Summary: PSI houses the Swiss Light Source (SLS), SwissFEL, and SINQ neutron source β making it Switzerland's premier large-scale facility for quantum sensing of matter. Key quantum sensing capabilities: muon spin spectroscopy (ΞΌSR) for quantum materials magnetometry; neutron scattering for structural quantum sensing in biological macromolecules and quantum materials; SLS for synchrotron-based nano-imaging and spectroscopy. The ETHβPSI Quantum Computing Hub and joint appointments with ETH integrate PSI into the Zurich quantum sensing ecosystem. PSI is uniquely positioned for quantum sensing applied to materials science, structural biology, and magnetometry using muon probes.
Notes: Swiss national research institute for particle physics, materials science, and photon science. Houses the Swiss Light Source (SLS), SwissFEL, and the SINQ neutron source. Several ETH Zurich faculty hold joint appointments (e.g., Aeppli, Xu). ETHβPSI Quantum Computing Hub is a major joint initiative. Exceptional synchrotron and neutron facilities for quantum materials characterization and quantum sensing.
Aeppli leads the Quantum Technologies Group spanning ETH Zurich, EPFL, and PSI. Research directions: (1) Quantum materials imaging β using SLS synchrotron X-rays (including SwissFEL ultrafast pulses) and neutrons at SINQ to image quantum phase transitions, skyrmions, and correlated phases; non-destructive imaging of device structures; (2) Rare-earth quantum magnets and qubits β LiHoF4 as a model quantum system; Er, Pr, and Nd spin qubits in crystals for quantum information and sensing; (3) Semiconductor quantum devices β silicon and germanium nanostructures probed by synchrotron nanoscale X-ray imaging; (4) Van der Waals materials and CDW memory devices. Strong interface with PSI large-scale facilities as unique quantum sensing tools for materials.
Xu leads the Experimental Quantum Engineering group with a joint ETHβPSI appointment. Research directions: (1) Superconducting circuit quantum sensing β using qubits-as-sensors for detecting weak microwave signals beyond standard quantum limits, quantum non-demolition readout of photon fields; (2) Quantum error correction enabled sensing β integrating bosonic codes (cat qubits, binomial codes) into sensing protocols; (3) Quantum acoustics β coupling superconducting qubits to surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonators for hybrid quantum sensing; (4) Novel quantum hardware at PSI β leveraging PSI's infrastructure for cryogenic device fabrication and testing. Connected to the ETHβPSI Quantum Computing Hub.