In Trento the first superconducting qubit made in Italy

“A qubit,” explains FBK researcher and team coordinator Federica Mantegazzini, “is a circuit only a few micrometres in size that behaves like an artificial atom. While the properties of an atom are determined by nature, a circuit can be custom-designed and constructed, making it ideal for studying quantum phenomena. Furthermore, the qubit is the basic component of various quantum applications, present and future, such as ultra-sensitive quantum sensors, quantum simulators and quantum computers. The construction of the first superconducting qubit in Italy is a key achievement for our team, which will allow us to develop ever more advanced quantum circuits. In Italy, many groups have been working with superconducting qubits, which are, however, produced abroad and ‘imported’ into Italian laboratories. Being able to make superconducting qubits in Italy is an important milestone and the first qubit manufactured at FBK is the first step in this direction. We now aim to further improve our technology and optimise the properties of the circuit, and then exploit the full potential of FBK Clean Rooms that are suitable for large-scale microfabrication.”

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The FBK team – From left to right – Nicolò Crescini (FBK researcher), Felix Ahrens (FBK researcher), Federica Mantegazzini (FBK researcher & team coordinator), Alessandro Irace (PhDFBK-Bicocca), Marcello Faggionato (Master student FBK-Bicocca). Not in the picture – Benno Margesin (senior fellow FBK).