New revolutionary architecture for quantum computing

[OyaYansa]

A team of engineers from the University of New South Wales (Australia) has developed a new architecture for quantum computing that could make it possible to manufacture cheaper, scalable, simple quantum chips to produce.

But let's start with the principle: as you already know, quantum computation is based on the use of quantum bits or qubits, the fundamental unit of quantum information, which is constructed by particles having quantum behavior. Unlike conventional bits that rely on binary language to perform their processes, the qubit uses the atom states model, which can adopt a state of 0 and one, but also the two simultaneously. For this reason, a qubit is capable of processing much more information than a bit.

The quantum computer has to be constructed using many qubits, all individually controlled and intertwined with each other in a large network to perform quantum calculations. At present, the space that has to be between one qubit and another has to be of few nanometers, since otherwise they can not interlace. This means that the other components, such as control electronics and reading devices, must also be manufactured at nanometer scale.

This is how the flip-flop qubit works
And it is at this point that the innovation introduced by these engineers, led by Andrea Morello and Guilherme Tosi. The team has designed a new revolutionary qubit, called the qubit flip-flop, which promises to make it possible to make quantum processors cheaper and easier to produce.

The new design has set the record for qubits isolated in solid state. It is composed of individual phosphorus atoms, implanted in a silicon chip very similar to the current computers. This configuration makes it possible for a quantum silicon processor to be expanded without the precise placement of atoms required in other approaches. In addition, it allows the quantum bits to be located hundreds of nanometers apart and remain entangled.

The team has created qubits of the electron and the nucleus of the phosphorus atom. Although they would normally have to be placed a few atoms away for electrons to touch and perform quantum calculations, researchers have discovered that this is not necessary, and this finding is what makes the new architecture revolutionary.

Qubits can communicate at much longer distances if the information is encoded in the quantum state of the electron and the nucleus, which have been called qubit flip-flops or oscillating qubit. The advantage of this technique is that the qubit can be controlled by electrical rather than magnetic signals, which are easier to distribute and locate within an electronic chip, and create an electric field that reaches long distances.

In this way, it is possible to design a large-scale quantum computer where there is enough space to put interconnections, control lines and reading devices without having to make atomic-scale components. The flip-flops qubits will allow to manufacture long chains of qubits without having to surpass the limits of manufacture of conventional electronic devices. It is a faster and more economical way to build a quantum computer that is big enough to start having an impact on the world.

The team led by Morello and Tosi has reached an agreement with the telecommunications giant Telstra and the Australian government to develop a 10-qubit quantum circuit integrated in silicon, which is the first step in the construction of the world's first silicon quantum computer . The prototype will be ready by 2022.