Quantum Physics as a pillar of metrology: Strategies and approach of a medium-sized NMI
Ismael Caballero, Adriana Palos, Daniel de Mercado Raposo, Yolanda A. Sanmamed, David Peral Jiménez, Javier Díaz de Aguilar Rois, María José Martín, M. Carmen Garcia Izquierdo, M. Dolores del Campo Maldonado
Quantum technologies make it possible to obtain reproducible standards at any time and place without traceability chain. Centro Español de Metrología (CEM) has been using them for more than 20 years for standards such as voltage and resistance. Nowadays, the second quantum revolution has burst into the field of metrology in a radical way, offering tools and methods with unprecedented capabilities and transforming the classical view of this science, giving the opportunity to overcome limits that were considered unsurpassed. NMIs have a duty and obligation to take this potential and transform it into tangible benefits for science, industry and society. This goal, which is a major challenge for the whole community, is even greater for small and medium-sized NMIs. However, far from being a barrier, this should be an invitation to actively participate in this revolution. CEM has assumed a firm commitment to develop these quantum technologies. This has led to design and implement a comprehensive strategy to completely transform the Institute, from the most classical conception of metrology towards future quantum developments. As part of this strategy, several projects are being carried out with the aim of being an active actor in this global transformation, such as the following: An optical clock based on Calcium 40 ions is being implemented. This device will make use of an ion trap, a state-of-the-art technology which will enhance the capabilities of CEM offering higher levels of accuracy in our realisations. Furthermore, this project aims to establish, with ROA, national and international collaborations that will allow us to contribute to the advancement of this technology in the global scientific community. On another hand, optomechanical sensors have been proposed by the International Thermometry community which, by combining light-mater interaction with the vibrations of the device at the nanometric scale, allows the construction of primary quantum thermometer. CEM has been working in nano-photonic sensors based on photonic crystals in Si. It has been developed a free space-measuring set-up working at 1550 nm from 10 °C to 80 °C for the calibration of photonic integrated circuits (PICs). In addition, CEM is developing an experiment for the materialization of the pressure unit, the Pascal, by refractometry technique. This experiment has the aim of covering the pressure range of 1 Pa to 30 kPa with a target expanded uncertainty (k = 2) of 2 mPa + 10 ppm. This experiment is part of the European integrated metrological infrastructure for a SI-traceable quantum-pascal, and it is expected to be one pillar for primary materializations of other quantities. These developments are part of the ongoing transformation at CEM, with the aim of becoming a key player in the implementation of quantum technologies in metrology. Beyond our progress, the goal is to serve as a showcase and inspiration for all NMIs, regardless of their size or resources, to understand the importance of being part of this revolution. Our aim is to demonstrate that, with a clear strategy and a strong commitment, it is possible to be part of this historic change.
Quantum technologies make it possible to obtain reproducible standards at any time and place without traceability chain. Centro Español de Metrología (CEM) has been using them for more than 20 years for standards such as voltage and resistance. Nowadays, the second quantum revolution has burst into the field of metrology in a radical way, offering tools and methods with unprecedented capabilities and transforming the classical view of this science, giving the opportunity to overcome limits that were considered unsurpassed. NMIs have a duty and obligation to take this potential and transform it into tangible benefits for science, industry and society. This goal, which is a major challenge for the whole community, is even greater for small and medium-sized NMIs. However, far from being a barrier, this should be an invitation to actively participate in this revolution. CEM has assumed a firm commitment to develop these quantum technologies. This has led to design and implement a comprehensive strategy to completely transform the Institute, from the most classical conception of metrology towards future quantum developments. As part of this strategy, several projects are being carried out with the aim of being an active actor in this global transformation, such as the following: An optical clock based on Calcium 40 ions is being implemented. This device will make use of an ion trap, a state-of-the-art technology which will enhance the capabilities of CEM offering higher levels of accuracy in our realisations. Furthermore, this project aims to establish, with ROA, national and international collaborations that will allow us to contribute to the advancement of this technology in the global scientific community. On another hand, optomechanical sensors have been proposed by the International Thermometry community which, by combining light-mater interaction with the vibrations of the device at the nanometric scale, allows the construction of primary quantum thermometer. CEM has been working in nano-photonic sensors based on photonic crystals in Si. It has been developed a free space-measuring set-up working at 1550 nm from 10 °C to 80 °C for the calibration of photonic integrated circuits (PICs). In addition, CEM is developing an experiment for the materialization of the pressure unit, the Pascal, by refractometry technique. This experiment has the aim of covering the pressure range of 1 Pa to 30 kPa with a target expanded uncertainty (k = 2) of 2 mPa + 10 ppm. This experiment is part of the European integrated metrological infrastructure for a SI-traceable quantum-pascal, and it is expected to be one pillar for primary materializations of other quantities. These developments are part of the ongoing transformation at CEM, with the aim of becoming a key player in the implementation of quantum technologies in metrology. Beyond our progress, the goal is to serve as a showcase and inspiration for all NMIs, regardless of their size or resources, to understand the importance of being part of this revolution. Our aim is to demonstrate that, with a clear strategy and a strong commitment, it is possible to be part of this historic change.
Centro Español de Metrología (CEM) is developing a quantum frequency standard based on trapped calcium ions, marking its entry into the landscape of the second quantum revolution. Optical frequency standards offer unprecedented precision by referencing atomic transitions that are fundamentally stable and immune to environmental drift. However, the challenge of developing such a system from scratch is unaffordable for a medium-sized National Metrology Institute (NMI), which seems to limit the ability of an institute such as CEM to contribute to this field of research. To overcome this, CEM has adopted a hybrid strategy, combining commercially available components with custom integration to accelerate deployment. This paper defines and implements an architecture adapted to the constraints of a medium-size NMI, where the main contribution is the systematic design, selection, and interconnection of the subsystems required to realize this standard. The rationale behind the system design is presented, detailing the integration of key elements for ion trapping, laser stabilization, frequency measurement, and system control. Current progress, ongoing developments, and future research directions are outlined, establishing the foundation for spectroscopic measurements and uncertainty evaluation. The project represents a strategic step toward strengthening national capabilities in quantum metrology for a medium-sized NMI.
Emerging technologies demand innovations in metrology: • Agility – to keep pace with a rapidly changing technical landscape; • Ability – to develop novel, perhaps first-ever, measurement capabilities; • Comparability and interoperability – across vendors, in commercial timeframes; • Accelerated delivery – because formal standards may be obsolete by the time they’re published. The same quantum technologies that have revolutionized metrology, such as Josephson junctions that are used to create the world’s most accurate voltage standards and ion traps that are used in time and frequency standards, also underpin emerging new markets in quantum computing, networking and sensing – and these quantum-based products require entirely new approaches for measurement and characterization. The world’s metrology institutes have been at the forefront of the quantum revolution, being both early developers and adopters of quantum technologies for metrology, and are uniquely poised to spearhead the development of metrology for quantum – those measurements and related standards needed by industry to underpin quantum-based products. The metrology community is positioned to create trust in the emerging quantum economy due to its long history of objectivity, neutrality and international collaboration; anticipating industry’s needs to be ready with rigorous measurement capabilities as technologies evolve; and its having formed institutions such as the CIPM, BIPM and IMEKO to support collaborative efforts. The BIPM hosted a workshop in March 2024 which brought together 149 participants from 43 NMIs and designated institutes (DIs) from 39 economies, along with industry representatives, to discuss how best to leverage the expertise of the worlds national metrology institutes (NMIs) and their designated institutes (DIs) to accelerate the development and adoption of quantum technologies through measurements and standards. The workshop supported coordinated development and sharing of measurement “best practices” in support of future standardization, the mission of a new collaborative initiative referred to as NMI-Q. The NMI-Q organizing committee, comprised of representatives of the NMIs of Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, are working on a cooperation framework inspired by the successful VAMAS organization, which conducts coordinated pre-standardization work in material science. NMI-Q has initiated early work in quantum photonics, and expects to expand to a breadth of technical areas, such as measurement and characterization to support multiple quantum computing platforms, quantum networking models, and sensing modalities.
The second quantum revolution is underway and the deployment of Quantum Technologies (QT) keeps pace with it. This technological paradigm-switch creates opportunities and challenges for industry, innovation and society. Several large companies, as well as start-ups, have started to develop and engineer quantum devices or begun to integrate them into their products: the commercial success of QT, together with progress in research and development, relies on certification and reliability built upon internationally agreed standards and metrological traceability. A group of European National Metrology Institutes (NMIs) and Delegated Institutes (DIs) have recently created a European Metrology Network for Quantum Technologies (EMN-Q) under the auspices of EURAMET. The objective of the EMN-Q is to co-ordinate the activities of the European NMIs and Dis to ensure their efficient support for European competitiveness in quantum technologies. A special focus of the EMN-Q will be to develop new measurement capabilities and dedicated services to serve the rapidly-growing needs of industry and research institutions in this field. Industry, governmental agencies, academic sectors or any other type of stakeholder are welcome to contact the EMN-Q and discuss their metrology needs. These can relate not only to quantum characteristics of quantum devices, but also to metrology of key enabling technologies, metrology that can improve the supply chain of industrial quantum devices or other industrial needs connected with quantum technologies. EMN-Q aims to become is to become the central contact point to stakeholders interested in metrology for quantum technologies by: • contributing to standardisation & certification of quantum technologies; • promoting the take-up of metrology in the development of these technologies; • supporting industrial needs in synergy with the technological objectives of the EC Quantum Flagship and national quantum technology programs; and • promoting the use of quantum measurement techniques where advantageous for “classical” technical areas. We are in process of structuring and developing the communication services of the EMN-Q. One of the key aspect in this EMN-Q development is the establishment the EMN-Q Strategic Research Agenda (SRA). The SRA will contain the technological roadmaps that are created by the EMN-Q members in consultation with the EMN-Q Stakeholder Community. In this paper, we will provide a short overview of the EMN-Q organization, and of the SRA and the relative Technological Roadmaps.
The ongoing second quantum revolution will lead to unprecedented technological capabilities opening up important scientific progress and business opportunities. The worldwide investments in quantum technology are important in the academic as well as in the industrial sector. However, these new technologies must also be duly characterised and calibrated with measurements traceable to the International System of Units, as it is the standard today for classical technologies. An accessible and fit for purpose testing infrastructure for quantum technology is thus clearly needed. In this paper we give an overview of our vision of a Swiss metrology competence centre for quantum technologies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Metrology METAS and highlight the present state of the recent developments.
Advances in quantum mechanics have long underpinned metrology by enabling practical realizations of units through quantum effects. With the 2019 SI revision, traceability is anchored in defined fundamental constants, reinforcing the quantum-mechanical basis of modern standards. In parallel, quantum technologies are transitioning from laboratory science to engineering and early industrial deployment, bringing familiar pressures for integration, reliability, cost reduction, supply-chain formation, and standardization. The direction of benefit is thus reversing: metrology and precision measurement are becoming enabling infrastructure for the industrialization of quantum technologies. Against this backdrop, this paper surveys the metrology and precision-measurement capabilities required across representative quantum-computing modalities and identifies where electrical and related metrology can contribute to the development, characterization, and reliable operation of quantum hardware. We then discuss cross-cutting measurement needs and standardization opportunities that recur across platforms, and note how similar frameworks can extend to emerging quantum-sensing applications.
Quantum physics looks back at over a century of tradition and represents the foundation of metrology. The last twenty years of progress in science and technology have seen a tremendous increase in the level of control over quantum systems at the most elementary level. This development paves the way for novel applications of quantum technology with relevance for economy and potentially disruptive impact. With this potential comes the need to support the dynamic development with metrology for the emerging quantum industry to create trust, reliability, enable comparability and thus lay the foundation for a future quality infrastructure. The Quantum Technology Center (QTZ) at PTB is addressing this need for several quantum technologies. Examples include: Ion traps, as a hardware platform for quantum clocks, quantum sensors and quantum computers, have evolved to mature quantum devices which already made the step from a research object into an industrial product. Providing novel products for end users requires fair comparisons of these devices, consequently requiring standardized methods for testing and characterization. QTZ has successfully established a characterization setup for ion traps from industry and academia, providing a stable environment for reproducible and fair comparisons. Many quantum communication technologies, particularly quantum key distribution, operate within the single-photon domain, leveraging the non-cloning theorem to prevent eavesdropping by transmitting individual photons. QTZ contributes to the establishment of a robust foundation for standardized characterization and future certification activities, by offering testing facilities for key components, such as single-photon detectors, optical attenuators, isolators, and spectral filters. The precise clocked transport of single electrons has gained a lot of interest for the 2019 revised SI system as a unique and elegant way of a direct realization of the unit ampere. QTZ is developing single-electron pumps based on quantum dots, with the general objectives of robustness, reproducibility and scaling. In addition to their primary use in metrology, these universal devices can be of interest for applications in quantum technology, e.g. in quantum computing as so-called spin qubit shuttles, a connecting path over several µm in length between different qubits, enabling the scaling of complex multiple qubit systems. Across all fields, documentary standards, developed in an international consensus framework, are a fundamental part of a successful quantum technology ecosystem. PTB is actively contributing to the International IEC/ISO JTC3 and the European CEN/CENELEC JTC22. These activities are complemented by several projects in cooperation with industry. In this contribution, we will give an overview of our activities and discuss future challenges and opportunities of metrology for quantum technology and the emerging quantum industry.