In order for quantum computing to become a viable means of processing data at currently unattainable speeds, the building blocks of these quantum computers, a unit of quantum information known as a quantum bit or, informally, "quibits", must operate at incredibly low error rates. In fact, the desired accuracy for data analyzed via quantum computing is 99% or greater. Recently, two separate teams of researchers at Australia's University of New South Wales (UNSW) have come up with new ways of achieving this hyper-accuracy for quantum computers built in sheets of silicon (Si) atoms. Specifically, both teams used the artificially-created silicon-28 isotope, developed in part by Professor Kohei Itoh from Keio University in Japan. This particular isotope of silicon is extremely chemically pure, and most importantly, is perfectly non-magnetic, so as to not disturb the quibits.
The first team, led by UNSW Scientia Professor Andrew Dzurak, developed quibits from artificial atoms. Similar technology is already used in silicon-based semiconductors found in many popular consumer electronics such as cell phones.
The second team, led by UNSW Associate Professor Andrea Morello, worked with quibits from naturally occurring phosphorous (P) atoms. Each phosphorous atom contains two unique quantum bits with differing levels of accuracy: electrons and the nucleus of the atom. In the case of the nucleus, Morello's team was able to achieve an unprecedented 99.99% accuracy. Moreover, Morello's team made significant advances in another central problem of quantum computing, coherence time. Coherence time refers to the amount of time the quantum information can exist before it literally disappears. Since this is the quantum scale, coherence times are usually very small, just fractions of a second. However, in the 28-silicon-based quantum computer with phosphorous quibits, they managed to achieve a coherence time of approximately 30 seconds, a new world record. A longer coherence time means that the quantum computer "remembers" the quantum information for a longer period of time and, as a result, can perform longer, multi-step calculations and analyses, greatly increasing the practical potential of this technology.
Submitted by Max Meirow
No comments:
Post a Comment