Prof. Dr. Dragan Mihailović is the only Slovenian researcher to receive funding under the ERC Proof of Concept Grant 2026 call, for the project FEMTOGAPENGINE. The project introduces a new approach to controlling superconducting circuits using ultrafast femtosecond laser pulses. It will be carried out at the Jožef Stefan Institute and the Centre of Excellence for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology – Nanocenter, in collaboration with the Slovenian company miDALIX d.o.o.
For Prof. Dr. Mihailović, this is already his fourth ERC project, making him the researcher with the highest number of ERC projects in Slovenia.
The FEMTOGAPENGINE project introduces an innovative method for controlling superconducting circuits by means of ultrafast femtosecond laser pulses. The patented innovation enables the precise shaping and real-time adjustment of superconducting properties, reducing disturbances and significantly improving the performance of quantum processors. The aim of FEMTOGAPENGINE is to develop, together with the Slovenian company miDALIX d.o.o., a prototype device for real-time tuning and testing of superconducting circuits. The project will investigate laser processing parameters and their long-term stability, and will demonstrate the repair of superconducting test circuits. In doing so, it will establish the first platform for local laser-based processing of superconducting circuits. A successful outcome of the project could significantly reshape the quantum computing industry by offering a scalable solution for quasiparticle management in quantum processors, detectors, resonators, and hybrid devices. The technology has the potential to actively reduce noise caused by external disturbances, which would represent an important milestone for quantum computing.
