Dr. Tian Li, who joined the UTC faculty in August 2022, works in the Quantum Physics lab. Photo by Angela Foster.
Thanks to an almost $800,000 funding award from the National Science Foundation, the Quantum Information Science and Engineering (QISE) program at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is off to a great start.
The grant funding will be awarded incrementally over three years, beginning this month and concluding in October 2027. It will enable the hiring of postdoctoral researchers, graduate students and undergraduates—and the purchase of specialized instruments—to be involved in a research project overseen by Dr. Tian Li.
Li is the UTC Quantum Center’s chief technology officer and an assistant professor of physics. Collaborating with him on the project is Dr. Girish Agarwal, a Texas A&M University professor of biological and agricultural engineering with a joint appointment in physics and astronomy.
They will investigate “a novel theoretical and experimental scheme for demonstrating distributed quantum sensing on a metropolitan-scale fiber-optic quantum network in downtown Chattanooga.”
That would be the EPB Quantum Network powered by Qubitekk, Inc. The network was launched in late 2022 as the world’s first software-reconfigurable commercial quantum network, and UTC is connected to the network via its Quantum Node Lab on campus.
So, what is “distributed quantum sensing?” And how is it demonstrated?
First is the creation of pairs of entangled particles—or multiple entangled particles.
“Among all particles that can be manipulated quantum mechanically, photons are of particular interest to us, as instruments for producing entangled photon pairs are now commercially available with Quibitekk being a leading vendor,” Li said. “However, the efficient generation of multipartite entanglement, such as 3- or 4-partite entanglement, remains an active area of research in the current QISE community and is currently being explored” by Li and his postdoctoral researcher at UTC.
Li’s research involves distributing entangled particles through the quantum network designed to preserve the entanglement, such that if one of the paired particles is changed, the other changes instantly no matter how far apart they are. Li and his research collaborators will conduct measurements on the particles at different locations on the network toward verifying—or demonstrating—that the entanglement was maintained.
“The biggest hurdle for us is to distribute the entanglement. Once that is achieved, then there’s just a use case for the sensing application. I don’t think that will actually be too difficult once we have the entanglement distributed,” Li said.
He describes the project’s objective as seeking to bridge the gap between proof-of-concept, in-lab demonstration and practical, real-world implementation.
Asked about a hypothetical, real-world use case for quantum sensing with distributed entanglement, Li described the need for superior accuracy and speed in assessing energy consumption in power grids, adding that “quantum distributed sensing can revolutionize energy consumption estimation in power grids by deploying entangled quantum sensors across key grid nodes to provide highly accurate, real-time data.”
“These sensors leverage quantum entanglement to detect even minute fluctuations in energy use, outperforming classical sensors in precision, especially over long distances and in noisy environments,” he said. “The synchronized quantum sensors enable more precise load management, optimizing energy distribution and reducing waste in a much faster way. This will lead to enhanced energy efficiency and greater power grid sustainability.”
Dr. Tian Li
Li said the UTC Quantum Node Lab will serve as the testbed for the project on the deployed fiber network infrastructure. Cross-sector interdisciplinary collaboration among UTC, Texas A&M, Qubitekk and EPB will significantly expand UTC’s QISE research capacity and broaden surrounding communities’ participation in QISE.
“Most current experimental quantum sensing demonstrations are limited to measuring physical quantities at a single location or distributed sensing of multiple physical quantities within a controlled lab environment,” Li wrote in the proposal. “There is no concrete manifestation of distributed quantum sensing on a deployed commercial network infrastructure thus far.”
Research findings and results will enhance experiential learning opportunities for students enrolled in the newly launched QISE certificate program at UTC, which has been developed to upskill technology professionals in surrounding communities.
“I am thrilled about this significant funding, which will greatly expand UTC’s participation in the QISE research arena. This opportunity will not only enhance our capacity for groundbreaking research but also provide invaluable learning and hands-on experience for both graduate and undergraduate students,” Li said. “Additionally, with the growing demand for expertise in this field, the funding will broaden our community outreach, strengthen connections with the QISE industry by training future quantum talent and empower our students to take leading roles in the next generation of quantum technologies.”
The funding comes via NSF’s ExpandQISE—or Expanding Capacity in Quantum Information Science and Engineering—program intended to boost participation and research capacity in the field.
Separate from this project, Li is also involved in an ongoing NSF ExLENT (Experiential Learning for Emerging and Novel Technologies) project to establish an inter-institutional QISE curriculum in the southeastern United States. He describes this newly funded ExpandQISE project as naturally feeding into the ExLENT effort by offering experiential training to the next generation of QISE professionals to meet the increasing regional demand for quantum capability.
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