SFU: Ancient computer technology points the way to the future of quantum computing

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Researchers have made a breakthrough in developing quantum technology that has the potential to outpace today’s supercomputers, opening the door to breakthroughs in fields like medicine, chemistry, cybersecurity, and others that have been outside of our time. scope.

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In a study published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, researchers at Simon Fraser University in British Columbia said they had found a way to create quantum computing processors on silicon chips.

Lead researcher Stephanie Simmons said they illuminated tiny imperfections in the silicon chips with intense beams of light. Defects in silicon chips act as information carriers, she said. While the rest of the chip transmits light, the small defect reflects it and becomes a messenger, she said.

There are many natural imperfections in silicon. Some of these imperfections can act as quantum bits or qubits. Scientists call such imperfections spin qubits. Previous research has shown that silicon can produce some of the most stable and durable qubits in the industry.

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“These results unlock immediate opportunities to build silicon-integrated telecommunications band quantum information networks,” the study said.

Simmons, who holds the university’s Canada Research Chair in quantum silicon technologies, said the main challenge with quantum computing was being able to send information to and from qubits.

“People have worked with spin qubits, or defects, in silicon before,” Simmons said. “And people have worked with photon qubits in silicon before. But no one has put them together like that.”

Lead author Daniel Higginbottom called the breakthrough “immediately promising” because the researchers achieved what was considered impossible by combining two known but parallel fields.

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Silicon defects were studied extensively from the 1970s to the 1990s, while quantum physics has been investigated for decades, said Higginbottom, who is a postdoctoral fellow in the university’s physics department.

“For a long time, people didn’t see any potential for optical technology in defects in silicon. But we really have been pioneers in reviewing them and we have found something with applications in quantum technology that is certainly remarkable.”

Although still in its infancy, Simmons said quantum computing is the future of computers that can solve anything from simple algebra problems to complex equations or pharmaceutical formulas that reveal deep mysteries of space.

“We are going to be limited by our imagination at this stage. What is really going to take off is a long way from our predictive capabilities as humans.”

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The advantage of using silicon chips is that they are widely available, understood and have a giant manufacturing base, he said.

“We can really make it work and we should be able to move faster and hopefully bring that capability on board a lot faster.”

Some physicists predict that quantum computers will be widespread in about two decades, though Simmons said he thinks it will be much sooner.

In the 1950s, people thought the technology behind transistors would be used primarily for hearing aids, he said. No one predicted then that the physics behind a transistor could be applied to Facebook or Google, he added.

“So we will have to see how quantum technology develops over decades in terms of what applications really resonate with the public,” he said. “But there’s going to be a lot because people are creative, and these are fundamentally very powerful tools that we’re unlocking.”