Why Us, Why Now, and What’s Next
Canadian Leadership For Innovation in Astrophysics
Canada is an international leader in wideband correlators for advanced radio telescopes and superconducting quantum sensor systems, and has significantly advanced global astronomy. This leadership extends beyond the laboratory — Canadian scientists pioneered the development of the world’s largest radio correlator, deployed quantum sensor readout systems from the Atacama Plateau to Antarctica, and have been integral in the maturation of these systems for space environments.
t0.technology Is A Product Of Canadian Research
t0.technology was founded by members of the scientific teams that developed the CHIME radio correlator and quantum sensor control systems for the South Pole Telescope and LiteBIRD satellite observatory. Our mission is to advance these technologies to further scientific and commercial applications. We continue the tradition of partnership with scientists by supplying enabling technologies and participating as co-investigators for fundamental research into superconductivity and radio signal processing.
Superconducting Quantum Sensors Are Essential Tools For Next-Generation Science
Superconducting quantum sensors are vital for advancing global scientific goals set by Canadian and international scientific communities. This is true across general road-maps like the Canadian National Quantum Strategy, but they also feature prominently in field-specific road-maps such as the Canadian Astronomy Long Range Plan (LRP2020); the United States 2020 Decadal Survey; the European Space Agency Voyage 2050; and the Particle Physics Project Prioritization Panel (P5 Report, Exploring the Quantum Universe). These technologies are scarce yet crucial, and are called out in leading technology gap lists such as the NASA Astrophysics Projects Division Technology Report. t0.technology is addressing these gaps, and in many cases is the first commercial entity to do so. We partner with the scientific community to ensure Canada has a continued role in the most significant international projects of the upcoming decades.
Applications Beyond Science
These technologies have matured to high readiness levels, facilitating their transition to industrial and government applications. They have been identified in top-down prioritization exercises such as the DND/CAF Quantum Science and Technology Strategy Implementation Plan (Quantum 2030) as solutions to deliver specific capabilities that solve urgent needs. These include resilient passive detection of space debris in full-daylight conditions for space traffic management, and new modalities of advanced passive radar systems for airspace monitoring. Within the medical imaging communities, passive Terahertz systems have also long been sought as a means to provide precision diagnostic tissue imaging.
Today, t0.technology is advancing research in all of these domains, with system readiness levels ranging from TRL-9 for control systems for space situational awareness and passive radar correlators, to TRL-7 superconducting sensor designs, and exploratory work in medical imaging.
The Team
t0.technology is a proudly Canadian company with a world-class team spanning two laboratories in Montréal and Victoria. In addition to permanent staff, the team includes a set of trainees embedded with a diverse set of scientific teams working on international scientific instrumentation, as well as co-op trainees from the University of Toronto, and University of Victoria. Our leadership has over ten years of experience working with international scientific collaborations, space agencies, and industrial aerospace partners.
Dr. Joshua Montgomery
President
Joshua is a co-founder and the head of research and development at t0.technology.
Joshua brings technical and managerial experience, and a deep commitment to every project: before launching t0, he over-wintered in Antarctica to support the South Pole Telescope. Joshua is currently the project manager for LiteBIRD Canada, conducting mission and space technology development under contract for the Canadian Space Agency. He received his PhD in Physics from McGill university for his work designing multiplexed readout for astrophysics instruments.
Prof. Matt Dobbs
Chief Science Officer
Matt is a co-founder and the chief science officer of t0.technology.
Matt is a professor of Physics at McGill University, and a Canada Research Chair (T1) in Radio Cosmology and Instrumentation. He is the principal investigator of the Canadian LiteBIRD effort, co-investigator of both the South Pole Telescope and CHIME radio interferometer, and director for the CHORD radio observatory.
Graeme Smecher
Chief Technology Officer
Graeme is a co-founder and the chief technology officer of t0.technology.
Graeme is an instrumentation specialist, with expertise in FPGAs, Digital Signal Processing (DSP), and embedded Linux projects. His electronics, firmware, and software have been to Antarctica, the stratosphere, and will fly on the LiteBIRD space telescope. He holds a M.Eng from McGill University and a B.A.Sc from Simon Fraser University.
Graeme lives in Victoria, BC, Canada.