SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- BAA 06-QIS, Innovative Research to Support and Advance Quantum Information Science Objectives
- Notice Date
- 12/9/2005
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- DOI - NBC, Ft. Huachuca AZ P.O. Box 12924 ATTN: Gloria M. Golden 520-538-0418 Fort Huachuca AZ 85670
- ZIP Code
- 85670
- Solicitation Number
- BAA06QIS
- Response Due
- 1/9/2006
- Archive Date
- 12/9/2006
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This Broad Area Announcement (BAA), in combination with its supplemental attachments and web site, constitutes the entire solicitation for this effort. No additional information is available, nor will a formal request for proposal or other solicitation regarding this notice be issued. Requests for the same will be disregarded. The Quantum Information Science (QIS) Program is open to all research and development organizations whether located in the U.S. or not, including large and small businesses; academic and eligible non-profit and not-for-profit institutions; collaborative ventures from mixed sources; and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs). In the future, the National Director of Intelligence's Disruptive Technology Office (DTO) intends to release other BAAs through the Department of Interior, National Business Center located at Fort Huachuca, and possibly other agencies (e.g., the Army Research Office), addressing related topics. DTO reserves the right to unilaterally redirect white papers and proposals to such other BAAs as it deems appropriate. Please refer to http://nbc.gov/qis.cfm and http://www.aro.army.mil for more information on related BAAs. INTRODUCTION. The Department of the Interior, National Business Center, Acquisition and Property Management Division, Southwest Branch, Fort Huachuca, Arizona, acting as the contracting agent for the National Director of Intelligence's Disruptive Technology Office (DTO) (formerly the Advanced Research and Development Activity (ARDA)), is issuing this BAA to solicit research and research support proposals addressing innovative research in the field of quantum information science. Quantum mechanics promises physically secure transmittal of information, as well as tremendous speed-up of computation through non-classical operations and the algorithms they enable. This work package seeks to elucidate, control, and exploit quantum phenomena for revolutionary advancement of computation and secure communication. In addition, it seeks to accelerate development of ancillary technology critical to common areas of research. Multiple awards are possible with typical periods of performance of 12 to 24 months with the possibility of option years including final reports and/or demonstrations. The program will have the ability to handle rapidly changing constraints and anticipates multiple awards up to a total value of approximately $8 million over 2 years. All awards will be subject to critical milestone reviews on an annual basis, at which time option and continuation decisions will be made. A Proposer's Information Pamphlet (PIP) supplements the information in this BAA announcement. You must follow the direction of this PIP which provides further information on the eligibility, research areas, multidisciplinary approaches, preparation and submission of proposals, and selection criteria. The PIP will be updated to the FY06 BAA on or about December 13, 2005 on the Department of Interior NBC Website at http://www.nbc.gov/solicit.html. Do not use the FY04 BAA which is currently posted. The FY04 BAA is now closed. The PIP may also be obtained by fax, electronic mail, or ground mail by sending a request to the Department of the Interior, Fort Huachuca by electronic mail to Lawrence_H_Carter@nbc.gov or by calling 520.533.1213. PROGRAM BACKGROUND. DTO seeks innovative research to support and advance its quantum information science objectives. The Quantum Information Science Roadmaps are published at http://qist.lanl.gov/. This includes the Quantum Communication Roadmap and the Quantum Computation Roadmap (version 2 now posted) providing background technical information and summarizing the main technology areas comprising the current programs. The Roadmaps also discuss the overall status of each major technology area and some of their strengths and weaknesses. In general, proposals must explicitly identify which of the milestone(s) of the Roadmap(s) are being addressed or have a compelling explanation for why they are not consistent with those milestones. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES. There are four (4) major areas of interest within the program: 1. Quantum Computation. The long-term objective of quantum computing is to provide new and radically different computational capabilities that go beyond classical computers. While quantum computing may ultimately entail the assembly and manipulation of large numbers of quantum bits (qubits), experimental demonstrations of quantum logic performed on several quantum bits operating simultaneously would currently represent a significant advance. Demonstrations of quantum feedback or error correction for multiple quantum bit systems are also of interest. In addition to physical implementations of quantum computing, there is strong interest in developing new quantum algorithms providing new methods for solving classically intractable problems or that greatly improve on existing classical algorithms (e.g. in speed or memory requirements). 2. Quantum Communication. The ability to transmit information through quantum channels, and especially to exploit entanglement between spatially separated quantum entities, has opened the possibility for a means of communication with security based on physical principles and laws, rather than mathematical algorithms. The objective here is two-fold; advanced quantum cryptography systems, and communication of quantum information based on distributed entanglement such as in quantum teleportation. Experimental demonstration of innovative entanglement-based quantum cryptography systems is of particular interest. Of further interest is the demonstration of long-range quantum entanglement, entanglement transfer among different quantum systems and long-term quantum memory. 3. Supporting Fundamental Studies. One objective is to ascertain the limits of the ability to create, control, and utilize quantum information in multiple quantum entities in the presence of noise. Experimental investigations of coherence properties, decoherence mechanisms, decoherence mitigation, entanglement, nondestructive measurement, complex quantum state manipulation, and quantum feedback are of interest. Of particular interest is demonstration of high-fidelity coherent quantum state manipulation on time scales much faster than decoherence times. Physical systems that promise scalability to many quantum bits and quantum operations will receive the greatest attention. Theoretical analyses of non-classical phenomena may also be of interest if the work is strongly coupled to a specific experimental investigation, as may proof-of-concept demonstrations in atomic, molecular, and optical systems or in solid-sate systems. Only fundamental studies advancing the goals of objectives 1 and 2, above, will be considered for funding under this BAA. 4. Supporting Enabling Technology. The experimental investigations discussed in the objectives above may require special technologies or devices difficult to procure, or commercially unavailable. Directed efforts may be needed to develop and fabricate technology critical to any of DTO's quantum information science programs. DTO's Quantum Communications programs have particular interest in robust, high-speed single photon and entangled photon-pair sources; operating at visible to telecommunications wavelengths. Single photon sources may include cavity-based, atomic, and quantum dot constructions. Indistinguishability is critical for certain applications. Sources may also include waveguide constructions for fiber applications. Similarly, robust, high-speed and high-quantum-efficiency single photon and number-resolving photon detectors having relatively low dark count rates and low jitter are of interest. Temperature of operation is a concern for field-ready robust devices. For entangled sources, end-to-end components are of interest; including pump-laser technology for parametric down-conversion in bulk, fiber and waveguide photonic constructions. This may include diode, fiber and other pump-laser technologies that are amenable to development of pulsed, bright, robust, compact, high fidelity entangled source systems. Advances in nonlinear materials, processing and constructions for entanglement generation are of interest. Constructions and systems for pulsed, bright, robust, compact, high fidelity entangled photon sources are of interest. Additional areas of interest include low loss (<0.1%) optical components and fibers, e.g., low loss blue and 1.5 micron-friendly optics and fibers, optical UV switches (>40dB isolation), stable high speed lasers, solid state 200-400nm sources, and photon/quantum storage constructions. For example, interconversion is of interest. DTO's Quantum Computing program requires development of advanced laser technologies for qubit manipulation, measurement and control at the device level. This is required in part to achieve extraordinary gate fidelity. Such technologies include, but are not limited to; techniques and concepts to greatly increase laser intensity and phase stability (visible, near IR and UV stable lasers), innovative integrated optics (rapidly steering 100s and 1000s beams on a chip a few cm or mm square), high reflectivity micro cavities (current mirrors are ~100X lower than Rayleigh scattering limit), novel emerging cavity technologies and micro-photonic band gap cavities, ultra fast electro-optical feed-forward control of optical switches and sub-nanosecond speed, low-loss (<0.1%) optical switches. Examples provided above are not meant to exclude additional diverse components important to quantum applications. Two Step Submission Process Step 1 - White Paper: A white paper is the only way to start the application process. It may be submitted ONLY between the dates of January 9, 2006 through February 7, 2006. Step 2-Proposal: Each submitted proposal must be the result of an invitation as the result of DTO evaluation of a white paper, or the result of DTO redirecting proposals from other BAAs to this one. Proposals may be submitted on or before the date specified in the response to the white paper or redirection, to the Department of the Interior, National Business Center, Acquisition and Property Management Services Division, Southwest Branch, Fort Huachuca, Arizona. Information or data contained in a full proposal deemed proprietary by the offeror should be clearly marked. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION AND DEADLINES: White papers and proposals must be submitted in accordance with the requirements and procedures identified in this BAA Proposer Information Pamphlet. All responsive submissions, made during the open period, will be evaluated using the same evaluation procedures and criteria. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION: Proposers may submit multiple proposals, but each separate proposal must be the result of following the White Paper chain detailed above. Proposals may cover individual or multiple technical topic areas. To be considered, full proposals must be received between March 12, 2006 and April 10, 2006, or other dates as instructed in the white paper response or other redirection at the Department of the Interior, National Business Center, Acquisition and Property Management Division, Southwest Branch, Post Office Box 12924, ATTN: DTO-QIS BAA 06-QIS (L. Carter), Fort Huachuca, Arizona 85670-2024, on or before the receipt date specified above, or in the white paper response. For overnight package delivery, proposals should be addressed to the Department of the Interior, National Business Center, Acquisition and Property Management Division, Southwest Branch, ATTN: DTO-QIS BAA 06-QIS (L. Carter), Bldg 22208 Auger Avenue, Fort Huachuca, Arizona 85613. Proposals submitted in either the electronic form described above, or in a PC compatible CD-ROM are required. Proposals and/or proposal addenda received after the submission date identified in the white paper response WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. Proposals not adhering to the form and format required by this BAA WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. Proposals submitted by fax are not acceptable and WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. The Government anticipates completing the evaluation process within one month of the specified receipt deadline for the proposal identified in the white paper response. The offeror must mark the proposal with a protective legend in accordance with FAR Part 15.6, +Use and Disclosure of Data, (modified to permit release to outside evaluators retained by either DTO or the Department of the Interior, National Business Center, Acquisition and Property Management Division, Southwest Branch, Fort Huachuca, Arizona) if protection is desired for proprietary or confidential information. The contracting office POC for this announcement is Ann Peine, anna_g_peine@nbc.gov.
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- Record
- SN00949052-W 20051211/051209212451 (fbodaily.com)
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