{"id":328484,"date":"2021-08-21T16:00:51","date_gmt":"2021-08-21T13:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-a-simple-crystal-could-help-pave-the-way-to-full-scale-quantum-computing\/"},"modified":"2021-08-21T16:00:51","modified_gmt":"2021-08-21T13:00:51","slug":"how-a-simple-crystal-could-help-pave-the-way-to-full-scale-quantum-computing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-a-simple-crystal-could-help-pave-the-way-to-full-scale-quantum-computing\/","title":{"rendered":"#How a simple crystal could help pave the way to full-scale quantum\u00a0computing"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2e8ec046064\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2e8ec046064\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-a-simple-crystal-could-help-pave-the-way-to-full-scale-quantum-computing\/#What_exactly_is_a_quantum_computer\" >What exactly is a quantum computer?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-a-simple-crystal-could-help-pave-the-way-to-full-scale-quantum-computing\/#The_control_problem\" >The control problem<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-a-simple-crystal-could-help-pave-the-way-to-full-scale-quantum-computing\/#The_solution_is_%E2%80%98global_control\" >The solution is \u2018global\u2019 control<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-a-simple-crystal-could-help-pave-the-way-to-full-scale-quantum-computing\/#The_path_to_a_full-scale_quantum_computer\" >The path to a full-scale quantum computer<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#How a simple crystal could help pave the way to full-scale quantum\u00a0computing<\/strong>&#8221;<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image?fit=796%2C417&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2019%2F12%2Fquantum_generic.jpg&amp;signature=8b5348a05ca09915331fa25dc5f80784\" \/><\/p>\n<div>Vaccine and drug development, artificial intelligence, transport and logistics, climate <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a> \u2014 these are all areas that stand to be transformed by the development of a full-scale quantum computer. And there has been <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/psiquantum-raises-450-million-to-build-its-quantum-computer-11627387321\">explosive growth<\/a> in quantum computing <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/sites\/moorinsights\/2021\/03\/23\/ionq-takes-quantum-computing-public-with-a-2-billion-deal\/?sh=271072285d06\">investment<\/a> over the past decade.<\/p>\n<p>Yet current quantum processors are relatively small in scale, with fewer than 100 <em>qubits<\/em> \u2014 the basic building blocks of a quantum computer. Bits are the smallest unit of information in computing, and the term qubits stems from \u201cquantum bits\u201d.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/fast.wistia.net\/embed\/iframe\/xo23fcyip6?videoFoam=true&amp;autoPlay=true\" title=\"Whats it like to be a startup founder in Barcelona? Video\" allowtransparency=\"true\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wistia_embed\" name=\"wistia_embed\" allowfullscreen=\"\" msallowfullscreen=\"\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>While early quantum processors have been crucial for demonstrating the potential of quantum computing, realizing globally significant <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>lications will likely require processors with <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.pnas.org\/content\/114\/29\/7555\">upwards of a million qubits<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Our new research tackles a core problem at the heart of scaling up quantum computers: how do we go from controlling just a few qubits, to controlling millions? In research <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/advances.sciencemag.org\/lookup\/doi\/10.1126\/sciadv.abg9158\">published today<\/a> in Science Advances, we reveal a new <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> that may offer a solution.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_exactly_is_a_quantum_computer\"><\/span>What exactly is a quantum computer?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Quantum computers use qubits to hold and process quantum information. Unlike the bits of information in classical computers, qubits make use of the quantum properties of nature, known as \u201csuperposition\u201d and \u201centanglement\u201d, to perform some calculations much faster than their classical counterparts.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike a classical bit, which is represented by either 0 or 1, a qubit can exist in <em>two<\/em> states (that is, 0 and 1) at the same time. This is what we refer to as a superposition state.<\/p>\n<p>Demonstrations by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-019-1666-5\">Google<\/a> and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/science.sciencemag.org\/content\/370\/6523\/1460\">others<\/a> have shown even current, early-stage quantum computers can outperform the most powerful supercomputers on the planet for a highly specialized (albeit not particularly useful) task \u2014 reaching a milestone we call quantum supremacy.<\/p>\n<p>Google\u2019s quantum computer, built from superconducting electrical circuits, had just 53 qubits and was cooled to a temperature close to -273\u2103 in a high-tech refrigerator. This extreme temperature is needed to remove heat, which can introduce errors to the fragile qubits. While such demonstrations are important, the challenge now is to build quantum processors with many more qubits.<\/p>\n<p>Major efforts are underway at UNSW Sydney to make quantum computers from the same material used in everyday computer chips: silicon. A conventional silicon chip is thumbnail-sized and packs in several billion bits, so the prospect of using this technology to build a quantum computer is compelling.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_control_problem\"><\/span>The control problem<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In silicon quantum processors, information is stored in individual electrons, which are trapped beneath small electrodes at the chip\u2019s surface. Specifically, the qubit is coded into the electron\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spin_(physics)\">spin<\/a>. It can be pictured as a small compass inside the electron. The needle of the compass can point north or south, which represents the 0 and 1 states.<\/p>\n<p>To set a qubit in a superposition state (both 0 <em>and<\/em> 1), an operation that occurs in all quantum computations, a control signal must be directed to the desired qubit. For qubits in silicon, this control signal is in the form of a microwave field, much like the ones used to carry phone calls over a 5G network. The microwaves interact with the electron and cause its spin (compass needle) to rotate.<\/p>\n<p>Currently, each qubit requires its own microwave control field. It is delivered to the quantum chip through a cable running from room temperature down to the bottom of the refrigerator at close to -273\u2103. Each cable brings heat with it, which must be removed before it reaches the quantum processor.<\/p>\n<p>At around 50 qubits, which is state-of-the-art today, this is difficult but manageable. Current refrigerator technology can cope with the cable heat load. However, it represents a huge hurdle if we\u2019re to use systems with a million qubits or more.<\/p>\n<pre class=\"c-mrkdwn__pre\" data-stringify-type=\"pre\"><p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"&#039;Missing jigsaw piece\u2019: engineers make critical advance in quantum computer design\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SD-jA8dGFuw?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p><!--resp-video-container--><\/pre>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_solution_is_%E2%80%98global_control\"><\/span>The solution is \u2018global\u2019 control<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>An elegant solution to the challenge of how to deliver control signals to millions of spin qubits was <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/30156\">proposed in the late 1990s<\/a>. The idea of \u201cglobal control\u201d was simple: broadcast a single microwave control field across the entire quantum processor.<\/p>\n<p>Voltage pulses can be applied locally to qubit electrodes to make the individual qubits interact with the global field (and produce superposition states).<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s much easier to generate such voltage pulses on-chip than it is to generate multiple microwave fields. The solution requires only a single control cable and removes obtrusive on-chip microwave control circuitry.<\/p>\n<p>For more than two decades global control in quantum computers remained an idea. Researchers could not devise a suitable technology that could be integrated with a quantum chip and generate microwave fields at suitably low powers.<\/p>\n<p>In our work, we show that a component known as a dielectric resonator could finally allow this. The dielectric resonator is a small, transparent crystal which traps microwaves for a short period of time.<\/p>\n<p>The trapping of microwaves, a phenomenon known as resonance, allows them to interact with the spin qubits longer and greatly reduces the power of microwaves needed to generate the control field. This was vital to operating the technology inside the refrigerator.<\/p>\n<p>In our experiment, we used the dielectric resonator to generate a control field over an area that could contain up to four million qubits. The quantum chip used in this demonstration was a device with two qubits. We were able to show the microwaves produced by the crystal could flip the spin state of each one.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_path_to_a_full-scale_quantum_computer\"><\/span>The path to a full-scale quantum computer<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>There is still work to be done before this technology is up to the task of controlling a million qubits. For our study, we managed to flip the state of the qubits, but not yet produce arbitrary superposition states.<\/p>\n<p>Experiments are ongoing to demonstrate this critical capability. We\u2019ll also need to further study the impact of the dielectric resonator on other aspects of the quantum processor.<\/p>\n<p>That said, we believe these engineering challenges will ultimately be surmountable \u2014 clearing one of the greatest hurdles to realizing a large-scale spin-based quantum computer.<\/p>\n<p><em>This article by\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/jarryd-pla-1259196\">Jarryd Pla<\/a>, Senior Lecturer in Quantum Engineering, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/unsw-1414\">UNSW<\/a>, and <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/profiles\/andrew-dzurak-140785\">Andrew Dzurak<\/a>, Scientia Professor in Quantum Engineering, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/institutions\/unsw-1414\">UNSW<\/a> is republished from <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\">The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/how-a-simple-crystal-could-help-pave-the-way-to-full-scale-quantum-computing-165956\">original article<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/crystal-could-help-pave-the-way-to-full-scale-quantum-computing-syndication\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#How a simple crystal could help pave the way to full-scale quantum\u00a0computing&#8221; Vaccine and drug development, artificial intelligence, transport and logistics, climate science \u2014 these are all areas that stand to be transformed by the development of a full-scale quantum computer. And there has been explosive growth in quantum computing investment over the past decade&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":328485,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/tnw?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2019\/12\/quantum_generic.jpg&signature=56bdeaa2564bdc098e2609c147240b3f","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-328484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=328484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328484\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/328485"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=328484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=328484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=328484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}