Their latest experiment involved particles of light, known as photons, in the microwave spectrum.<\/p>\n
Quantum Information Notes<\/h2>\n![\"quantum](\"https:\/\/techfragments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/quantum-flute-2.jpg\")
Credit: Schuster lab<\/p><\/div>\n
Schuster\u2019s lab designed a system consisting of a long chamber inside a block of metal, in order to trap photons at microwave frequencies. The cavity is made by drilling offset holes \u2014 just like holes in a flute.<\/p>\n
“Just like in the musical instrument, you can send one or several wavelengths of photons across the whole thing, and each wavelength creates a ‘note’ that can be used to encode quantum information,”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Schuster said.<\/p>\n
Controlling the interactions of the “flute notes” can then be done by using a master quantum bit, a superconducting qubits electrical circuit.<\/p>\n
Their oddest discovery, however, was the way the photons acted together.<\/p>\n
The Tipping Point<\/h2>\n
Interaction between photons is hardly ever observed in nature, as they simply pass through each other. With exacting preparation, scientists can sometimes nudge two photons to react to each other’s presence.<\/p>\n
“Here we do something even weirder. At first the photons don’t interact at all, but when the total energy in the system reaches a tipping point, all of a sudden, they’re all talking to each other,”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Schuster said.<\/p>\n
“Normally, most particle interactions are one-on-one \u2014 two particles bouncing or attracting each other. If you add a third, they’re usually still interacting sequentially with one or the other. But this system has them all interacting at the same time,”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
he added.<\/p>\n
Their tests only ran up to five “notes” together at one time, but the scientists could imagine running eventually hundreds or thousands of notes through a single qubit to control them. Building a quantum computer with 1,000 bits and controlling all of them through a single bit would be incredibly valuable, according to Schuster.<\/p>\n
References:<\/p>\n
Srivatsan Chakram et al, Seamless High- Q Microwave Cavities for Multimode Circuit Quantum Electrodynamics<\/a>, Physical Review Letters (2021). DOI: 10.1103\/PhysRevLett.127.107701<\/p>\n
Credit: Schuster lab<\/p><\/div>\n
Schuster\u2019s lab designed a system consisting of a long chamber inside a block of metal, in order to trap photons at microwave frequencies. The cavity is made by drilling offset holes \u2014 just like holes in a flute.<\/p>\n
“Just like in the musical instrument, you can send one or several wavelengths of photons across the whole thing, and each wavelength creates a ‘note’ that can be used to encode quantum information,”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Schuster said.<\/p>\n
Controlling the interactions of the “flute notes” can then be done by using a master quantum bit, a superconducting qubits electrical circuit.<\/p>\n
Their oddest discovery, however, was the way the photons acted together.<\/p>\n
The Tipping Point<\/h2>\n
Interaction between photons is hardly ever observed in nature, as they simply pass through each other. With exacting preparation, scientists can sometimes nudge two photons to react to each other’s presence.<\/p>\n
“Here we do something even weirder. At first the photons don’t interact at all, but when the total energy in the system reaches a tipping point, all of a sudden, they’re all talking to each other,”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Schuster said.<\/p>\n
“Normally, most particle interactions are one-on-one \u2014 two particles bouncing or attracting each other. If you add a third, they’re usually still interacting sequentially with one or the other. But this system has them all interacting at the same time,”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
he added.<\/p>\n
Their tests only ran up to five “notes” together at one time, but the scientists could imagine running eventually hundreds or thousands of notes through a single qubit to control them. Building a quantum computer with 1,000 bits and controlling all of them through a single bit would be incredibly valuable, according to Schuster.<\/p>\n
References:<\/p>\n
Srivatsan Chakram et al, Seamless High- Q Microwave Cavities for Multimode Circuit Quantum Electrodynamics<\/a>, Physical Review Letters (2021). DOI: 10.1103\/PhysRevLett.127.107701<\/p>\n