ERC Consolidator Grant for quantum physicist Tim Schröder
Prof. Dr. Tim Schröder from the Department of Physics at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Höchstfrequenztechnik (FBH), has been awarded a Consolidator Grant from the European Research Council (ERC) for his research in the field of quantum physics and quantum technology. The funding for the research project "Multidimensional Hyperentangled Photon Graph States", HyperGraph, amounts to around 2.5 million euros over five years. The ERC grants are among the most prestigious awards in European research funding and are awarded for outstanding scientific achievements.
Entangled quantum states are promising, but difficult to create
At the centre of quantum physics and quantum technology is the phenomenon of entanglement of photons, or more precisely photonic quantum states, which could lead to improved and completely new technical applications. Entangled quantum states are extremely difficult to create and verify. Nevertheless, new findings in this area have significantly advanced basic and applied research in recent years and are the prerequisite for many new quantum technologies. Theoretically, entanglement can be created between any number of photons, experimentally, however, there is presently a limit of about 10 photons.
New spin-photon interface enables ever more complex entanglements
Recently, Professor Schröder's research group developed a new type of spin-photon interface in diamond with record-breaking efficiencies between emitter and detector, which theoretically reach 99% and realistically 90%. This is made possible by the so-called Sawfish spin-photon interface. By bundling using multiplexing methods, several such interfaces can generate large entangled 2D and even 3D photon states. These entangled quantum states will be so complex that new theoretical models will be required to understand them.
"The use of states whose density matrix could never be calculated on classical computers is a conceptual problem in theory. In this area, HyperGraph's experimental research will stimulate concepts and new discoveries in theory. In addition, due to the many degrees of interconnection between the individual photons, I expect that innovative concepts for error correction, novel and possibly improved protocols in error-tolerant quantum information processing and even completely new applications will be developed in parallel and beyond HyperGraph," says Tim Schröder, who was already successful in acquiring an ERC Starting Grant for Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut in 2019.
About Tim Schröder
Tim Schröder has headed the Integrated Quantum Photonics group at the Department of Physics at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the Joint Lab Diamond Nanophotonics at the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut since 2018. After completing his doctorate at Humboldt-Universität in 2012, Schröder spent four years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, USA, and two years as an assistant professor at the Niels Bohr Institute in Denmark.
His research has received multiple awards and is supported by several highly competitive research funds, including an ERC Starting Grant from the European Commission, a Quantum Future Grant and other cooperation projects from the Federal Ministry of Research and Education and the Einstein Foundation Berlin. Together with over 30 students and staff, his group's research focuses on the quantum control of atomic spin defects in diamond nanostructures for applications in quantum technology.
The ERC Consolidator Grant
The European Research Council (ERC) provides funding for ground-breaking research projects. The ERC Consolidator Grant format is aimed at outstanding scientists in a time window of 7 to 12 years after their doctorate whose working group is in the consolidation phase. In order to carry out the Consolidator Grant project, the researcher must plan at least 40 percent of the working time for the ERC project and at least 50 percent of the working time must be spent within the EU or the countries associated with Horizon Europe. The funding is awarded for a period of up to five years and comprises up to two million euros.
