University of Amsterdam expert receives Quantum Delta NL grant

Arghavan Safavi-Naini recently received a Quantum Delta NL grant for her project ‘Trapped ions make excellent quantum bits’. The project was one of sixteen granted projects within the National Growth Fund programme Quantum Technology.

Quantum technology is a key technology that can provide answers to many unsolved societal challenges. The central government is putting 615 million euros into this pioneering technology. Of this, within the Quantum Technology programme, a total of 42 million euros has been set aside for scientific research and innovation, over a duration of seven years. Of that, 5.3 million euros was awarded to the 16 projects that were funded in this round.

Trapped ions make excellent quantum bits
Safavi-Naini’s project focuses on trapped ions, which make excellent quantum bits. They can be controlled to form miniature quantum computers. However, scaling up the system size while maintaining the quality of operations remains a formidable challenge. The researchers will employ optical tweezers and electric fields to boost the scalability and speed of the quantum computer. Their research will be an important step towards universal quantum computing.