UK to boast world’s most advanced quantum technology lab

Lancaster University begins work on £2m ultra-low noise lab

Lancaster University has begun work on a £2 million suite of ultra-low noise laboratories which promises to provide the world's most advanced environments for expanding the field of quantum technology.

IsoLab will house three isolated laboratory spaces where vibration, noise and electromagnetic disturbance will be drastically reduced to give an "ultra-clean" experimental environment. The building will be embedded in the ground and separated from other buildings to ensure that the three 50-tonne experimental platforms are as completely isolated as possible from the surrounding environment.

Expected to be open in autumn 2016, the laboratories will allow the operation of the extremely sensitive quantum systems and devices which many expect to become the transformative technology of the future. They will provide capability and access both for the University and industry in, for example, quantum optics, nano-machinery, quantum encryption, extreme microscopy and also provide the lowest temperatures available for cooling quantum systems.

Vice-chancellor Professor Mark E. Smith said: “This unique facility will provide a world-beating environment for modern quantum technology and provide support for this field not only for the University, but also for the northwest region and beyond.”

The lab has been funded by Lancaster, the Wolfson Foundation, the Garfield Weston Foundation and the J. P. Moulton Foundation.

A further sum approaching £1m has been awarded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council for the first tranche of equipment and instrumentation.