Today, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $11.4 million for six projects in quantum information science (QIS) with relevance to fusion and plasma science.
The Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) program supports fundamental research to expand the understanding of matter at very high temperatures and densities and to build the scientific foundation needed to develop a fusion energy source. The QIS portfolio within FES supports research opportunities outlined in the 2018 Fusion Energy Sciences Roundtable on Quantum Information Science report. It includes science and technology thrusts where QIS might have a transformative impact on FES mission areas, including fusion and discovery plasma science. It also includes exploring fundamental science supported by FES to advance the field of Quantum Information Science beyond FES' applications.
"These awards will not only advance our priority research opportunities but will position FES to take advantage of QIS sensing techniques and future quantum computing hardware," said Jean Paul Allain, Associate Director of Science for FES. "The convergence of quantum science, fusion energy, and plasma science is an exciting and revolutionary emergent area of discovery and broader impact."
Projects funded in this announcement will advance quantum algorithms relevant to fusion and plasma physics on existing and near‐term quantum computers, develop novel high-sensitivity measurement techniques for plasmas, and explore the use of high energy density physics methods for novel QIS materials discovery and synthesis.
The projects were selected by competitive peer review under the DOE Funding Opportunity Announcement for Quantum Information Science Research for Fusion Energy Sciences. They will last up to three years, with total funding of $11.4 million: $3.8 million in FY23 and $7.6 million in outyear funding contingent on congressional appropriations.