A new joint initiative of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) has awarded Stephen Bradforth, professor of chemistry at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, one of eight major grants to study quantum phenomena in chemistry.
The project could deepen our understanding of how quantum mechanics shapes chemical reactions - a frontier with potential applications in solar energy, drug design and quantum sensing.
Bradforth's research will investigate the unusual chemistry that results from radical ion pairs - two molecules with unpaired electrons created during light-driven chemical reactions. These pairs may exhibit entanglement, a quantum connection between the particles' spins that links their behavior even when they're far apart.
Working with U.K. collaborator Tom Oliver of the University of Bristol, Bradforth is developing powerful new tools to detect this entanglement in real time, capturing events that unfold in just quadrillionths of a second. The project also aims to train a new generation of scientists in quantum information science, helping build a workforce ready for the emerging quantum era.
The new NSF-UKRI partnership funding the research is investing $10 million in eight collaborative projects that bring together U.S. and U.K. researchers to explore how quantum information affects chemical reactions and molecular systems, and how that knowledge can be harnessed to build new technologies.
"By supporting bold, collaborative science, this partnership lays the foundation for advances that can transform everyday life," said Brian Stone, performing the duties of NSF director. "These projects demonstrate the power of shared investment in tackling real-world challenges, from more powerful computing to next-generation navigation and sensing tools."
