Nov 15, 2024 08:08 PM
(This post was last modified: Nov 15, 2024 08:09 PM by C C.)
https://spectrum.ieee.org/mechanical-qubit
INTRO: Quantum computers that can theoretically find answers to problems no regular computer could ever solve rely on components known as qubits. Now scientists have created the first mechanical qubit—basically, a microscopic version of a drum skin that can behave a bit like Schrödinger’s cat, both vibrating and not vibrating at the same time. These could lead to mechanical quantum computers capable of running long, complex programs, as well as novel quantum sensors, researchers say.
Currently, most qubits rely on superpositions of electronic states—for instance, two different levels of electric charge. However, electromagnetic qubits typically have short lifespans, or coherence times, before their complex, fragile quantum states decay. This greatly limits their use.
Seeking longer coherence times, researchers began to explore creating mechanical qubits instead. These would depend on superpositions of vibrational states, and in theory they could possess long coherence times compared to electromagnetic qubits.
Now scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), in Zurich, have for the first time built “a fully operational mechanical qubit,” says Yu Yang, a doctoral student in the lab of Yiwen Chu and part of the team that accomplished the feat. Yang and his colleagues detailed their findings in the 15 November issue of the journal Science... (MORE - details)
INTRO: Quantum computers that can theoretically find answers to problems no regular computer could ever solve rely on components known as qubits. Now scientists have created the first mechanical qubit—basically, a microscopic version of a drum skin that can behave a bit like Schrödinger’s cat, both vibrating and not vibrating at the same time. These could lead to mechanical quantum computers capable of running long, complex programs, as well as novel quantum sensors, researchers say.
Currently, most qubits rely on superpositions of electronic states—for instance, two different levels of electric charge. However, electromagnetic qubits typically have short lifespans, or coherence times, before their complex, fragile quantum states decay. This greatly limits their use.
Seeking longer coherence times, researchers began to explore creating mechanical qubits instead. These would depend on superpositions of vibrational states, and in theory they could possess long coherence times compared to electromagnetic qubits.
Now scientists at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), in Zurich, have for the first time built “a fully operational mechanical qubit,” says Yu Yang, a doctoral student in the lab of Yiwen Chu and part of the team that accomplished the feat. Yang and his colleagues detailed their findings in the 15 November issue of the journal Science... (MORE - details)