Insider Brief:
- Empa has inaugurated the CarboQuant laboratory to study the quantum properties of carbon-based materials, with support from the Werner Siemens Foundation and the Swiss National Science Foundation.
- Researchers are focusing on nanographenes and graphene nanoribbons to develop carbon-based quantum technologies, including sensors, communication devices, and quantum computing components.
- The lab features advanced scanning tunneling microscopes that allow researchers to manipulate quantum spin states in nanographenes, relevant for development toward scalable quantum systems.
- The long-term goal is to create quantum devices that operate at room temperature, with current research focused on demonstrating coherent quantum control in nanographenes.
- Image Credit: Empa
PRESS RELEASE — In a recent post, Empa announced that at the end of January, it inaugurated its new CarboQuant laboratory, a research facility dedicated to exploring the quantum properties of carbon-based materials. The initiative, supported by the Werner Siemens Foundation and the Swiss National Science Foundation, is comitted to exploring carbon nanostructures for use in quantum technologies, including quantum computing.
According to the release, the new laboratory will focus on nanographenes and graphene nanoribbons—small, precisely structured pieces of graphene that can exhibit quantum effects. By controlling these effects at the atomic level, researchers hope to develop new sensors, communication devices, and quantum computing components based on carbon rather than traditional semiconductor materials.
Building a Foundation for Carbon-Based Quantum Technologies
As noted in the announcement, a central goal of the CarboQuant project is to understand and manipulate spin, a fundamental quantum property that can serve as the basis for qubits. The new lab includes two state-of-the-art scanning tunneling microscopes, instruments that use electric currents to visualize and manipulate individual atoms. These microscopes allow researchers to control quantum states at the atomic level using high-frequency microwave radiation, making it possible to precisely tune and manipulate spin in nanographenes.
Unlike individual atoms, nanographenes can host multiple interacting spins, which is essential for developing scalable quantum systems. “While individual atoms only have one spin, nanographenes make it possible to create several linked spins,” researcher Yujeong Bae, head of the new Empa research group for quantum magnetism, explained in the release. This ability to make spins “talk” to each other is essential for developing functional quantum devices.
The new laboratory is also equipped with ultra-high vacuum chambers, strong magnetic fields, and helium-cooled systems, allowing researchers to study these effects under highly controlled conditions. While the ultimate goal is to create quantum devices that function outside such specialized environments, the immediate focus is on developing a materials platform—a foundational toolbox for studying carbon-based quantum systems.
Long-Term Vision and Next Steps
The CarboQuant project, running from 2022 to 2032, will explore the boundaries of quantum materials research. As noted in the release, the long-term objective is to develop quantum-based electronic components that operate at room temperature, eliminating the need for extreme cooling systems.
For now, Empa researchers are focused on fundamental studies to refine their understanding of quantum effects in carbon nanomaterials. According to Dr. Oliver Gröning, co-head of CarboQuant, “In the long term, we want to have quantum-based devices that work outside of these high-tech systems, perhaps even under ambient conditions.”
While the opening of the CarboQuant lab, is a concrete step toward realizing this vision, the next phase of research will focus on demonstrating coherent quantum control in nanographenes, a development that could contribute to new possibilities for quantum computing and beyond.
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