Current approaches for quantum computing, sensing, communications, and signal processing rely on superconducting electronic devices that can manipulate or process information at quantum levels of precision. Due to the fragile nature of quantum mechanical processes, these devices need to be cooled to a fraction of a degree above absolute zero (-273 °C/-460 °F). This requires large refrigeration units that draw significant electrical power, limiting the scalability of current technology to achieve more robust quantum computing and sensing devices.
DARPA’s new Synthetic Quantum Nanostructures (SynQuaNon) program aims to address this challenge with a fundamental science effort that seeks to develop synthetic metamaterials to enable enhanced functionalities and novel capabilities for quantum information science.