In addition to immediate health risks, UV radiation also poses indirect hazards: it corrodes surface coatings on exposed objects (e.g., on aircraft and bridges) and attacks the coated materials. The underlying molecular processes (polymer degradation) are extremely complex. Therefore, a consortium coordinated by Fraunhofer IAF is working within the framework of the BMFTR-funded QPolyDeg project to develop novel quantum algorithms for simulating polymer degradation. Quantum chemical calculations are intended to enable more durable coatings for industrial applications.

A study focusing on fundamental aspects of quantum physics led by Cal Poly Physics Department Lecturer Ian Powell analyzed how a changing magnetic field can make matter behave in unusual ways. Working in collaboration with student researcher Louis Buchalter, an article coauthor, Powell published the journal article “Flux-Switching Floquet Engineering,” which demonstrates that changing magnetic fields over time in time can create quantum states that do not exist in any stationary material. By engineering new quantum behaviors by timing the field, physicists can potentially create technologies that are very stable and hard to disrupt by “noise” or imperfections that can interfere with quantum technology functionality and avoid system errors.