TAU Launches New Quantum Science And Technology Center

Tel Aviv University launched its new Center for Quantum Science and Technology this week, bringing together some 20 research labs from across university faculties that focus on different aspects of the field.

“The new center will serve as a dedicated hub of quantum science and technology and a roof for the extensive activities carried out on campus, while promoting collaborations at both the national and international levels,” said TAU Rector Professor Yaron Oz in a university statement.

“The quantum revolution is knocking on our door, and many people expect it to be just as great and significant as the industrial and digital revolutions, completely transforming our technology and way of life,” he added.

The new center will focus on three key aspects, according to the university: study programs in relevant tracks such as quantum computing and quantum communication; research enabling quantum collaborations between researchers from different disciplines such as sensors, chemistry, physics and mathematics; and international ties with research centers and corporations such as Google, IBM and Microsoft which are developing quantum technologies.

The center will recruit new faculty members, organize conferences and workshops, and offer scholarships and fellowships for students.

“Quantum theory, first developed more than a century ago, deals with phenomena at the level of tiny particles such as electrons and photons (particles of light). Many quantum phenomena contradict human intuition and our experience in day to day reality…Applied quantum research is a relatively new field that is rapidly gaining momentum both in Israel and worldwide, and this is the right time to put considerable effort into it,” Professor Oz said.