IIT Delhi has established a Centre of Excellence (CoE) on Quantum Technologies

New Delhi:

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has established a Centre of Excellence (CoE) on Quantum Technologies to bring research activities occurring in various domains of Quantum Technologies at IIT Delhi under a single umbrella. The CoE will bring synergy and coherence in the activities being carried out at the Institute and will support the Principal Investigators to pitch in for more significant projects from the DST and other funding agencies.

Many countries like the USA, China, Japan, EU and UK has invested heavily into this technology. Following the suit, the Indian government has sanctioned Rs 8000 crores for research in the area of quantum technology.

Professor Rajendra Singh, Head, School of Interdisciplinary Research (SIRe) and lead PI, CoE on Quantum Technologies, IIT Delhi said, “In the past 100 years or so, Quantum Physics has impacted the society in an unprecedented way. By exploiting the characteristics of quantum physics in light and materials, researchers invented both the laser and the transistor. Such inventions form the basis of information technology as a whole – computers, the internet, and much more besides – which to a large extent has shaped our society today. It was the first quantum revolution. The second quantum revolution is now round the corner, benefitting enormously from the advancements in our ability to detect and manipulate single quantum objects such as photons and atoms.”

Talking about the specific focus areas for the research on quantum technology at IIT Delhi, Prof Singh said, “The focus areas will be quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensing and metrology and quantum materials and devices.”

He added that aside from design and development of new quantum materials research activities related to, “quantum processor and cryogenic controller, modeling and technology development of semiconducting qubits: CMOS and 2D materials, quantum sensing and metrology, quantum bio-photonics, development of single photon detectors and sources: Based on semiconductors (2D materials, III-V), superconductors, development of bright single and entangled photon sources based on SPDC, quantum secure communication in free space and optical, fibre, quantum imaging and sensing using quantum correlated photons” will also be carried out.