CRC/Transregio (TRR) 185 “OSCAR” has been extended for a third funding period. The University of Kaiserslautern-Landau holds the role of lead institution, while a number of researchers from the University of Bonn are also involved. A common presumption in physics is that quantum effects will only have a decisive impact on a system’s properties if it is as isolated as possible from its environment, and many quantum technologies hinge on precisely this isolation. The main approach adopted by CRC/TRR 185 turns this on its head: its researchers are looking at the coupling of quantum systems to reservoirs as a potentially useful tool rather than an unavoidable nuisance. This CRC aims to use external drive and tailored reservoirs to counteract the effects of generic, uncontrolled environments and create a toolbox for controlling single- and many-body quantum systems using open systems. This includes generating, controlling and stabilizing interesting and useful quantum states as well as stimulating and manipulating collective processes. “With our consortium, we’re coming up with new ways of controlling quantum systems by coupling them to outside influences, which we call ‘environments,’” says Professor Corinna Kollath, the speaker in Bonn. “Going forward, our hope is that this will open up new applications and functionalities in quantum technology.”
The researcher is also involved in a project at CRC 1238, “Control and Dynamics of Quantum Materials,” which has likewise had its funding extended. The lead partner here is the University of Cologne, with the University of Bonn and Forschungszentrum Jülich also taking part.
All information on the CRCs involving the University of Bonn for which funding is set to continue can be found in the press release.