Oxford Instruments has awarded Menno Veldhorst, senior researcher at QuTech, the 2019 Nicholas Kurti Science Prize. Menno receives the prize for his ground-breaking work on silicon- and germanium-based electron spin quantum bits, that includes the demonstration of record spin coherence time for quantum dots and the demonstration of integrated two-qubit functionality.

Nicholas Kurti Science Prize
The objective of the Nicholas Kurti Science Prize is to promote and recognise the novel work of young European scientists working in the fields of low temperatures and high magnetic fields.

The Nicholas Kurti Science Prize selection committee was particularly impressed by Menno’s work on spin qubits at millikelvin temperatures, and the achievement of very long coherence times – work which has strong implications for the development of quantum computing. The committee consists of leading European physicists, chaired by Professor George Pickett, Lancaster University, UK.

Research
The focus of Menno Veldhorst’s research is on the experimental realisation of scalable quantum computers, which presents one of the most inspiring and important scientific and technological challenges today. Currently, quantum bits (qubits) that are based on superconducting circuits and trapped ions have reached a certain maturity, both of which are faced with difficulties in scaling up to the large numbers of qubits that will likely be needed to solve problems that are both relevant and beyond the reach of supercomputers. In the last five years, electron spins in semiconductor quantum dots, measured at low temperatures and in a magnetic field, have gained considerable momentum as an alternative platform that may offer the ultimate scalability that is required. Menno Veldhorst has made several key contributions that have put spin qubits firmly on the map.

“I feel very honoured receiving the prestigious Nicholas Kurt Science prize by Oxford Instruments”, commented Menno Veldhorst. “Semiconductor quantum dots have long been anticipated as a promising platform for quantum information. I am very proud to have contributed to the development of this field and to see that quantum dot qubits are increasingly being studied by both academic and industrial players to develop practical quantum computers”.

Menno Veldhorst will formally receive the Nicholas Kurti Science Prize trophy at a future research conference in Europe, where he will present his award-winning research work.