SQMS Center

08/26/2026

Six years of SQMS, built together. 🎉

Since the Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center launched in 2020, the collaboration has grown to include 43 partner institutions and more than 300 collaborators working across disciplines to advance superconducting quantum science and technology.

Over those six years, SQMS researchers, engineers, students and partners have built new capabilities, advanced fundamental science and developed new approaches to quantum computing and sensing. Along the way, they have also built something just as important: a community that brings together expertise in materials science, device fabrication, cryogenics, computing, particle physics and more around a shared scientific mission.

The center has changed and grown since its earliest days, but the idea at its core remains the same: that some of the hardest challenges in quantum science are best tackled by bringing together people, technologies and expertise that have traditionally lived in different fields.

Swipe through for a look back at some of the people, places, milestones and moments of collaboration that have shaped the first six years of SQMS.

08/19/2026

Today we are celebrating World Photography Day with some of our favorite images from the 2025 Fermilab Photo Walk. 📷 Each of these images was taken in the Quantum Garage at the SQMS Center, one of the largest quantum research laboratories in the country.

“The Underside of Quantum Computing” by Mark Kaletka, Batavia, IL: Winner of the 2025 Fermilab Photo Walk
“QUANTUM COMPUTING” by Perry Slade of Aurora, Illinois
“Exposed Cryostat at the Quantum Garage” by Eileen Burman, Geneva, IL
“Quantum Gold” by Michael Galindo, Chicago, IL
“Untitled” by Joseph Paleczny, Plainfield, IL
“Quantum Chill” by Erik Burch, Carpentersville, IL

05/27/2026

Congratulations to Silvia Zorzetti for being named to the 2026 Scientific Computing World 75!

Silvia’s work connects deep technical leadership with a forward-looking vision for quantum systems, from superconducting technologies to quantum communication and co-design. This recognition is a fitting tribute to her impact across Fermilab, SQMS and the broader scientific computing community.

https://bit.ly/4dJB6j1

It is with enormous pride that we introduce the inaugural cohort of the Scientific Computing World 75 – the exceptional individuals who are redefining what is possible at the intersection of computing and research

05/26/2026

What limits a qubit’s performance? Sometimes, the answer starts at the surface.

In a recently published DOE Office of Science highlight, SQMS researchers identified niobium hydrides in superconducting qubits, revealing a previously unaccounted-for source of decoherence. By combining atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction and mass spectrometry, researchers observed how these defects form in niobium thin films as devices cool to cryogenic temperatures.

Understanding where this noise comes from is a key step toward improving qubit performance.

Microscopes, x-rays, and spectroscopy tools join forces to identify defects that interfere with delicate superconducting qubit properties.

04/14/2026

Happy World Quantum Day from the SQMS Center! We’re proud to be part of the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Quantum Information Science Research Center network, working together with fellow centers to push the boundaries of quantum computing, sensing and communication. Together, we’re building the future of quantum science.

03/30/2026

Congratulations again to all the SQMS collaborators who presented at APS—you represented the center with excellence and energy all week.

Group pic from the NQISRC + IBM Quantum networking event hosted during the Summit!


📸 : Nikolai Puc Photography