In a landmark achievement for quantum science, Stony Brook University, in collaboration with Columbia University, Yale University, and Brookhaven National Laboratory, has been chosen to lead a project in the competitive National Quantum Virtual Laboratory (NQVL) program. The initiative, funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), marks a pivotal moment in advancing Quantum Information Science and Technology (QIST) in the United States. 

This successful award marks a major win for the Department of Physics and the Department of Computer Science (CS). Nearly a third of the NQVL team consists of researchers from the CS department. 

The project seeks to create a 10-node entanglement distribution quantum network to connect quantum processing labs at all the institutions. This quantum network, the Stony Brook-Columbia-Yale Quantum Network (SCY-QNet), will serve as a “virtual laboratory” that would allow researchers and engineers to collaborate across institutions. 

“The opportunity to work with our academic partners and through our SUNY system network to rapidly scale quantum curriculum and experiential learning opportunities throughout New York State and in the region will be transformative,” said C. R. Ramakrishnan, Co-PI and workforce development lead on the project. “It will enable us to reach a diverse and broad audience to share career opportunities in emerging quantum fields.”

The network represents a leap forward in quantum communication technology, promising unprecedented security and efficiency. If selected for the next stages of the NQVL program, the team plans to extend the network’s reach and potentially position it as a prototype for a nationwide Quantum Internet. 

“There is a compelling need to develop a quantum network infrastructure that can serve as the foundation to develop applications demonstrating quantum advantage,” said Himanshu Gupta, Co-PI and computer science professor. “We envision SCY-QNet to fulfill that need by developing a user-configurable shared quantum network infrastructure, allowing researchers and engineers to develop and experimentally validate new ideas.”

Other team members from the computer science department include senior personnel Xianfeng Gu, Omkant Pandey, Supartha Podder, and Nengkun Yu.

To read more about the project and its implications for a quantum future, check out the full university news story detailing this exciting project.