TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Dr. Patrick Kung, associate professor and associate department head for undergraduate programs, and Dr. Seongsin Margaret Kim, professor, of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, received nearly $1 million in funding from the Department of Energy for their research in quantum networking.
“We are deeply honored by this award, as it reflects our shared passion for photonics and quantum science — fields that lie at the core of our expertise,” Kung said. “It is also very meaningful to our former and current students, as it validates their hard work over the past four years collaborating with ORNL on quantum networking technologies developed in our research groups. Looking ahead, we hope it will serve as a catalyst for advancing research in quantum engineering within the College and at UA.”
The project, “Enhancing Quantum Networking Research Capabilities in Alabama: Integrating RF Photonic Controls for High-Frequency Cryogenic Links in GHz-THz Bands,” addresses challenges in maintaining and scaling quantum computers and aims to improve the networking aspect of quantum computing by developing a photonic approach to communication challenges.
At present, qubits must be maintained at extremely low temperatures in a dilution refrigerator and require numerous electrical connections, posing significant challenges in preserving these temperatures and scaling quantum computers to support larger numbers of qubits. This project aims to overcome these challenges by advancing scalable qubit architectures and enhancing quantum networking capabilities. By enabling quantum computers to communicate across long distances, quantum networking not only facilitates distributed quantum computing but also lays the foundation for a quantum internet, amplifying the overall potential of quantum technologies.
Success in this project will bring new quantum research infrastructure to the state of Alabama and will have a broad impact on research and education in quantum science and engineering. In addition, this project will address a core aspect of advancing quantum computing, which can revolutionize solving problems that even supercomputers have difficulty with.
The Kung and Kim lab groups have collaborated with Oak Ridge National Laboratory over the past four years, with the lab group focusing on “the photonic hardware architecture, integration and testing at UA,” and ORNL providing access to crucial technology, such as the qubits and dilution refrigerators. Student researchers travel to ORNL occasionally to conduct tests and gather experimental feedback on their photonic systems.