Project description DEENESFRITPL Quantum sensing leveraging superconductivity Superconductivity is a macroscopic quantum phenomenon: electric charge carriers in a superconductor pair up, forming a single quantum state as if they were a large atom. Using small contacts between superconductors, researchers can engineer a variety of quantum circuits for quantum technologies and run algorithms on them. Such superconducting circuits can interact strongly with each other while maintaining high coherence. This feature and the ability to operate at microwave frequencies well below the gap energy of most materials renders superconducting circuits suitable for use as quantum sensors. The ERC-funded cQEDscope project will utilise superconducting circuits to expand our understanding of superconductivity. For their study, researchers will use kinetic inductance and, Raman spectroscopy variants and will create the first Higgs-polariton system. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Superconductivity is a remarkable phase of matter which has advanced a wide variety of fields, including particle accelerators, biomedical imaging tools, and quantum computers. However, there are fundamental open questions about the nature of the superconducting state in many materials, with new ones being discovered every year. Understanding their structure can help unravel the dynamics of interacting many-body quantum systems, and lead to a next generation of technological innovations.Superconducting circuits are macroscopic tunable quantum devices which can interact strongly while maintaining high coherence, making them a leading quantum computing platform. These advantages also make them excellent quantum sensors, and as they are entirely superconductor-based and operate at microwave frequencies well below the gap energy of most materials, superconducting circuits are ideally suited for the exploration of novel superconductors.cQEDscope will utilize superconducting circuits to expand our understanding of superconductivity in three ways: 1) using strong coupling to kinetic inductance, we will probe the structure of the superconducting order parameter in micron-sized samples (such as flakes of layered materials), orders of magnitude below current techniques; 2) using nonlinearity, we will implement a microwave analogue of Raman spectroscopy, allowing us to probe a wide frequency range and observe collective modes within the superconducting phase; 3) using quantum coherence, our circuit will interact with the Higgs collective mode to create the first Higgs-polariton, a novel quantum system by itself and a new path to study the superconducting structure. In addition to our contribution to the understanding of novel superconductors, cQEDscope will also develop a new quantum sensing tool for material exploration, and a promising new class of hybrid superconducting circuits with potential quantum technology applications. Fields of science natural sciencesphysical scienceselectromagnetism and electronicselectromagnetismnatural sciencesphysical sciencesquantum physicsnatural sciencesphysical sciencescondensed matter physicsmesoscopic physicsengineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensorsnatural sciencesphysical scienceselectromagnetism and electronicssuperconductivity Programme(s) HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2022-STG - ERC STARTING GRANTS Call for proposal ERC-2022-STG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC - Support for frontier research (ERC) Host institution MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV Net EU contribution € 1 480 000,00 Address HOFGARTENSTRASSE 8 80539 Munchen Germany See on map Region Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 480 000,00 Beneficiaries (1) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV Germany Net EU contribution € 1 480 000,00 Address HOFGARTENSTRASSE 8 80539 Munchen See on map Region Bayern Oberbayern München, Kreisfreie Stadt Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Website Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Total cost € 1 480 000,00
