Crystal Noel Receives NSF CAREER Award to Improve Light Delivery in Quantum Computers

The next major advances in quantum computing likely depend on how precisely researchers can shape and deliver light. Supported by a new five-year, $665,195 National Science Foundation CAREER award, Crystal Noel will test if an up-and-coming photonic material called lithium niobate can make that quantum leap possible.

Noel, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and physics at Duke, is an expert on the trapped-ion platform of quantum computers, which use tightly controlled laser beams to prepare, move, hold and measure ions in mid-air. Today, that control depends on large, delicate optical devices on the sidelines of the quantum machine. This setup works for current usage, but they are cumbersome, difficult to scale up and introduce unnecessary variables in an already delicate system.

Noel’s project centers on trying to use thin‑film lithium niobate (TFLN) to shrink these bulky optical arrangements onto a chip. This material holds promise because it is already used in other applications like telecommunications to steer and shape light very efficiently.

Those other applications, however, use infrared wavelengths, whereas quantum computers require the higher energy found in visible light.

“When you put high‑intensity visible light into TFLN, it can change in unpredictable ways that distort the laser signal,” said Noel, who is part of the Duke Quantum Center (DQC) in downtown Durham, N.C. “This is known as photorefraction, and for quantum computers, small distortions can pose a big challenge.”

Her team will study how TFLN behaves under the kinds of high-intensity, precise laser beams needed to operate trapped ions. First, they’ll measure how the material responds in controlled experiments. Then they’ll connect prototype photonic devices to actual ion traps and watch how these effects show up in quantum operations.

“Our goal is to understand whether photonic devices made from TFLN can deliver laser light that’s stable and precise enough to maintain the low-error quantum operations that trapped ions offer,” Noel said.  

If TFLN proves to work with visible light, it could transform quantum computer systems. The same functions of larger optical setups could be maintained in the size of a computer chip. Additionally, TFLN might allow researchers to bring light delivery and trapped ions on the same chip as the optical components—a difficult feat with existing technologies.

“You’d get more capability per square inch with this material,” Noel said. “That makes it one of the few pathways that might be practical to integrate directly with an ion trap.”

Such improvements in quantum computer systems could open new directions across the field, potentially leading to smaller and more scalable quantum computers, more stable operations and compact quantum sensors.

Training the Next Quantum Workforce

Alongside the lab experiments, the CAREER award includes funding to expand quantum education for students ranging from middle school to community college.

In partnership with Duke’s Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility (SMIF), her team will introduce new quantum‑inspired activities to existing summer camps and outreach programs. Students will be able to look at photonic chips under a microscope and work through simplified versions of the fabrication steps that create them.

A second effort will bring students from Durham Technical Community College to DQC for hands‑on internships. They’ll gain exposure to quantum research while building work experience for industry or a four‑year degree.

“This collaboration with Durham Tech will allow us to start building the workforce and talent pool needed to operate these quantum technologies,” Noel said.