind after a couple of happy lab experiences working on electronics and photonics. For his Ph.D. research atMIT, Orcutt built the first optical interconnects in the commercial manufacturing processes used for microprocessor and memory chips.

This was a wonderful project because it wasnt just about the devices it was connected to the systems, which is something that has always been a key draw for me throughout my life, he said.

In 2013, Orcutt joinedIBM. It was a major shift for someone who started his career asthe one soldering the circuit, the one simulating the physics or coding the program, he said. And while he continues to work directly with the technology, 10 years later, hes also the one asking how quantum computers should be wired, what components are required to connect the qubits and what directionIBMshould take to tackle these strategic and technology questions.

Orcutts experience both at the bench and at the center of operations made him a valuable contributor to Q-NEXTs 2022 quantum technology reportA Roadmap for Quantum Interconnects, which outlines the discoveries needed to build practical quantum information technologies in one or two decades.

It was a useful exercise to define the important challenges and potential solutions that are emerging within the community and define it so it could be addressed by the center on a 10-year scale, he said.

Producing the roadmap is just one example ofIBMs collaborative effort with Q-NEXT.

The next phase of quantum information science will involve creating new materials and refined products that have superior quantum information performance. And to address that, we need a whole bunch of forces coming together, which is another reason why the shared infrastructure at centers like Q-NEXT are critical, Orcutt said.Trying to tackle these really hard problems is one of the main reasons we like to work with other industrial players, national labs and a broad consortium of academic groups. To us to me and toIBMin general that is a paramount reason to get involved in Q-NEXT: to be able to tackle the really hard problems together with the best people in the field.

Building the quantum workforce through education and outreach is another goal forIBMQuantum.IBMcreates connections to the students, postdocs and other early-career scientists conducting research at centers like Q-NEXT, widening opportunities to grow its own quantum workforce.

For those thinking of entering the field, Orcutt notes the excitement of quantum research.

When I have a new task or project, I initially have absolutely no idea how were going to solve it. The wonderful thing is, weve been able to make significant progress against our goals, he said.Its been a wonderful journey of figuring out ways to contribute to the quantum effort and trying to solve problems along the way.

This work was supported by theDOEOffice of Science National Quantum Information Science Research Centers as part of the Q-NEXT center.

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