A quantum computer powerful enough to break much of today’s digital encryption may still be years away, but the race to prepare for that future is already underway.
And some of that work is happening in Columbus.
"If we can get the quantum networking going, there’s a bit of an arms race," Ohio State University physics professor Ezekiel Johnston-Halperin said on the latest episode of Columbus in Color.
Johnston-Halperin is a co-director of Ohio State’s Center for Quantum Information Science and Engineering and leads an Ohio State team participating in the National Science Foundation’s National Quantum Virtual Laboratory program.
Backed by a $4 million planning grant, the team is developing a quantum sensing testbed designed to bring university researchers,
national laboratories and industry partners together. The initial grant covers two years of planning for a potential five- to six-year project receiving up to $50 million.
“We want to serve the public good with the work that we’re doing,” Johnston-Halperin said.
What could quantum technology be used for?
Quantum physics describes the behavior of atoms and other particles that form the building blocks of nature. While the subject can sound abstract, Johnston-Halperin said it already underlies much of modern life, including medicine, smartphones, solar panels and other technologies.
Ohio State’s project focuses on quantum sensing, which uses the properties of atoms to measure the world with extreme precision. Researchers are exploring how the sensors could eventually detect radiation, support nuclear and fusion energy or help scientists study molecules and structures within cells.
The challenge now is determining where quantum sensors can solve problems that existing technology cannot.
“We know we can build a quantum sensor,” Johnston-Halperin said. “What’s it good for?”
Answering that question requires physicists and engineers to work alongside specialists in fields such as biology and medicine. Ohio State is also developing graduate programs that cross traditional academic boundaries, combining areas including physics, chemistry, mathematics, computer science and engineering.
Could Columbus become a quantum technology hub?
Johnston-Halperin believes Columbus and the Midwest have the ingredients to become major players in the emerging industry.
He pointed to the region’s research universities, manufacturing history and existing technology infrastructure. One of the earliest connections in ARPANET, a precursor to the modern internet, linked computing systems in Columbus and Chicago.
Ohio State is also supporting a second quantum testbed led by the University of Michigan and collaborating with researchers in Illinois.
"There really is sort of a Midwestern moment happening," Johnston-Halperin said.
For him, that work reflects Ohio State’s responsibility as a land-grant university to serve people across the state. It also offers Columbus another opportunity to build on the growth it has experienced over the past decade.
"I think Columbus has been having a moment," he said. "And I see a trajectory for that moment to continue."
Trending reporter Amani Bayo can be reached at abayo@dispatch.com.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Could Columbus become a quantum technology hub? Inside Ohio State’s work
