Chicago Quantum Exchange scientists use quantum chemistry to make advancements across many fields, such as quantum sensing, biomedical imaging techniques, and even to develop new quantum bits (qubits). For example, they use both theoretical and experimental chemistry to theorize and develop new materials, which can be used to improve applications such as quantum sensing and communications. Furthermore, quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize theoretical quantum chemistry, as quantum computers can model quantum systems with unparalleled precision. Researchers are performing simulations of quantum chemistry on currently available, near-term quantum computers; as quantum computers improve, so will the accuracy and complexity of the simulations that can be performed on them. Chicago Quantum Exchange scientists are also learning how to synthesize small and large assemblies of molecules as qubits themselves.
Research Areas
Quantum Chemistry
Quantum chemistry studies how the laws of quantum mechanics can be applied to chemical models and experiments on chemical systems. It encompasses quantum phenomena at all levels, such as the electronic structure of matter and its interaction with light, energy and charge flow, the collective behavior of complex ensembles, and the quantum chemical dynamics of time-evolving systems. Using theoretical modeling, spectroscopy techniques, and chemical synthesis, quantum chemists work to understand and harness the quantum properties of atoms and systems around us.