The National Science Foundation has awarded three Arkansas universities with a $5 million grant to establish a quantum information science and engineering program.
The University of Arkansas at Little Rock will work with UA Pine Bluff and UA Fayetteville to create the programs. The money will be distributed over a five-year period, UALR said in a news release.
UALR will receive $750,000 that will be used to work on a program to synthesize quantum dots that will be used in the development of photonics devices. Gregory Guisbiers, an assistant physics professor, and Tansel Karabacak, a physics professor and interim director of the School of Physical Sciences, will lead those efforts, UALR said.
“I think it is a great time to be involved in quantum research,” Guisbiers said in a statement. “UA Little Rock will mainly be responsible for creating quantum materials, UAPB will be responsible for characterizing quantum materials, and UA [Fayetteville] will be integrating those quantum materials into devices.”
UAPB is the lead institution for the grant and is receiving $3.5 million. The funding will be used to create a quantum laboratory and course content for bachelor’s and master’s degree students.
Researchers at UA Fayetteville, which also is receiving $750,000, will fabricate integrated quantum photonic devices. The materials will be used in quantum computing, quantum sensing and imaging in medicine, UALR said.
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