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Category: quantum physics – Page 386

A scalable and user-friendly platform for physicists to carry out advanced quantum experiments, cheaply

Quantum computers can solve certain computational problems much faster than ordinary computers by using specific quantum properties. The basic building blocks of such machines are called quantum-bits or qubits. Qubits can be realized using several physical platforms such as nuclear spins, trapped ions, cold atoms, photons, and using superconducting Josephson circuits.

Several such qubits operate in the domain, and require specialized room temperature microwave electronics for control and readout of the quantum states of the qubits. However, there lies a challenge when it comes to connecting classical electronics to these qubits. The qubits need high frequency (GHz) electromagnetic signals for control and readout pulses in the order of a few tens of nanoseconds.

The traditional setup for generation and capture of such signals is often costly and complex with many components. This can be addressed by developing a specific FPGA-based system that brings the functionality of all the traditional equipment on to a single board. However, with such developments, three main challenges need to be kept in mind: generation and capture of the high-fidelity microwave signals, scalability, and a user-friendly interface.

How Tiny Schrödinger’s Cats Could Upend Quantum Again

The building blocks of quantum computers are often thought to imitate the famous thought experiment known as Schrödinger’s cat, in which quantum physics essentially suspends a cat in a box in a nebulous state between life and death: The cat only definitely becomes alive or dead when someone looks in the box. Now, by mimicking Schrödinger’s cats as closely as possible, a French startup reveals it could help make extraordinarily powerful quantum computers a reality sooner than previously thought—a strategy Amazon is also pursuing.

Classical computers generally switch transistors either on or off to symbolize data as ones or zeroes. In contrast, quantum computers use quantum bits— qubits —that, because of the surreal nature of quantum physics, can exist in a state of superposition where they are both 1 and 0 at the same time. This essentially lets each qubit carry out two calculations simultaneously. The more qubits are quantum-mechanically linked, or entangled, the more calculations they can perform at once, to an exponential degree.

The new strategy depends on so-called “cat states,” pairs of very different quantum states as diametrically opposed to one another as the “alive” and “dead” feline once famously postulated by Erwin Schrödinger.

Defying Conventional Wisdom — Scientists Push the Boundaries of Photonics

Defying conventional wisdom, scientists have discovered a novel coupling mechanism involving leaky mode, previously considered unsuitable for high-density integration in photonic circuits.

This surprising discovery paves the way for dense photonic integration, transforming the potential and scalability of photonic chips in areas such as optical computing quantum communication, light detection and ranging (LiDAR), optical metrology, and biochemical sensing.

In a recent Light Science & Application publication, Sangsik Kim, associate professor of electrical engineering at Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), and his students at Texas Tech University demonstrated that an anisotropic leaky wave can achieve zero crosstalk between closely spaced identical waveguides using subwavelength grating (SWG) metamaterials.

Researchers take first step to de-freezing quantum computing

Koto_feja/iStock.

Quantum computing is the next frontier of computation, potentially allowing for calculations that are impossible for classic computers to even process. As researchers around the world work to optimize the computations with an increasing number of quantum bits or qubits, the biggest hurdle they face is the need for ultra-cool environments to run these computers themselves.

Down the Quantum Rabbit Hole: “Alice Ring” Discovery Offers Glimpse Into Other-Worldly Realm

Experiments promote a curious flipside of decaying monopoles: a reality where particle physics is quite literally turned on its head.

The field of quantum physics is rife with paths leading to tantalizing new areas of study, but one rabbit hole offers a unique vantage point into a world where particles behave differently—through the proverbial looking glass.

Dubbed the “Alice ring” after Lewis Carroll’s world-renowned stories on Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, the appearance of this object verifies a decades-old theory on how monopoles decay. Specifically, that they decay into a ring-like vortex, where any other monopoles passing through its center are flipped into their opposite magnetic charges.

Precise control of qubits using new quantum computing method

Instead of designing their own qubits for study, the team used nature-made ones and focused on ways to control them.

Researchers at the University of Waterloo in Canada have developed a novel and robust way to control individual qubits. This ability is a crucial step as humanity attempts to scale up its computational capacities using quantum computing, a press release said.

Much like silicon-based computers use bits as the basic unit of storing information, quantum computers use quantum bits or qubits. A number of elemental particles, such as electrons and photons, have been used to serve this purpose, wherein the charge or polarization of the light is used to denote the 0 or 1 state of the qubit.

Laser Precision Qubit Control: Leap in Reliable Quantum Information Processing

Using laser light, researchers have innovated a precise method to control individual barium qubits, advancing prospects for quantum computing.

Researchers have pioneered a groundbreaking technique utilizing laser light to control individual qubits made of barium more robustly than any other method currently known. Reliably controlling qubits is a critical step towards actualizing functional quantum computers of the future.

Developed at the university of waterloo.