Operation of a silicon quantum processor unit cell above one kelvin

mauromar (73)in #science • 4 years ago

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Quantum computers are the computing promise of the future and they are expected to solve humanity's great problems.

Although, judging by the news, it seems that quantum computers are already a reality, the truth is that they are still in their infancy.

As you all know, quantum computers base their operation on the strange behavior of subatomic particles, including the ability to adopt several states simultaneously, which is known as superposition.

But to achieve this superposition, it is necessary to cool those cubits to practically absolute 0: 0.1 º Kelvin, that is, -273.5 ºC or in other words 273 celsius degrees below zero.

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Now a team of researchers from Australia and the Netherlands have achieved functional qubits at temperatures 15 times higher than the technologies used so far.

These silicon qubits can operate at temperatures above 1.5 º Kelvin and you may think this is not a big deal raising the temperature only 1.5 degrees, that is, -272 ºC, which is still super cold.

But it turns out that the price of the technology needed to lower the temperature by a degree goes from millions of dollars to thousands of dollars, in addition to considerably reducing the volume of the gadget.