New quantum computer breaks binary for the first time, information stored in calcium atoms

For decades, binary has been the basis for computer calculations, but for quantum computers, the binary system has hindered their true potential. Recently, a team of scientists from the University of Innsbruck, Austria, realized a new type of quantum computer that successfully broke through the binary calculation mode and used so-called "quantum numbers" to perform calculations, thus releasing more quantum computers with fewer quantum particles. Much computing power.

Researchers have developed a quantum computer that harnesses the full potential of calcium atoms by using qubits to perform calculations. Research shows that, unlike classical computing, using more quantum states does not reduce a computer's reliability.

#We all know that computers use 0s and 1s—that is, binary information—to perform calculations. This model has been so successful that computers now power everything from coffee machines to self-driving cars, and it’s hard to imagine life without them.
Building on this success, today’s quantum computers are also designed with binary information processing in mind. "However, a quantum computer is made up of more than just 0s and 1s," explained experimental physicist Martin Ringbauer in a statement released by the University of Innsbruck. "Limiting them to binary systems prevents these devices from reaching their true potential."

Quantum physicist Martin Ringbauer experiments room.

A team led by Thomas Monz from the Department of Experimental Physics at the University of Innsbruck has now successfully developed a quantum computer that can use so-called "quantum numbers" ( qudits) to perform arbitrary computations, freeing up more computing power with fewer quantum particles. This research was recently published in the journal Nature Physics ().

(Quantum computers can perform arbitrary calculations using so-called quantum numbers, or qubits. This can free up more calculations with fewer quantum particles Ability. Qubits are the basic unit in quantum computers and correspond in quantum computing to binary digits in classical computing. Qubits are made up of quantum systems such as electrons or photons.)

Brand new Quantum Systems

Although storing information in 0s and 1s is not the most efficient way to compute, it is the simplest. Simplicity also generally means reliable and robust to errors, so binary information has become the impeccable standard for classical computers.

The Innsbruck quantum computer stores information in individual trapped calcium atoms, each of which has eight states. , scientists have used seven of these states for calculations.

In the quantum world, the situation is very different. In the Innsbruck quantum computer, for example, information is stored in individual trapped calcium atoms. Each of these atoms naturally has eight different states, only two of which are typically used to store information. In fact, almost all existing quantum computers can reach many more quantum states than they are used for calculations.

In their experiments, the researchers demonstrated a universal Qudit ion trap quantum processor (TIQP) that uses the native hierarchical structure of the 40Ca ion trapping chain. Experiments show that each 40Ca ion inherently supports a Qudit with 8 energy levels, with a highly connected Hilbert space.

Energy level diagram of 40Ca ion. Quantum information is encoded in the S1/2 and D5/2 states, where each transition between S and D can be accessed using a single narrowband laser at 729nm.

VERY NATURAL APPLICATIONS

This new quantum computer can exploit the full potential of these atoms by computing using qudits. Contrary to the classic case, using more states does not make the computer less reliable. "Quantum systems naturally have more than two states, and we showed that we can control them equally well," said Thomas Monz.

On the other hand, many tasks that require quantum computers, such as problems in physics, chemistry, or materials science, are also naturally expressed in the language of qudits. Rewriting them in qubits is simply too complex for today's quantum computers. "It is very natural not only for a quantum computer but also for its applications to use more than 0 and 1, which allows us to unlock the true potential of quantum systems," explains Martin Ringbauer.

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