Recently, the manipulation of quantum systems at the engineering level has become reality. Tailored quantum states can now be produced at will in a number of systems. QUEST combines outstanding expertise in the design and manipulation of such quantum systems from the fields of atomic and molecular, photonic and condensed matter quantum systems.

This state-of-the-art now allows for the creation and investigation of compound quantum systems assembled from the fields of expertise in QUEST. These systems will utilise quantum effects and appropriate experimental and theoretical techniques from different disciplines to enable a new generation of experiments and a new level of control for quantum measurements. QUEST will initially focus on systems composed of strongly correlated atoms and condensed matter, the interaction of designed states of light with coherent atomic ensembles and the challenging task of entangled quantum states of light with a solid test mass.

These systems are direct precursors for the work in Research Area B where their application in quantum metrology is tested.