The Quantum Computing Advances You Need to Know

From topological quantum computing, to designing optical chips that enable photons to perform quantum computations, researchers continue to take significant steps toward designing a machine that is fully powered by quantum physics.

The applications of quantum computing machines are thought to be vast and largely unexplored, but the impact on the medtech industry could be profound.

Most researchers understand that a machine powered by quantum physics will be able to solve problems, execute algorithms, and process data at much faster rates than any other comparable technology. All of which could hopefully lead to advancements in medical imaging, diagnostics, and even methods of treatment.

This is why in the realm of quantum physics, it's an exciting time to be alive. Recently researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) built an array of light detectors sensitive enough to register the arrival of individual light particles, or photons, before mounting them on a silicon optical chip, according to a news release from the institute.

After sorting through the minutiae of the project, the essential bottom line of their work is that the arrays the team developed at MIT are crucial components in devices that use photons to perform quantum computations.

In previous arrays, the detectors registered only 0.2% of the single photons directed at them, and historically have topped out at about 2%. But the detectors on this new chip registered up to 20% of the single photons directed at them, a percentage that is still a ways off from the 90% or more needed for a practical quantum circuit, but a significant step in the right direction nonetheless.

Then there is topological quantum computing (TQC), a newer type of quantum computing that utilizes "braids" of particle tracks, rather than actual particles such as ions and electrons. Ever since TQC was first proposed in 1997, experimentally realizing the appropriate braids has proven to be extremely difficult. This is both because the braids are formed by the trajectory of exotic quasiparticles known as anyons, and because the movement of the anyons must be non-Abelian, which means that changing the order of the anyons' movements changes their final tracks.

In most proposals of TQC, the non-Abelian statistics of the anyons has not been powerful enough, even in theory, for universal TQC to be possible. That is until a study from physicists at Cornell University were able to theoretically show that anyons tunneling in a double-layer system can transition to an exotic non-Abelian state that contains "Fibonacci" anyons that are powerful enough for universal TQC, according to a recent news release.

What makes the Fibonacci anyons so attractive for TQC is the way these quasiparticles move around each other, creating braids and knots of tracks. Different quasiparticles have different electrical charges, so they separate different electron patterns. From this perspective, the Fibonacci anyon is appealing due to the particular ground state patterns it separates. Researchers believe this could go a long way toward realizing the appropriate braids that make TQC universally possible.

While all of these developments are still very much in the theoretical stages, the movement toward quantum physics research is really picking up momentum. Even Google has gotten into the mix, as they've teamed up with D-Wave Systems, one of the heavy hitters in the world of quantum computational development. Of course, now that Google has entered the fray, it may not be long before quantum computing machines leave the realm of the theoretical, and enter the realm of reality. 

Kristopher Sturgis is a contributor to Qmed and MPMN.

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