The Faculty of Physics inaugurates a laboratory to promote teaching and research in quantum sciences

The new laboratory is a pioneering academic facility in Spain and in Europe, as it enables cutting-edge experimental work: from Bell tests with entangled photons to single-photon emitter experiments and advanced atomic physics experiments. Likewise, this laboratory will host one of the courses of the prestigious Master’s Degree in Quantum Science and Technology, coordinated by the UB and involving the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, the Institute of Photonic Sciences, the Barcelona Supercomputing Centre, the Institute of High Energy Physics and the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. At the same time, some master’s and bachelor’s final projects will be developed there.

The equipment is supported by the Catalonia Quantum Academy (CQA), a platform that forms part of the “Quàntica: Mediterranean Valley of Science and Quantum Technologies” initiative, promoted by the Government of Catalonia, and the European DigiQ project.

The launch of the laboratory took place on 18 May and included speeches by the vice-rector for Research, Jordi García; the dean of the Faculty of Physics, Eugeni Graugés; the president of the CQA, Robert Sewell; and the deputy director-general for Technological Innovation and Scientific Internationalization of the Government of Catalonia, Lourdes Puigbarraca. They all agreed that the laboratory should be the start of a more extensive infrastructure.

The European Quantum Academy, an ambitious project

The inauguration of the laboratory coincides with the launch of the ambitious EQA project, which aims to influence education and dissemination in the field of quantum sciences, as well as to drive both basic research and technological developments. The UB expects to play an important role and thus continue the work carried out in previous projects.

It should be noted that, within the framework of the DigiQ project, which is now concluding, the UB has promoted improvements to the Master’s Degree in Quantum Science and Technology, fostered student exchanges and developed this new laboratory. The aim is to continue working in all these areas under the framework of the EQA, which brings together more than 70 partner institutions and will support the development of professionals in fields such as quantum computing and communications, which are set to feature in major knowledge transfer projects in the coming years.

Finally, it should be noted that the UB is promoting initiatives in the field of quantum sciences as part of other projects. With the support of the CQA, the Quantum Ambassadors project has been launched, which comprises educational materials and a course for secondary school teachers as a qualification of the Institute for Professional Development.