Grant: Alliance Grants

Quantum technologies rely on effects such as entanglement and superposition to achieve performance beyond what is possible with conventional devices. This includes sensors with a sensitivity beyond the classical limit, the ability to perform computations that would overwhelm the world's best supercomputers, and enabling schemes for secure communications that are unbreakable even given extensive ressources. A study from the National Research Council estimated that, by 2045, the Canadian quantum industry will generate $139B (including all economic effects) and account for 209,200 jobs. At present, the vast majority of quantum technologies rely on a handful of material systems such as superconductors, defects in semiconductors, diamond and cold atoms. In contrast, the vastness of chemical space allows for the tantalizing possibility to engineer designer molecular materials for quantum technologies from the ground up. The QuantaMole Consortium brings together a team of chemists, physicists and engineers to capitalize on some of the most attractive properties of organic molecules in this context such as the ease with which they interact with light, their strong optical nonlinearities, the possibility to engineer electronic spin and to tune spin-orbit and spin-nuclei interactions, and the ability to seamlessly integrate organic materials within various device platforms. The team will develop entirely new materials to be used within bright sources of quantum light for sensing beyond the classical limit and secure communications. It will synthesize stable organic radicals whose emission can be harnessed as a sensitive magnetic field sensor. Finally, the team will develop fast and compact electro-optic switches, which are essential to scaling up current implementations of photonic quantum computing. All of these efforts will be in close interaction with partners that have a strong interest in using or developing approaches for quantum sensing, quantum communication, quantum computing, and a well-known Canadian manufacturer of specialty organic materials.