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Srivatsan Chakram

The Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center hosted by Fermilab is proud to announce the addition of a new contributing partner: Rutgers University-New Brunswick.

The SQMS Center was established in September 2020 as a National Quantum Information Science Research Center. It comprises a diverse group of collaborators from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds.

Following its inception, SQMS established a rigorous process to onboard new partner institutions into the collaboration. Rutgers-New Brunswick joins 19 other collaborating institutions, representing federal labs, academia and industry. To date, more than 275 members both national and international conduct center research activities.

Rutgers is extremely excited by this opportunity to collaborate with the efforts of SQMS. Quantum information science is a high-priority area for the university, said Robert Bartynski, chair of the department of physics and astronomy at Rutgers-New Brunswick.

Srivatsan Chakram, an assistant professor in the department of physics and astronomy at Rutgers-New Brunswick, will serve as one of the principal investigators in the SQMS technology thrust, specifically in the devices and materials focus areas. Having Professor Chakram as a principal investigator forms a natural bridge between the complementary expertise present at both organizations, said Bartynski.

Rutgers brings world-class expertise in the 3D superconducting quantum systems, said Alexander Romanenko, Fermilab chief technology officer and SQMS technology thrust leader. Professor Chakram is one of the world experts on the 3D superconducting qubit architecture and specifically on cavity-based quantum processors, where he performed some recent pioneering work.

A primary focus of the SQMS Center is the extension of the lifetime of qubits, the foundational element of quantum computing. Extending the lifetime, or coherence time, of qubits increases the amount of time that they can exist in a quantum state and hold quantum information.

Its great to be part of this collaboration, which I think will be very fruitful, said Chakram. Fermilab makes the best cavities in the world. The best cavities I have made can store single microwave photons for a few milliseconds. The cavities made at Fermilab have lifetimes approaching a second. Leveraging the extraordinary coherence of the Fermilab cavities should allow us to build better quantum processors. I have some expertise with designing and buildingthese kinds of systems, so I think this collaboration will be mutually beneficial.

The addition of new collaborators requires review from the centers leadership and must be approved by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. New partners can be added to increase technical capabilities and strengthen the SQMS Center. The addition of a new partner often meets a specific need.

The strength of SQMS is that it brings world experts in quantum information science together as one collaboration, said SQMS Director Anna Grassellino of Fermilab. Professor Chakram is one such expert, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the SQMS Center.

The Superconducting Quantum Materials and Systems Center at Fermilab is supported by the DOE Office of Science.

Fermilab is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy. The Office of Science is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States and is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit science.energy.gov.

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SQMS Center announces the addition of Rutgers University-New Brunswick to its growing collaboration - Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory

Central New York Congressmember Claudia Tenney hosted fellow representative John Katko Monday in Rome to give him an overview of the high-tech research and development begin done to thwart cyber attacks and other threats. Katko is the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, and says the work being done at the Air Force Research Lab, or Rome Lab, is remarkable and imperative for the defense of the nation.

"There's a rush to see who gets better with quantum computing, us or China. If China [beats] us, our encryption data is for nothing. So many things they're working on that impact us in every single way."

Rep. Tenney investments at the operations at Griffiss Business and Technology Park are saving lives.

"Our ability to really act with an asymmetrical battlefield that we have now with the Chinese, Russians, and Iran...there are so many enemies out there. This is where we're going, and it's happening here. Which is what's so exciting about it."

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente says it's important not only for national security, but also for the region's economy, brain trust, and livelihood.

"What is taking place here is not taking place anywhere in the country. Now, someone might say yes it is. Not to the extent that it is, not to the diversity that it is, in terms of all the aspects of cybersecurity, quantum computing, all aspects of technology that have been developed and continue to be developed on a regular basis."

Tenney says their visit is their way to ensure accountability for the funds they secure in Congress.

"We're the ones who have advocated for it, and when we come here and see how the money is being spent and hear about it, I think it means a lot."

Rome Mayor Jackie Izzo says they're questioned about the reason they send funding requests.

"We wanted you to come what your plus-ups are doing in facilities like these. We wanted you to meet the super-talented people that we have working here that cannot be replicated. You can't just pick up our lab and think you're going to take all that talent and just move it somewhere else."

Rep. Tenney also announced the addition of 100 jobs at Defense Finance and Accounting Services, or DFAS since April. That brings their total workforce to more than 1,000. She says theyre working every day in Congress with Senators Schumer and Gillibrand to ensure funding for all of the operations at Griffiss Business and Technology Park dont get cut.

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Congressmembers Tenney, Katko Tour Griffiss High-Tech Facilities In Rome And Discuss Their Role In Combatting Threats - WAER

A member of Border Force staff assists a female evacuee as refugees arrive in England from Afghanistan on August 26, 2021. It is unclear whether the current crisis will necessarily result in a dramatic increase in refugee flows from Afghanistan toward Europe.

Photo: Dominic Lipinski WPA Pool/Getty Images

The swift takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban and an upcoming final August 31st deadline for all NATO troops to leave the has triggered panic among European politicians about the possibility of a new refugee emergency especially in countries that are facing elections in the coming months, such as Germany and France.

Candidates for high offices have been quick to reassure voters that 2021 wont be a repeat of 2015, when more than a million Syrian and Afghan refugees streamed into Europe and caused one of the most serious challenges that the EU has faced in recent times.

The mistakes made in the Syrian civil war must not be made again, promised Armin Laschet, the leader of Chancellor Angela Merkels Christian Democratic Union. He was echoed by Merkel herself and the chancellor candidate for the Social Democratic Party, Olaf Scholz.

Both have stressed that it is Afghanistans neighboring countries that now need support to deal with the challenge.

French President Emmanuel Macron was even blunter, stating in a televised address that France should have a robust plan to anticipate and protect itself from a wave of migrants (.), adding that dealing with those fleeing the Taliban would need a fair and organized international effort.

Greece has gone further by installing a 25 mile long fence along its borders. Most of the criticism directed at the U.S. president by European partners seems to be caused by the fear that it is they who will have to deal with the destabilizing consequences of a humanitarian crisis provoked by the sudden collapse of the pro-western government in Kabul.

Events in Afghanistan have exposed how six years after the events of 2015 there is still a lack of a clear EU framework for dealing with large inflows of migrants: How to process and, most importantly, distribute refugees still very much depends on the willingness of individual EU member countries to accept them on their territory.

The so-called Dublin EU framework that put most of the onus on first entry countries has not been replaced by anything new and durable. The EU beefed up its border police force Frontex and financially supported countries, such as Turkey and Libya, in return for their efforts to keep refugees away from Europe. But this approach was always supposed to buy time not become the only pillar of a shaky immigration framework.

The absence of any new ways of dealing with non-EU immigrants has forced the EU and its leaders to resort to the same imperfect tools employed in the wake of the last crisis. Just like in 2015, Merkel spoke to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan although both Ankara and Berlin deny that the possibility of a new deal was discussed or even mentioned. Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi is pushing to get the G20 involved by including China, India and Russia into any efforts to deal with the aftermath of the Taliban takeover.

The EU is discussing funding schemes for Afghanistans neighboring countries. While critics have pointed out that the EU is unnecessarily putting itself in the position of being blackmailed by potential recipients of financial aid, the aim of the exercise is clear: Once evacuation efforts are concluded, dont expect EU countries to welcome many more refugees.

Numbers of those currently entitled to resettle in western countries vary no overall official figures are available, but based on promises made by individual governments it is safe to assume around 100,000. However, these numbers pale when compared to those of the United Nations refugees organization. According to the UNHCR, there are currently 3.5 million internally displaced people in Afghanistan.

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Worldwide, there are currently around 2.5 million registered Afghan refugees. Notably, most of them 2.2 million are in neighboring Pakistan, not in Europe. It is in fact unclear whether the current crisis will necessarily result in a dramatic increase in refugee flows from Afghanistan toward Europe. The countries that will likely continue to bear the brunt of the humanitarian cost of the war are Pakistan and Iran. The potential corridors for refugee flows from Afghanistan toward Europe are currently largely choked off.

Also, the Taliban themselves seem to be determined to stop migrant outflows, at least for the time being. They seem to have concluded they can ill afford to bleed expertise when what they need are Afghans with some experience of running a bureaucracy. Much of course depends on how much and quickly the Taliban will alienate Afghan civilians and whether a bloody civil war can be avoided.

Once the current visible turmoil subsides and western witnesses have left the scene EU governments will likely try to engage with the Taliban directly to address a possible migration emergency. Merkel obliquely hinted at this before the Bundestag on August 25th when she declared that unfortunately one had to accept that the Taliban are now in charge. But much of this tentatively emerging approach of careful engagement is largely based on hope rather than sound policy.

The situation in Afghanistan has once again revealed the brittleness of Europes patchwork of migration policies. The country could represent a new wake up call or recede in politicians minds if the worst can be avoided. Unfortunately, geopolitical instability is here to stay, and will be further fueled by the impact of climate change on vulnerable societies.

As a result, migration flows will likely continue to increase, further exposing the lack of a coherent European strategy to deal with the crisis at hand.

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Is Europe Facing a New Migrant Crisis? BRINK Conversations and Insights on Global Business - BRINK

Fortress Europe is pulling up the drawbridge. The takeover of Afghanistan by the Taliban is likely to being about a new wave of refugees heading west, and so walls and fences are being hastily built around the borders of the Schengen Area. As scars inflicted by the last migrant crisis re-open, the possibility of a new influx of refugees is causing deep apprehension throughout the EU.

At Usnarz Gorny, on Polands border with Belarus, the migrant crisis is already beginning. Twenty four Afghan migrants currently sit stranded in no mans land between Polish and Belarusian border guards. Left without food or clean drinking water for weeks on end, their situation has become a no-win moral dilemma for the Polish government.

The migrants are among the many thousands duped by the Belarusian authorities. As part of a hybrid warfare waged by the dictator Alexander Lukashenko against the EU, Belarus has been enticing refugees from Afghanistan and other countries and sending them across the border into Europe. Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have now seen huge increases in migrants from war-torn countries in recent months.

For Poland, there can be no good outcome from the drama unfolding in Usnarz Gorny. The government faces a choice between accepting the migrants and in so doing encouraging the hostile actions of the Belarusian regime or leaving them stranded in dire circumstances on the countrys doorstep.

In the wake of the Talibans rapid takeover of Afghanistan, the case has taken on a wider dimension. It is also being seen as a litmus test of the attitude of the country and the wider central European region towards a potential new wave of mass migration from the East.

When over a million migrants crossed the Mediterranean to reach Europe in 2015, central European countries refused to help the EU deal with the crisis. Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary bluntly refused to take in refugees. In 2020, they were found to have broken EU law in failing to fulfil their obligations as part of the blocs controversial migrant quota system.

There is little to suggest attitudes in the region have changed since then. Commenting on the situation in Afghanistan in a recent radio interview, Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbn said migration is not a human right and that countries to the east of the EU should bear the responsibility of looking after refugees.

Cooperation with the Turkish government is a key issue. It is in our interests to keep prospective migrants who want to leave Afghanistan there, in the region. Lets help them there, not bring trouble here, he said.

Unfortunately for Orbn, Turkey is unlikely to accept attempts by Europe to offload responsibility for refugees. President Erdogan has warned that Turkey will not be Europes refugee warehouse as Greece put the finishing touches to a 40-kilometre fence intended to keep asylum seekers out.

Polands reluctance to take in the migrants camped at its borders may meanwhile be influenced by international tensions with Belarus. But in citing the destabilising influence of migration as the reason for its opposition to Belaruss actions, the government has set a precedent for future waves of mass movement from Afghanistan. It would be surprising if, having left two dozen Afghans without food and shelter at its border for weeks on end, it subsequently adopted a no-questions-asked stance towards migration on a far larger scale.

In the neighbouring Czech Republic, the response to the Taliban takeover has indicated a similar instinctual aversion to the idea of mass migration. Far from volunteering to accept refugees, the Czech government refused to join other EU countries in suspending deportation procedures for illegal Afghan migrants already in the country.

With elections approaching in October, all three candidates for Czech prime minister have declared themselves against any new migrant quota system imposed by the EU. Legal action over the countrys refusal to take in refugees in 2015 failed to change public opinion on the matter: a recent poll showed 63 per cent of the population does not believe the Czech Republic should volunteer to take in those fleeing Taliban rule.

Central Europes apprehension over refugees is reminiscent of attitudes seen in 2015 only this time around, similar concerns are evident in western Europe too. French President Emmanuel Macron has spoken of the need for caution in welcoming significant irregular migratory flows, while Brussels is notably less keen to criticise the erection of border fences in Poland and Lithuania than when Hungary constructed a southern barrier to keep migrants out in 2015. Indeed, Orbns arguments that migrants should be kept in the East now sound decidedly mainstream.

It is becoming clear that rather than learning lessons from its past mistakes, the scars of the 2015 crisis will only make it more difficult for the EU to deal with refugees fleeing Afghanistan. And as the walls go up around the bloc, central Europes long-held scepticism about accepting refugees seems to be catching on.

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Fortress Europe is dreading the Afghan migrant crisis - The Spectator Australia

ISTANBUL--Turkey cannot take the burden of a new migrant wave from Afghanistan, Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Sunday after talks with his German counterpart, as concerns about a new migrant wave remain after the Talibans taking of power.

The events in Afghanistan have fuelled worries in the European Union of a repeat of the 2015 refugee crisis, when nearly a million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East and beyond crossed to Greece from Turkey before travelling north to wealthier states.

To stem the flow of refugees, the EU reached an agreement with Turkey in 2016 for it to host Syrians fleeing the war in their country in return for billions of euros for refugee projects.

Cavusoglu said on Sunday that Europe, as well as regional countries, would also be affected if migration from Afghanistan turns into a crisis and that lessons should be learned from the Syrian refugee crisis.

As Turkey, we have sufficiently carried out our moral and humanitarian responsibilities regarding migration, Cavusoglu said, speaking in a joint news conference with German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

It is out of the question for us to take an additional refugee burden, Cavusoglu said.

Turkey currently hosts 3.7 million Syrian refugees, the worlds largest refugee population, in addition to around 300,000 Afghans. It has been reinforcing measures along its eastern border to prevent crossings in anticipation of a new migrant wave from Afghanistan.

Maas said Germany was grateful to Turkey for its offer to continue to help run Kabul airport after NATOs withdrawal and said Germany was ready to support that financially and technically.

It is in our own interests to ensure that the collapse in Afghanistan does not destabilise the entire region, he said in a statement.

Maas is on a trip to Turkey, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and Qatar to show Germanys support for the countries most likely to suffer the fallout of the crisis in Afghanistan.

Turkeys neighbour Greece has completed a 40 kilometre fence and surveillance system to keep out migrants who still manage to enter Turkey and try to reach the European Union.

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Turkey rejects 'additional refugee burden' from Afghanistan | | AW - The Arab Weekly