Breakthrough experiment could lead to more stable, error-resistant quantum computers
What's the story
In a groundbreaking experiment, physicists have successfully converted a quantum processor into a state of matter called a time crystal.
This achievement could potentially make quantum computing more practical and efficient.
The team behind this innovation includes scientists from China and the United States. They hope to reduce errors in quantum technology as it continues to advance and scale up.
Time crystals
Understanding time crystals and their unique properties
Time crystals are groups of particles that show repeating patterns.
Unlike regular crystals like diamond and quartz, which repeat patterns in three-dimensional space, time crystals oscillate periodically like a pendulum through time.
What makes them different is the fact that they do this without any external force or 'push.' They oscillate from their lowest energy state to their own rhythm.
Evolution
The evolution of time crystals
The idea of time crystals was first proposed by physicist Frank Wilczek in 2012 and met with skepticism.
However, since then, several systems exhibiting time-crystal-like behaviors have been experimentally demonstrated.
These findings offer engineers a new tool for measuring and shaping the world, and potentially solving an accuracy issue in quantum computing.
Quantum challenge
Quantum computing and the challenge of qubits
Quantum computing employs 'qubits' for unique forms of computation, allowing complex algorithms to be solved in a single step.
A qubit is a blur of possibility, like a card table before the dealer reveals a suit as red or black.
But, qubits can interact with anything in their environment, introducing new variables and potentially disrupting the program.
This problem grows more prominent as the number of qubits goes into thousands.
Solution
Time crystals: A potential solution to quantum errors
While time crystals have been proposed to minimize quantum errors, moving from theory to practice has proven challenging.
A particular kind of time crystal, called 'topological,' has proven promising in this case.
Instead of isolated oscillations demonstrating time crystal characteristics within a specific particle zone repeating in space, a topological time crystal demonstrates the pendulum swing as an overall characteristic of a larger system due to quantum entanglement.
Quantum success
Successful creation of a quantum system with topological time-crystal behavior
The team successfully programmed a highly stable form of superconducting quantum computing to display topological time-crystal behavior.
This achievement hints at the possibility of creating a quantum system that's even less susceptible to interference.
When tested, the system could handle a reasonable level of simulated noise in the environment while remaining relatively stable.
This experiment also hinted at the potential to use similar superconducting circuits to explore non-equilibrium motion represented by time crystals.