NSF Grant Advances Quantum Information Science Research and Training at LSU

Ahana Chakraborty, assistant professor in LSU’s Department of Physics & Astronomy, has received a single-PI grant from the National Science Foundation to advance research and training in quantum information science at LSU.

The project tackles one of the central challenges facing quantum technologies: quantum information is extremely fragile. Measurements and interactions with the surrounding environment can disrupt quantum states, limiting the performance and reliability of quantum devices. Chakraborty’s research will examine how repeated measurements affect the growth and spread of quantum entanglement in complex, many-body quantum systems.

A major focus will be on bosonic quantum systems, including platforms based on cavity photons. The research will investigate whether these systems could offer advantages over conventional qubit-based approaches, particularly in environments where quantum information is exposed to frequent measurements and errors. Ultimately, the work aims to develop new theoretical tools for understanding these dynamics and help inform future approaches to more scalable and reliable quantum computing.

The project combines large-scale numerical simulations with new analytical approaches to study measurement-induced changes in quantum entanglement. Through this work, Chakraborty and her group will explore an emerging area of quantum information science while training LSU students in techniques relevant to quantum science and engineering.

The grant will directly support a Ph.D. student and an undergraduate researcher at LSU. Chakraborty will also develop a new graduate course, Open Quantum Systems, designed to provide students with skills increasingly valuable across quantum science and engineering in both academia and industry.

Beyond LSU, the project includes plans for a week-long Louisiana Quantum Summer School that would bring together 35 undergraduate students from universities across the state. Through lectures, computational workshops, hands-on activities in a quantum optics lab, and interactions with theorists and experimentalists from multiple institutions, the program aims to introduce students to the foundations of quantum information science and help build a statewide pipeline into the growing quantum workforce.

“I'm excited to explore a largely uncharted area of quantum information, such as monitored bosonic systems, and to bring students into that discovery process as we help build a stronger quantum ecosystem in Louisiana,” Chakraborty said.