Applied Research in Quantum Information Science

The summary for the Applied Research in Quantum Information Science grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Office of Naval Research, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

Applied Research in Quantum Information Science: The purpose of this applied research (6.2) topic is to identify, understand, and resolve key issues associated with the operation of a free space optical quantum key distribution (QKD) system that functions in a maritime environment including the development and maturation of algorithms, protocols; and methods that resolve these issues; determine the performance of and demonstrate the capability of these algorithms, protocols and methods in order to understand their benefits and limitations; as well as to identify and provide technical solutions for performance barriers associated with supporting technologies such as single photon sources, detectors, and adaptive optics, needed to support operating in the context of a free space optical QKD system in the maritime environment.

Much of the basic research effort related to QKD has been instantiated in fiber optic systems for which many mathematically derived, results regarding security and security weaknesses of the system due to imperfections of the implementation have been recognized and experimentally verified. In the context of the motivating problem - a free space optical QKD system operating in a challenging environment featuring a time varying propagation channel, absorption, and multiple scattering the Office of Naval Research wishes to accelerate the development and understanding of QKD security and the underlying technologies required to successfully operate a QKD link in this challenging environment. While research efforts that employ fiber optics provide valuable insight into the operation and security of QKD systems, the assumption of a near lossless fiber optic propagation channel with no scattering and a static propagation environment is quite different from the environment associated with the motivating problem. This environment presents different challenges regarding the security of QKD protocols, the detection of eavesdroppers, the viability of schemes to maximize the information encoding of a single photon (or packets) that exploit precise timing, and polarization due to self-motion of platforms as well as the time varying propagation.

While QKD is often regarded as unconditionally secure, it is known that imperfect implementations of the mathematics associated with QKD, even in fiber optic systems, leads to vulnerabilities in the QKD system. Of particular interest to the Navy is to develop an understanding and characterization of the security implications for QKD in the maritime environment, the development of protocols that simultaneously minimize leakage of information to the environment and the creation of secure networks, as well as schemes to maximize the information carried by a single particle. Additionally, ONR seeks to advance the theoretical understanding of what an eavesdropper might accomplish when the assumptions associated with mathematical QKD security proofs are relaxed particularly the assumptions associated with an omnipotent eavesdropper that has access to all of the missing information, infinite resources, and infinite time in which to operate.

The Office of Naval Research intends to initiate a new applied research program focusing on QKD motivated by enabling a free space optical QKD link in a maritime environment as previously described. As a notional aide to identify system issues that could be addressed offerors shall consider the following motivating problem, a free space optical implementation of a QKD protocol that operates between two surface platforms located 30 km apart and that can achieve a key generation rate on the order of 100 Mb/sec.

Objective:

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is interested in receiving proposals that:

i) Under Topic 1, identify vulnerabilities and potential attacks resulting from the time varying, dispersive maritime environment and the effects of multiple scattering.

ii) Under Topic 2, mature, evaluate, and develop the understanding of discrete and continuous protocols that could enable secure communications in a maritime environment as well as develop new protocols that are easily implemented with minimal associated leakage of information to the environment and good security properties including detection of an eavesdropper with low overhead.

iii) Under Topic 3, develop methods to maximize the amount of information carried by either a single particle or packet in a discrete or continuous variable protocol, respectively in the context of the motivating problem.

iv) Under Topic 4, investigate how conventional signal processing techniques or the QKD protocols themselves could be used to simplify the physical design of the hardware that is used for implementing the QKD protocol, i.e. are there algorithmic methods that are available that could relax the requirements for stabilization, pointing, and tracking; temporal synchronization and jitter control; propagation control.

v) Under Topic 5, develop strategies on to how, from a security point of view, to expand a well characterized point to point free space optical QKD link to a network that may include non-trusted nodes.

vi) Under Topic 6, identify any other technical issues in the context of the challenge problem to include an argument for the deficiencies in these technologies that need to be overcome.
Work funded under a BAA may include basic research, applied research and some advanced technology development (ATD). With regard to any restrictions on the conduct or outcome of work funded under this BAA, ONR will follow the guidance on and definition of "contracted fundamental research" as provided in the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics) Memorandum of 24 May 2010. As defined therein the definition of "contracted fundamental research", in a DoD contractual context, includes [research performed under] grants and contracts that are (a) funded by Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation Budget Activity 1 (Basic Research), whether performed by universities or industry or (b) funded by Budget Activity 2 (Applied Research) and performed on campus at a university. The research shall not be considered fundamental in those rare and exceptional circumstances where the applied research effort presents a high likelihood of disclosing performance characteristics of military systems or manufacturing technologies that are unique and critical to defense, and where agreement on restrictions have been recorded in the contract or grant.

Pursuant to DoD policy, research performed under grants and contracts that are a) funded by Budget Category 6.2 (Applied Research) and NOT performed on-campus at a university or b) funded by Budget Category 6.3 (Advanced Research) does not meet the definition of "contracted fundamental research." In conformance with the USD (AT&L) guidance and National Security Decision Direction 189, ONR will place no restriction on the conduct or reporting of unclassified "contracted fundamental research," except as otherwise required by statute, regulation or Executive Order. For certain research projects, it may be possible that although the research being performed by the prime contractor is restricted research, a subcontractor may be conducting "contracted fundamental research." In those cases, it is the prime contractor's responsibility in the proposal to identify and describe the subcontracted unclassified research and include a statement confirming that the work has been scoped, negotiated, and determined to be fundamental research according to the prime contractor and research performer.
Normally, fundamental research is awarded under grants with universities and under contracts with industry. ATD is normally awarded under contracts and may require restrictions during the conduct of the research and DoD pre-publication review of research results due to subject matter sensitivity.

FAR Part 35 restricts the use of the Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs), such as this, to the acquisition of basic and applied research and that portion of advanced technology development not related to the development of a specific system or hardware procurement. Contracts and grants made under BAAs are for scientific study and experimentation directed towards advancing the state of the art and increasing knowledge or understanding.

The Research and Development efforts to be funded will consist of applied research. The funds available to support awards are Budget Activity 2.

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT FOR THE ACQUISITION OF TECHNICAL, ENGINEERING AND OTHER TYPES OF SUPPORT SERVICES.