Lincoln Laboratory

Reporting from MIT, GBH’s Kirk Carapezza highlights how MIT is launching a “major effort to advance quantum computing, with a state investment of $25 million to help build a new research facility in Cambridge.” Said President Sally Kornbluth: “Everything you can think of that uses classical computing now, think about quantum speeding it up, making it more efficient. We think about the AI revolution and the expenses of AI and data centers. This is going to be impacted by a whole new different way of computing.”

President Sally Kornbluth and Governor Maura Healey announced the establishment of a new quantum hub at MIT, called the Quantum Systems Laboratory, which is aimed at enabling scientists to undertake impactful work applying quantum research across practical domains, including life sciences and national defense, reports Aaron Pressman for The Boston Globe. “Greater Boston has the greatest concentration of quantum talent anywhere in the world,” said Kornbluth. “It has been clear to us for some time that if we could magnify all of that talent with the right facilities and shared quantum toolbox, we could establish Massachusetts as a national hub for quantum innovation.”

To help establish Massachusetts and the nation as a quantum leader, President Sally Kornbluth and Governor Maura Healey announced plans for a new share-used quantum research facility at MIT, writes Axios reporter Steph Solis. The Quantum Systems Laboratory would “host teams focused on using quantum mechanics for life sciences and defense research, but what would set the MIT project apart from existing labs is its ability to power direct communication among multiple quantum computers,” Solis explains. 

Thanks in part to a $25 investment from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, MIT plans to open the Quantum Systems Laboratory, which will “provide quantum experts from across Massachusetts access to quantum hardware and specialized equipment,” reports Lucia Maffei for the Boston Business Journal. "This is good news for MIT, good news for Massachusetts and, frankly, good news for the world," said Governor Maura Healey. "This is really setting the stage to have cutting-edge quantum computers be able to operate in that building," said President Sally Kornbluth. "There will be many people throughout Massachusetts who come to use this facility. It's really a hub to make Massachusetts a quantum center.” 

State House News Service reporter Katie Castellani writes that President Sally Kornbluth and Governor Maura Healey announced a new shared-use quantum facility at MIT, the Quantum Systems Laboratory (QSL), aimed at providing scientists the opportunity to apply quantum research across various sectors, including defense and the life sciences. The QSL will “bring quantum computers together with quantum sensors and peripherals through physical channels that transfer information,” Castellani explains. 

Using technology developed at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory, the Artemis II astronauts are using lasers to send high-resolution video and images back to Earth, reports Hanna Ali for WBUR. Bryan Robinson, the leader of the Lincoln Laboratory Optical and Quantum Communications Group, explained that laser beams allow them to direct more energy at a target receiver. In other words, "you can communicate at higher data rates," Robinson said.

MassLive reporter John Micek writes about how the Artemis II astronauts are using optical communications technology developed at MIT Lincoln Laboratory to send high-resolution video and images of the lunar surface back to Earth. 

The stunning images of the moon and Earth being shared by the Artemis II crew have been made possible thanks to new optical communications technology developed by researchers at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory, reports Emily Maher for WCVB-TV. "It was just awe-inspiring to think humans haven't seen the Earth from pole-to-pole in over 50 years, and being part of helping to make that happen is very cool," said Corrie Smeaton, associate group leader of the Optical Engineering Group at Lincoln Lab. 

Artemis II features laser communication technology developed by researchers at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory, reports Mary Salanda for WCVB. “Known as the O2O, the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System is mounted on the spacecraft and features a 4-inch telescope that relies on lasers to quickly transmit images from space, including from the far side of the moon.” 

A new laser communication system developed by a team from MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory is aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission to the moon, reports Nick Stoico and Hannah Goeke for The Boston Globe. “It’s a culmination of a huge effort by a lot of people,” says Lincoln Lab Group Leader Bryan Robinson. “We’ve been waiting until now to get it off the ground.”

Onboard NASA’s Artemis II mission is an optical (laser) communication system developed by researchers from MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory , reports Steph Solis for Axios. The spacecraft will carry “an optical communication system that can produce 4K video in space during the roughly 10-day flight,” explains Solis. 

MIT researchers have “achieved a breakthrough towards building scalable quantum computers,” reports Prabhat Ranjan Mishra for Interesting Engineering, using “cryoelectronics to control ion traps, a key step toward realizing scalable quantum computers.”  The team says “this proof-of-principle experiment marks an important advancement toward building large-scale ion-trap quantum computing systems,” writes Mishra.

MIT is “taking a quantum leap with the launch of the new MIT Quantum Initiative (QMIT), reports State House News reporter Katie Castellani. “There isn't a more important technological field right now than quantum with its enormous potential for impact on both fundamental research and practical problems,” said President Sally Kornbluth during the launch event. “QMIT will help us to ask the right questions, identify the most critical problems and create a roadmap for developing quantum solutions that are both transformative and accessible.” 

Governor Maura Healey has announced a new initiative aimed at boosting the defense sector in Massachusetts, reports Katie Lannan for GBH. The Massachusetts governor noted that research institutions like MIT Lincoln Lab and Draper have been leaders in defense technology for years, and new startups in fields like AI, cybersecurity and quantum technology also aim to contribute to defense needs. “We want to work together, we want to continue these investments in bigger and stronger ways, looking to keep America secure for another 250 years,” says Healey.

Researchers at MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory are developing “automated electric vessels to map the ocean floor and improve search and rescue missions,” reports Ramen Cromwell for Chronicle. "Ship-based echo sounders cover wide areas but with poor resolution, while undersea vehicles have resolution but search too slowly," says Andrew March, an assistant group leader in MIT Lincoln Laboratory’s Advanced Undersea Systems and Technology Group. "It's called a moonshot. We know less about Earth’s seabed than the moon's surface."