Cetina Receives NSF CAREER Award to Advance Ion-Based Quantum Computing

Marko Cetina, an assistant professor of physics at Duke University, has received funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support research aimed at using optical resonators to overcome key barriers to scaling ion-based quantum computing and simulation technologies.

Cetina, a senior investigator in the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation (RQS) and member of the Duke Quantum Center, is the principal investigator of an NSF Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award, which is expected to total approximately $406,000 over the next five years.

This highly competitive award—one of the NSF’s most prestigious honors for early-career faculty—recognizes researchers who demonstrate potential as academic role models and leaders in their fields.

Cetina’s project focuses on addressing one of the most pressing bottlenecks quantum researchers face: scaling up quantum hardware without sacrificing performance. While trapped-ion systems boast some of the lowest error rates among quantum platforms, current systems remain capped at fewer than 60 physical qubits. Expanding beyond this limit is essential for practical quantum error correction, but linking larger numbers of qubits together while maintaining low error rates remains a major hurdle.

To tackle this, the project will proceed in two distinct phases. First, Cetina’s team will use patterned laser light like “optical tweezers” to lock barium ions in place, allowing researchers to simulate complex behaviors in physics and materials science.

Second, his lab will use optical resonators—specialized arrangements of mirrors that trap light—to bounce light signals between groups of ions across a single microchip. By using light particles (photons) to link ions together, this approach offers a scalable pathway to expand trapped-ion systems to hundreds of connected qubits.

If successful, mastering these interconnects will allow researchers to simulate complex, inherently quantum processes in fields like chemistry, nuclear physics, and materials science—offering unprecedented insights into phenomena such as high-temperature superconductivity, improved chemical catalysis, and the structure of compact stars and atomic nuclei.

Parallel to his work in the lab, Cetina is leveraging the funding to cultivate the next generation of atomic physicists and quantum engineers. The project will enhance undergraduate education through hands-on curriculum development and regional outreach to colleges across North Carolina to recruit and train a diverse quantum workforce. Additionally, Cetina is partnering with industry leaders to refine optical alignment techniques, helping translate basic research into practical commercial applications.

—News brief adapted from an article by the Duke Quantum Center

Award Information:

“CAREER: ColleqtIon: Collective Ion Optical Interconnects for Quantum Computing” is supported by NSF grant #2441492 from the NSF’s Division of Physics

PI: Marko Cetina, a senior investigator in the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation (RQS) and an assistant professor of physics at Duke University

About the CAREER award: The Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program is an NSF activity that offers the foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organization.