Physicists at the University of Southampton have developed a miniaturised cold atom system that will help unlock the commercial potential of quantum devices.

The vacuum chamber vastly reduces the size of a core component of quantum technology, opening new possibilities for the next generation of computing, sensing and communications applications.

Dr Andrei Dragomir, of the Quantum, Light and Matter (QLM) Group, is founding spinout company Aquark technologies to drive the technology forward.

Unlike modern electronics, which rely on the manipulation of electrons, quantum devices tap into the potential of new physics exploring tiny energy levels of atoms and sub-atomic particles.

"There has been a surge of investment in bringing these quantum technologies to market, however most of it is directed toward software development rather than hardware components," Andrei explains.

"Whilst these devices do perform better than their classical counterparts, they depend on cold atoms systems which occupy large spaces, are complex, power hungry and require expensive qualified personnel to operate them. This creates a tremendous engineering challenge for the commercial application of quantum devices and is the major obstacle preventing wider adoption."

After years of research, Southampton physicists have transformed the current complex, power-intensive systems into the miniaturised vacuum chamber which can accomplish all the tasks for a fraction of the weight, size and power requirements.

The spinout's enabling technologies are building upon Andrei's doctoral thesis, 'Cold atoms in your pocket', which focussed on the construction of these vacuum chambers, the study of the eutectic bond and the manufacturing of integrated electric feedthroughs, together with the development of new cold atom trap geometries.

"The emerging generation of quantum devices will revolutionise countless industries, including computing, civil engineering, telecoms, oil and gas, and semiconductors," Andrei says. "Aquark technologies is positioned at the heart of this step change, as we can achieve for quantum technology what miniaturising transistors did for semiconductors and so power the continued growth of this emerging industry.

"We will turn these incredible but complex devices into simple to use, plug-and-play systems, starting by establishing ourselves as market leaders in the miniaturisation of vacuum technology, atom sources and electronics."

Astronomer Dr Francesco Shankar will develop a smart algorithm for optimising hypertension management strategies in a new role with The Alan Turing Institute.

The researcher, from Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southampton, will exploit a common technique used in extra-galactic astronomy to assist clinical decision making in blood pressure treatments.

Francesco will lead the pilot project as a newly announced Turing Fellow at the UK's national institute for data science and artificial intelligence.

The University is a partner of The Alan Turing Institute, supporting its goal to apply research to real-world problems, driving economic impact and societal good, leading the training of a new generation of scientists, and shaping the public conversation around data.

The new project will build upon an existing collaboration between Southampton Astronomy Group and the Department of Clinical Pharmacology of St Thomas' Hospital in London to generate a cutting-edge Hierarchical Bayesian Monte Carlo model that can probe the complex behaviours of large groups of patients.

"Our team has shown that Monte Carlo simulations are a powerful tool for examining the influence of uncertainties on outcome misclassification and to devise ameliorated treatment strategies," Francesco says. "Nevertheless, this type of technique has been largely overlooked in medical science.

"Previous studies have mostly used probabilistic simulations to investigate how measurement error can impact on the diagnosis of hypertension, with both inadequate device calibration and normal physiological variation contributing to misdiagnosis. The level of analytical and computational advancements we propose represent a clear step forward in the field of statistical medical science, helping bridge the gap between measured and true outcomes of medical treatment of hypertension."

Current medical management of many common conditions involves initiating or changing treatment based on quantitative, semi-quantitative or qualitative thresholds. Variation or uncertainty in these values due to measurement error or physiological variation has the potential to result in erroneous decisions, with significant implications for efficient and effective healthcare delivery.

"Management of hypertension is particularly vulnerable to measurement error as algorithms typically recommend stepwise addition of medications until a target blood pressure is achieved" Francesco explains. "This problem is of huge global importance since hypertension is the single greatest cause of death and disability worldwide. Approximately one in three adults across the UK are hypertensive, leading to a significant economic burden on healthcare providers."

Southampton postgraduate researcher Lorenzo Zanisi was presented with a STEM for Britain Silver Award this spring for his exploration of Monte Carlo simulations at St Thomas' Hospital. The Doctoral Training Centre in Data Intensive Science (DISCnet) research showed that current treatments strategies for medication titration results are too inefficient, with typically 40% of the population not optimally controlled and therefore at risk of adverse effects.

Three members of Electronics and Computer Science at Southampton have also been recognised for their research potential by being awarded roles in The Alan Turing Institute this week.

PhD student Joseph Early is the first Southampton student to be selected as a Turing Doctoral Student, while Dr Adriane Chapman and Professor Neil White, Directors of the Centre for Health Technologies, have been named as Turing Fellows with pilot projects.