A quantum computer. | Photo Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto Towards a more efficient quantum ‘hard drive’ Quantum computers encode information in qubits (the basic unit of quantum information) that can not only represent a 0 or a 1 like the bits of ordinary computers but can also use infinite possible combinations of several 0s and 1s. In a quantum computer, a qubit is physically realised with a two-state (or two-level) quantum mechanical system, which serves as the basic quantum switch. Quantum computers promise to solve complex problems that are currently beyond the reach of classical computers. But quantum systems, on which qubits are based, are incredibly sensitive to temperature variations, electromagnetic interference, and other environmental factors. Even tiny disturbances to a qubit’s delicate quantum state can result in lost data and errors. One of the major challenges in realising practical quantum computing is, therefore, the need for robust error correction mechanisms. Now, two University of Sydney (UoS) quantum information researchers, Dominic Williamson and Nouédyn Baspin, have developed new architecture to manage errors. Their work was published in a recent issue of Nature Communications . “There remain significant barriers to overcome in the development of a universal quantum computer,” the lead author Williamson of the UoS’ Nano Institute and School of Physics said in a statement. “One of the biggest is the fact we need to use most of the qubits to suppress the errors that emerge as a matter of course within the technology. Our proposed quantum architecture will require fewer qubits to suppress more errors, liberating more for useful quantum processing,” he added. Error correction in quantum computers is performed by writing code that operates through the 3D qubit structure, a latticework of how the “quantum switches” are organised. The error correction architecture currently in use works in just […]
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