Department of Energy Announces $71 Million for Research on Quantum Information Science Enabled Discoveries in High Energy Physics
Projects Combine Theory and Experiment to Open New Windows on the Universe
Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $71 million in funding for 25 projects in high energy physics that will use the emerging technologies of quantum information science to answer fundamental questions about the universe.
This research will develop and deploy innovative solutions for scientific discovery by applying the unique capabilities and features of the quantum world to the challenges of making new discoveries in fundamental physics. Awards funded under this program will advance theories of gravity and spacetime, develop quantum sensors that can see previously undetectable signals, and build pathfinder experiments to demonstrate increased discovery reach in searches for dark matter and other new particles and phenomena.
“Quantum information science is opening up new ways for us to understand and explore the universe,” said Regina Rameika, DOE Associate Director of Science for High Energy Physics. “With these projects, we are supporting scientists in developing quantum technologies that will empower the next generation of theory and experiment in high energy physics.”
Projects include efforts to use the burgeoning field of quantum information science to enable new discoveries in fundamental physics:
- Theoretical work using existing and near-future quantum devices like computers and simulators to explore the nature of spacetime, perform data analysis at particle colliders, and solve advanced problems in quantum field theory.
- Leveraging quantum information science technologies – such as superconducting qubits, atomic sensors, and quantum states of light – to enhance the sensitivity of experiments searching for new phenomena, including detecting particles that could make up the dark matter in the universe.
- Creation of new experimental platforms using quantum information technologies, such as entanglement or precise control of quantum states, to track and observe microscopic physical processes, like individual radioactive decays or the measurement of gravity between masses as small as a milligram.
The projects were selected by competitive peer review under the DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement for Quantum Information Science Enabled Discovery 2.0 (QuantISED 2.0).
Total funding is $71 million for projects lasting up to five years in duration, with $20 million in Fiscal Year 2025 dollars and outyear funding contingent on congressional appropriations. The list of projects and more information can be found on the High Energy Physics program homepage.
Selection for award negotiations is not a commitment by DOE to issue an award or provide funding. Before funding is issued, DOE and the applicants will undergo a negotiation process, and DOE may cancel negotiations and rescind the selection for any reason during that time.
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