Quantcast
ZME Science
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    Menu
    Natural Sciences
    Health
    History & Humanities
    Space & Astronomy
    Technology
    Culture
    Resources
    Natural Sciences

    Physics

    • Matter and Energy
    • Quantum Mechanics
    • Thermodynamics

    Chemistry

    • Periodic Table
    • Applied Chemistry
    • Materials
    • Physical Chemistry

    Biology

    • Anatomy
    • Biochemistry
    • Ecology
    • Genetics
    • Microbiology
    • Plants and Fungi

    Geology and Paleontology

    • Planet Earth
    • Earth Dynamics
    • Rocks and Minerals
    • Volcanoes
    • Dinosaurs
    • Fossils

    Animals

    • Mammals
    • Birds
    • Fish
    • Reptiles
    • Amphibians
    • Invertebrates
    • Pets
    • Conservation
    • Animals Facts

    Climate and Weather

    • Climate Change
    • Weather and Atmosphere

    Geography

    Mathematics

    Health
    • Drugs
    • Diseases and Conditions
    • Human Body
    • Mind and Brain
    • Food and Nutrition
    • Wellness
    History & Humanities
    • Anthropology
    • Archaeology
    • Economics
    • History
    • People
    • Sociology
    Space & Astronomy
    • The Solar System
    • The Sun
    • The Moon
    • Planets
    • Asteroids, Meteors and Comets
    • Astronomy
    • Astrophysics
    • Cosmology
    • Exoplanets and Alien Life
    • Spaceflight and Exploration
    Technology
    • Computer Science & IT
    • Engineering
    • Inventions
    • Sustainability
    • Renewable Energy
    • Green Living
    Culture
    • Culture and Society
    • Bizarre Stories
    • Lifestyle
    • Art and Music
    • Gaming
    • Books
    • Movies and Shows
    Resources
    • How To
    • Science Careers
    • Metascience
    • Fringe Science
    • Science Experiments
    • School and Study
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact
No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

No Result
View All Result
ZME Science

Home → Science → Physics

Scientists devise qubits in a semiconductor for the first time

Tibi Puiu by Tibi Puiu
October 27, 2017
in Physics, Research, Science

Hailed as yet another big step towards devising working quantum computers, scientists at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) have successfully managed to generate quantum qubits inside a semiconductor for the first time, instead of vacuum.

Dual channel allows electrons to maintain phase; states are denoted by arrows (credit: Andreas Wieck)
Dual channel allows electrons to maintain phase; states are denoted by arrows (credit: Andreas Wieck)

A qubit is the quantum analog of a bit. While a bit must be read either as a 0 or 1, the qubit can be read as 0, as 1 or both states at the same time, known as a superposition. What really sets a qubit apart from your typical bit, though, is quantum entanglement, which is a form of superposition, but not quite. The video below this paragraph explains very well what quantum entanglement is all about better than I ever could. It’s suffice to say, however, that quantum entanglement is a must have prerequisite for quantum computation which can not be rendered effectively with a classical computer. It’s entanglement that allows a qubit to have complex variables assigned to it, which scientists believe will significantly one day increase the computation power, and in doing so will open a portal to a new realm of quantum research, currently impossible.

Back to the breakthrough research at hand, physicist Prof. Dr. Andreas Wieck and colleagues were able to use the trajectories of an electron through two closely spaced channels for encoding qubits in a semiconductor. For a qubit to be preserved it’s imperative that the electron wave doesn’t disperse and loses its ability to encode information, the case when traveling through a solid. To tackle this issue, the scientists applied a solution proposed by Wieck some 22 years ago, consisting of a high-purity gallium arsenide crystal marked by dual channels.

These dual channels allow electrons to move through a tunnel on well defined parallel paths, which ensures the electron wave doesn’t travel through different paths and preserves phase information. Only one single electron fits through at a time, until they reach a fork. At this fork, two electrons take the same path simultaneously and merge, causing an electron waves to interfere each other and, in some occasions, cause qubits with more than one state to form. Currently, only a small percentage of the fired electrons emerge as qubits, but the researchers hope to increase its efficiency.

“Unfortunately, not all the electrons take part in this process, so far it’s only a few percent,” commented Wieck. “Some students in my department are, however, already working on growing crystals with higher electron densities.”

The scientists’ findings were published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.

via Kurzweil AI

Was this helpful?


Thanks for your feedback!

Related posts:
  1. Scientists cool semiconductor with laser light
  2. Scientists combine a semiconductor and superconductor for the first time
  3. D-Wave upgrades quantum chip to 2,000 qubits, gets first customer for its $15 million machine
  4. China breaks quantum entanglement record at 18 qubits
  5. Scientists manage to derive semiconductor from graphene – huge implications for electronics industry
Tags: quantum computerquantum computingquantum entanglementquantum memoryquantum physicsqubitsemiconductorsuperposition

ADVERTISEMENT
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
  • Reviews
  • More
  • About Us

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Environment
  • Health
  • Future
  • Space
  • Features
    • Natural Sciences
    • Health
    • History and Humanities
    • Space & Astronomy
    • Culture
    • Technology
    • Resources
  • Reviews
  • More
    • Agriculture
    • Anthropology
    • Biology
    • Chemistry
    • Electronics
    • Geology
    • History
    • Mathematics
    • Nanotechnology
    • Economics
    • Paleontology
    • Physics
    • Psychology
    • Robotics
  • About Us
    • About
    • The Team
    • Advertise
    • Contribute
    • Privacy Policy
    • Contact

© 2007-2021 ZME Science - Not exactly rocket science. All Rights Reserved.

Don’t you want to get smarter every day?

YES, sign me up!

Over 35,000 subscribers can’t be wrong. Don’t worry, we never spam. By signing up you agree to our privacy policy.

✕
ZME Science News

FREE
VIEW