The iQ@WSU
The iQ@WSU comprises the research and educational activities at WSU related to quantum science.
Research: The mission of the iQ@WSU is to understand the fundamental properties of quantum mechanics, to discover new phenomena that emerge from these properties, to develop predictive theories that allow us to work with these phenomena, and the use these to develop new quantum technologies such as sensors, clocks, computers, communication networks, storage devices, and computers.
Education: In addition to research, the iQ@WSU has a mission of education, supporting the land-grant mission of WSU. Through courses and many research opportunities, we prepare students for careers in academia, at national labs, and in quantum industries. We also provide what we call honest outreach, educating the public, and informing policy, to generate excitement about the potential of quantum technology without misleading hype.
What is Quantum Science?
The classical nature of our intuition. Newton formulated a description of dynamics based relating force to mass and acceleration. The resulting theory, called classical mechanics, does an amazing job of characterizing our world on scales that we are familiar with: the motions of cars, the stability of buildings, even the movements of planets and motion of water and air. This is the science of our every-day experience, and the science for which we have the best intuition.
Rapid motion over large scales. The theory of classical mechanics is not complete, however, and breaks down in two extreme limits: when we move very fast – close to the speed of light – the absolute notions of space and time become relative, and Einstein’s theory of relativity leads to counter intuitive effects like time dilation: e.g. clocks on satellites orbiting the earth run slower than those on earth.
Slow motion at very small scales. At the other extreme, when things move very slowly, or when we look at very small scales (atomic and subatomic), Newton’s laws also need correcting, and the best description we have currently lies in the theory of quantum mechanics, where particles are described by wavefunctions, and measurements become intrinsically random in character. Since these scales like far from our every-day experience, quantum mechanics, like relativity, has many features that are highly counterintuitive: wave-particle duality, entanglement, correlations between experiments that are far apart, etc.
Why is developing new quantum technology hard? As demonstrated by the success of classical mechanics, there is a natural tendency for the properties that emerge from quantum mechanics to behave classically. Thus, to tease out new quantum effects, we must find ways of tuning or designing our systems to eschew these natural classical tendencies. The results can be impressive, e.g. extremely precise clocks and highly sensitive detectors, but at the cost of requiring highly controlled fabrication, or extremely low temperatures (cryogenics) to keep the devices operating in the quantum regime.
