Two national laboratories based in New Mexico have been awarded $8 million by the U.S. Energy Department to study the fundamental physics of all matter.
The award will fund two three-year projects focused on quantum research at the Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies.
Scientists from Sandia and Los Alamos national laboratories will be able to build advanced tools for nanotechnology research and development. Officials say funding also will provide opportunities for researchers outside the labs to benefit from the new technologies.
The center's co-director, Sean Hearne, says the science community recognizes that quantum-enabled systems are a new frontier for electronic and optical devices.
He says work at the center includes developing new techniques to place single atoms where scientists want them and control how they interact with the environment around them.
Sandia National Laboratories’ Ed Bielejec examines a material at the Ion Beam Laboratory with the Nano-Implanter, a machine that produces very precise material defects. Image and caption credit: Rebecca Gustaf / Sandia National Laboratories 
