Charting Quantum Horizons: Establishing a Roadmap for Microarcsecond Astronomy

11 March 2024, Tucson, AZ, USA

https://noirlab.edu/science/events/websites/astro-quantum-interferometry-workshop-2024/ 

Main Topics

• New science cases enabled by high spatial resolution in fields such as exoplanets, stellar physics, young stars/disks, AGN and SMBHs
• Quantum-enhanced methods for pushing current limitations on spatial resolution
• Bridging collaborations between quantum and astronomy communities to establish a roadmap for microarcsecond science

Registration and Abstract Submission

Motivation:

Optical interferometry has undergone a revolution in the last few years that now brings into focus the future of this rapidly developing field. In particular, achieving baselines that exceed the current maxima of a few hundred meters would push new frontiers of microarcsecond science. Such capabilities would open up an entirely new phase space of high-resolution astronomical research that could lead to breakthroughs in fields such as exoplanets, stellar physics, young stars/disks, active galactic nuclei (AGN) and supermassive black holes (SMBHs).

Roadmaps for expanding baselines by several orders of magnitude over current optical imaging arrays are now being explored, where limitations due to photon loss can be addressed by quantum-enhanced methods utilizing resources such as quantum memories and entanglement. This is the ideal time to establish collaborations between the astronomy and quantum communities to ensure this opportunity for microarcsecond science can be realized. NSF’s NOIRLab, in collaboration with the Arizona Quantum Initiative (AQuI) and the Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA), will be hosting an in-person one-day workshop on 11 March 2024 on establishing the roadmaps for applying quantum-enhanced methods to optical/infrared interferometry.

Workshop Goal:

The goal of this one-day workshop is to establish astronomy–quantum collaborations and to explore the roadmaps towards a new era of high-resolution astronomy. We aim to achieve this by accomplishing the following in the workshop:

• Highlight science cases enabled by microarcsecond resolution at optical/IR wavelengths (e.g. exoplanets, stellar physics, young stars/disks, AGN and SMBHs)
• Discuss quantum-enhanced methods for pushing current limitations on spatial resolution
• Establish collaborations between the astronomy and quantum communities to address science requirements and technical challenges

Another important goal following the workshop is for a collaboration of astronomers and quantum information scientists to write a joint white paper and/or publication that describes the concept of an on-sky demonstration of a quantum-enhanced telescope/interferometer.

After the Charting Quantum Horizons workshop, there will be the three-day Annual CHARA Science Meeting (12–14 March 2024) at the same venue.

SOC 

Ryan Lau (NSF’s NOIRLab; Astro Co-Chair)
Amit Ashok (University of Arizona; Quantum Co-Chair)
Saikat Guha (University of Arizona)
John Monnier (University of Michigan)
Gail Schaefer (Georgia State University / CHARA)
Joel Sánchez Bermúdez (National Autonomous University of Mexico) 
Brian Smith (University of Oregon)
Aziza Suleymanzade (Harvard University)

LOC

Jessica Harris (NSF’s NOIRLab)
Zachary Hartman (International Gemini Observatory/NSF’s NOIRLab)
Isack Padilla (University of Arizona)
Jayadev Rajagopal (NSF’s NOIRLab)
Stephen Ridgway (NSF’s NOIRLab)
Gabe Richardson (University of Arizona)

Invited speakers

Coming soon

Important dates

11 December 2023: Registration and Abstract Submission Open
9 February 2024: Contributed Talk Deadline (**Only a limited number of contributed talks may be selected**)
9 February 2024: In-person Registration Deadline
29 February 2024: Virtual Registration Deadline
29 February 2024: Contributed Poster Deadline
11 March 2024: Workshop date
12–14 March 2024: CHARA Annual Science Meeting (Tucson, AZ) 

Schedule

The workshop will last the whole day on Monday 11 March 2024 from 9 a.m. to about 5:00 p.m.. A more detailed schedule will be coming soon.

Workshop email contact: astroquantum2024@noirlab.edu