Public Abstract

DE-SC0024471: Quantum Technologies for Fusion Research

Award Status: Active

Institution: Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, operating as University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
UEI: LCLSJAGTNZQ7
PM: Parra, Enrique

Most Recent Award Date: 09/14/2026
Number of Support Periods: 4
PI: Choy, Jennifer

Current Budget Period: 09/01/2026 - 08/31/2027
Current Project Period: 09/01/2026 - 08/31/2029

Public Abstract

Quantum technologies for fusion research The Department of Energy's Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) Roadmap targets a fusion pilot plant by the mid-2030s. Reaching that goal requires closing critical gaps in how we measure conditions inside fusion devices, how we produce fusion fuel, and how we model the materials that must survive contact with the plasma. Quantum science, which harnesses the behavior of individual atoms and particles of light, offers powerful new tools for each of these challenges. Quantum-enhanced spectroscopy can detect trace impurities in the harsh edge region of a fusion device; atomic sensors can measure magnetic fields without calibration and without interference from the intense electromagnetic environment; and related techniques can sense electric fields directly inside the plasma. Preparing fusion fuel in a "spin-polarized" state can significantly increase the fusion reaction rate, and quantum simulation can capture the physics of strongly interacting electrons in plasma-facing materials that are intractable for classical methods. During the first funding period, our team carried out scoping studies of quantum-enhanced two-photon absorption spectroscopy in fusion-relevant atomic species and demonstrated high-field, all-optical magnetometry using atomic vapor. In this renewal, we will build on this progress to advance toward measurements on operating fusion devices and to expand into new research directions. Specifically, we aim to: (i) demonstrate quantum-enhanced multi-photon absorption spectroscopy in helicon plasmas and on the Helically Symmetric eXperiment (HSX) stellarator at UW–Madison to make localized measurements of impurities in the plasma edge and divertor; (ii) deploy a compact, packaged quantum magnetometer on HSX for magnetic field measurements and develop Rydberg-atom spectroscopy for direct, in-situ electric field measurements; (iii) investigate new optical pumping techniques for producing spin-polarized fusion fuel; and (iv) develop quantum computing methods to model defects in plasma-facing materials and to generate fusion-relevant atomic data, co-designed for the early fault-tolerant quantum computers. These capabilities directly address FES Roadmap gaps in core-edge integration, divertor solutions, boundary diagnostics, particle delivery, and plasma-facing material modeling. The renewal expands the team and will support graduate students and postdoctoral researchers across four departments (Electrical and Computer Engineering; Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics; Materials Science and Engineering; and Physics), building a multidisciplinary workforce at the intersection of quantum and fusion science.

Quantum technologies for fusion research

The Department of Energy's Fusion Energy Sciences (FES) Roadmap targets a fusion pilot plant by the mid-2030s. Reaching that goal requires closing critical gaps in how we measure conditions inside fusion devices, how we produce fusion fuel, and how we model the materials that must survive contact with the plasma. Quantum science, which harnesses the behavior of individual atoms and particles of light, offers powerful new tools for each of these challenges. Quantum-enhanced spectroscopy can detect trace impurities in the harsh edge region of a fusion device; atomic sensors can measure magnetic fields without calibration and without interference from the intense electromagnetic environment; and related techniques can sense electric fields directly inside the plasma. Preparing fusion fuel in a "spin-polarized" state can significantly increase the fusion reaction rate, and quantum simulation can capture the physics of strongly interacting electrons in plasma-facing materials that are intractable for classical methods.

During the first funding period, our team carried out scoping studies of quantum-enhanced two-photon absorption spectroscopy in fusion-relevant atomic species and demonstrated high-field, all-optical magnetometry using atomic vapor. In this renewal, we will build on this progress to advance toward measurements on operating fusion devices and to expand into new research directions. Specifically, we aim to: (i) demonstrate quantum-enhanced multi-photon absorption spectroscopy in helicon plasmas and on the Helically Symmetric eXperiment (HSX) stellarator at UW–Madison to make localized measurements of impurities in the plasma edge and divertor; (ii) deploy a compact, packaged quantum magnetometer on HSX for magnetic field measurements and develop Rydberg-atom spectroscopy for direct, in-situ electric field measurements; (iii) investigate new optical pumping techniques for producing spin-polarized fusion fuel; and (iv) develop quantum computing methods to model defects in plasma-facing materials and to generate fusion-relevant atomic data, co-designed for the early fault-tolerant quantum computers.

These capabilities directly address FES Roadmap gaps in core-edge integration, divertor solutions, boundary diagnostics, particle delivery, and plasma-facing material modeling. The renewal expands the team and will support graduate students and postdoctoral researchers across four departments (Electrical and Computer Engineering; Nuclear Engineering and Engineering Physics; Materials Science and Engineering; and Physics), building a multidisciplinary workforce at the intersection of quantum and fusion science.