The Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, or PPPL, has unveiled a new laboratory dedicated to studying and refining the process of using plasma to create high-quality diamond material for use in quantum information science applications.
The Quantum Diamond Lab features machines that use plasma to create quantum diamond material infused with other elements that allow scientists to create qubits for a range of use cases, from cracking unbreakable codes to helping diagnose cancer, PPPL said Tuesday.
Emily Carter, PPPL’s senior strategic adviser and associate laboratory director for applied materials and sustainability science, said the national laboratory is leading the growth of quantum materials for research purposes.
“We are using our expertise in plasma to serve as a technological driver of economic innovation — improving the plasma processes used to make computer chips, advancing quantum sensors and communication and contributing to a net-zero world,” Carter remarked.
Alastair Stacey, managing principal research physicist at PPPL, said the laboratory will apply its expertise in deep plasma “to measure the plasma in great detail and create accurate simulations of the plasma and diamond growth process.”
