Stabilising quantum computers with ‘noise-cancelling headphones’
Excerpts and salient points ~
• Quantum entanglement is a delicate state that requires the particles used for computing, known as qubits, to be insulated from outside vibrations, electromagnetic waves, and kept at incredibly low temperatures… Interference not only messes with the end results, but could ruin the quantum particles altogether.
• Various solutions are being explored to overcome this problem, including algorithms to adjust for inaccurate calculations and the use of photons instead of electrons as qubits because they are less prone to electromagnetic disruption.
• Australian [and U.S.] researchers are looking at chips that have an extra quantum particle that will act like the microphone in noise-cancelling headphones – picking up sources of interference and allowing other parts of the system to generate competing signals that will cancel out the interference.
• UNSW’s Andrea Morello, a professor of quantum engineering, said different atoms will be used as the ‘spectator qubit’, or microphone, and the ‘data qubit’, which will do the computing work… The result will hopefully be that only the signals used to encode the information on the qubit will reach the particle.
Source: itnews. Matt Johnston, Stabilising quantum computers with ‘noise-cancelling headphones’…
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