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 → News

Scientists chill LEGO bricks to nearly absolute zero

LEGOs and quantum computers? Yup!

Tibi Puiu by Tibi Puiu
January 9, 2020
in News, Physics
Credit: University of Lancaster.

LEGOs have always found their use in cool scientific experiments, but new developments from Lancaster University in the UK took things to a whole new level. Using a sophisticated setup, the researchers chilled LEGO bricks extremely close to absolute zero (the coldest temperature possible) and, in the process, gained useful insights that might one-day help us build better quantum computers.

Brick by brick

Quantum computers are machines that operate on qubits or quantum bits, rather than classical bits (1s or 0s). By exploiting the quirky nature of quantum mechanics, such machines are able to encode information in 1s, 0s, or both states at the same time. This allows quantum computers to perform computations orders of magnitude more complex than a classic computer is capable of doing.

Two-qubits can perform operations on four values, three on eight values and so on in powers of two. Today’s computers have millions of transistors. Now imagine a quantum logic gate that works with millions of qubits. The computing force would be unheard of.

In October, Google made a controversial announcement, claiming its machines have reached “quantum supremacy” — a term that describes crossing the threshold where quantum computers can do things that conventional computers cannot.

The main challenge that quantum computers face is qubits failing due to decoherence caused by vibrations, temperature fluctuations, electromagnetic waves and other interactions with the outside environment, which ultimately destroys the exotic quantum properties of the computer.

This is why quantum computers are such cumbersome machines — they require a huge setup that involves pumps, compressors, and liquid nitrogen in order to chill things close to absolute zero.

But, where do LEGOs fit into all this? As it so happens, LEGOs have thermal properties that make them highly appealing for insulating a quantum computer’s components.

In an experiment, physicists at the University of Lancaster stacked four LEGOs and introduced them in a special refrigerating device that mixes two helium isotopes to generate ultra-cold temperatures.

The bottom of the stack was placed right where the isotopes mix while the top brick was fitted with a small heater and thermometer.

The bottom LEGOs were exposed to frigid temperatures ranging from 70 milliKelvin to 1.8 Kelvin — up to thousands of times colder than outer space.

Despite the ultra-cold temperature, heating the top LEGO brick barely changed the temperature of the bottom brick, making LEGOs extremely good thermal insulators. In fact, they performed better than some of the most expensive plastics on the market used for this purpose, the researchers reported.

All of this doesn’t mean that we’ll see LEGO bricks in quantum computers any time soon (or who knows, really?). Instead, the insights gained by the study could be used to design insulators that are custom made for perfect integration with the demands of quantum computing.

“This work suggests that custom-built modular materials with even better thermal performance could be readily and cheaply produced by 3D printing,” the authors wrote.

The findings were reported in the journal Scientific Reports.

Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Related posts:
  1. Scientists cool molecules just a hair over absolute zero (1,000,000 times colder than space)
  2. Tiny aluminium drum cooled beyond quantum limit proves we can make things even colder. Possibly down to absolute zero
  3. Coldest atom cloud in the world chills other matter close to absolute zero
  4. Frustrated magnets really do exhibit Hall’s effect, but only near absolute zero temperature
  5. DNA ‘Lego’ bricks used to build 3D nano-objects
Tags: absolute zerolego

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