A method that has been developed by Darmstadt physicists may be able to circumvent one of the most significant obstacles in the construction of a quantum computer that is practical. In this instance, they make use of an optical effect that British photo pioneer William Talbot discovered in 1836. This achievement is published in the journal Physical Review Letters by the group led by Malte Schlosser and Gerhard Birkl from the Institute of Applied Physics at Technische Universität Darmstadt.
Even supercomputers are unable to complete certain tasks as quickly as quantum computers. However, there have only been a few hundred “qubit” prototypes so far. In quantum computing, these are the fundamental information units, analogous to “bits” in conventional computing. Qubits, on the other hand, are able to process the two values “0” and “1” simultaneously rather than sequentially, making it possible for quantum computers to carry out numerous calculations simultaneously.
For practical applications like optimizing intricate traffic flows, quantum computers with many thousands, if not millions, of qubits would be required. The addition of qubits, on the other hand, necessitates the use of resources like laser output, which has hampered quantum computer development thus far. Now, the Darmstadt team has demonstrated that the optical Talbot effect can be utilized to increase the number of qubits from a few hundred to more than ten thousand without in any way necessitating an increase in resources.
“If you want to increase the number of qubits by a certain factor, you must also increase the laser output by the same factor.”
Gerhard Birkl from the Institute of Applied Physics at Technische Universität Darmstadt
Qubits can be acknowledged in various ways. Google and other tech giants, for example, make their own superconducting circuit elements. However, for this purpose, individual atoms are also excellent. Single-atom qubits must be held in a regular lattice, like a chess board, to control them in a specific way.
For this purpose, physicists typically employ an “optical lattice” of regularly arranged light points created when laser beams cross each other. If you have any desire to build the quantity of qubits by a specific element, you likewise need to correspondingly expand the laser yield,” makes sense of Birkl.
The optical lattice is made in a novel way by his team. They apply a laser to a fingernail-sized piece of glass with tiny optical lenses arranged in a chessboard-like pattern. A small portion of the laser beam is bundled into each microlens, creating a plane of focal points that can hold atoms.
Presently, the Talbot impact is happening on top, which has so far been viewed as a disturbance: the layer of central focuses is rehashed on different occasions at equivalent spans; the development of what are known as “self-images” As a result, a 2D optical lattice becomes a 3D one with many times as many light points. ” Malte Schlosser, the primary author of the work, says, “We get that free of charge.” He implies that no extra laser yield is expected for this.
The high assembly accuracy of microlenses prompts routinely organized mental self-views, which can be utilized for qubits. The specialists had the option to load the extra layers with individual particles. 16 of these free layers were made with the laser’s output, which could accommodate more than 10,000 qubits. Schlosser claims that in the future, conventional lasers can be utilized to quadruple their power.
Birkl explains, “The microlens field can also be optimized further,” such as by expanding the number of focal points with smaller lenses. As a result, more than 100,000 qubits are within reach in the near future. The team’s demonstration of the ability to scale the number of qubits represents a significant step toward the creation of practical quantum computers.
Schlosser underscores that innovation isn’t restricted to quantum PCs. “High-precision optical atomic clocks might also benefit from our platform.” The Darmstadt team intends to further develop its new qubit platform and envisions numerous quantum technology applications.
More information: Malte Schlosser et al, Scalable Multilayer Architecture of Assembled Single-Atom Qubit Arrays in a Three-Dimensional Talbot Tweezer Lattice, Physical Review Letters (2023). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.130.180601
