The nation’s premier particle physics laboratory has become a major player in the rapidly expanding field of quantum science and technology.
Today the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory announced the launch of the Fermilab Quantum Institute, which will bring all of the lab’s quantum science projects under one umbrella. This new enterprise signals Fermilab’s commitment to this burgeoning field, working alongside scientific institutions and industry partners from around the world.
For more than 50 years, Fermilab has been at the forefront of particle physics and accelerator technology. The laboratory’s scientists and engineers have used their scientific and technological expertise to probe the mysteries of the universe, discovering three of the fundamental particles that make up everything and uncovering new insights about matter, energy, space and time at the smallest scales.
“It’s exactly that expertise that uniquely positions Fermilab to be a leader in the quantum science field,” said Joseph Lykken, Fermilab’s deputy director for research and head of the Fermilab Quantum Institute. “Solutions to problems we have encountered in our particle physics work are applicable to quantum science as well, and we are already implementing those solutions in several areas, with great results.”