CHICAGO �� Researchers from the University of Illinois are joining Chicago-area scientists in creating a network that could pave the way for communication that can't be hacked.
The effort is part of a push from national labs and universities in the state to establish Chicago as a leader in an emerging field of physics and engineering called quantum technology.
Quantum research involves studying matter and energy at the smallest possible scale. Experts say advances in the field could have far-reaching implications, such as eliminating cybersecurity risks and expediting pharmaceutical discoveries. The field has the attention of tech giants and the federal government, but so far, most of the breakthroughs in quantum science have occurred in the lab.
That's where this project from Chicago-area scientists is attempting to make progress.
The scientists plan to use a 30-mile long, unused network of high-speed optical fiber that stretches between Argonne National Laboratory in Lemont and Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia. Particles of light will travel back and forth on the underground fiber between objects at each lab. That connection _ called entanglement _ allows communication between the two objects without moving them.
Imagine a magnet at Argonne pointing in a certain direction, said David Awschalom, the University of Chicago professor and Argonne scientist leading the project. The network could be used to teleport information about which direction the magnet is pointing to Fermilab.
"(It) is called teleporting information because we move the information, not the object itself," Awschalom said.
If someone looked at _ or hacked _ the information being communicated, the information would change or be destroyed.
The project is being conducted by the Chicago Quantum Exchange, which was launched last year by the University of Chicago, Argonne and Fermilab. The U. of I. announced this week that it is joining the effort.
The U. of I. also plans to invest $15 million to establish the Illinois Quantum Information Science and Technology Center.
Some graduate students in the physics department dabble in quantum studies, Provost Andreas Cangellaris said. But the school plans to develop graduate degrees and undergraduate concentrations in the area. It also plans to hire at least eight more faculty members in the field over the next four years. Cangellaris said the department has more than 25 faculty members whose research is relevant to quantum physics.
Cangellaris recognizes that the job market for graduates with knowledge in quantum technology is still in its infancy. But the opportunities for talent trained in this area span industries, he said.
"As research advances happen, the demand for this talent will grow quickly," Cangellaris said.
With interest from the federal government and well-capitalized tech companies increasing, some experts expect that growth to start soon.
In September, the White House held a conference on quantum science, and the House passed a bill calling for more than $1 billion to go toward research in the area. Additionally, Google, Microsoft and IBM, among others, have quantum research projects.
Scientists in the field work to understand the properties of atoms, which often behave in ways that are counterintuitive to people's normal perception of physics.
Awschalom explained it this way: If you threw a basketball at a wall, you would be confident the ball would bounce back.
"If I told you in a quantum world that if you threw a basketball against a wall it would go through, you'd say, 'That's ridiculous,' " he said. "Things like that happen on a quantum scale all the time."
