UK scientists have successfully connected two separated Quantum processorspaved the way for a Quantum And, potentially, quantum supercomputers.
Increase the number of Quantum bits (otherwise known as qubits) in a quantum computer has proven to be difficult because quantum computers are “noisy” – they are sensitive to any interference of heat, movement or electromagnetism and fail much more often than bits in conventional computers.
The more qubits in a quantum computer, the more complex the system becomes and the greater the risk of decoherence – the loss of quantum information – and the resources necessary to avoid errors. This is why scientists focus on building more reliable qubits before extending systems to millions of qubits necessary for a real Useful quantum computer.
In a study published February 5 In the journal Nature, scientists have proposed to get around this scalability problem by connecting separate quantum processors using existing fiber optic wiring, thus increasing the number of available qubits.
This is an important step in demonstrating the feasibility of distributed quantum computer (DQC), by which quantum processors are connected together to carry out calculations. DQC would allow several quantum processors to work together to solve more and more complex problems in much less time than it would take conventional supervisors.
Scientists have described how they connected two quantum processors – called Alice and Bob (not to be confused with the ALICE & BOB Quantum IT company) using a photonic network interface (optical fibers). The sending of quantum algorithms through the photonic network interface allowed the two quantum processors to share resources and to operate as a single entity.
Distributed computer of the future
By connecting the two processors like this, scientists could also transmit photons, as well as quantum information and, for the first time, a quantum algorithm. These algorithms are the calculation functions that allow quantum computers to solve problems. These were shared by exploiting the phenomenon of quantum tangle between photons.
Quantum processors could also operate together on the test problem using the Grover search algorithm – a quantum algorithm designed to find a “needle in a haystack”; Search for a certain information in a large pool of undeveloped data.
This breakthrough is the key to writing the problem of scalability in quantum computer science. Instead of a single machine containing millions of qubits, which would be massive and heavy, the new technique allows calculations distributed on many smaller processors. Using small modules of trapped ion qubits linked by optical cables, it allows separate QPU qubits.
An additional advantage of the connection of processors in a DQC system is ease of maintenance, because the modules can be upgraded or replaced without disturbing the rest of the system.
As there was only a space of 6.6 feet (2 meters) between the two Quantum treatment units (QPUS), future tests of this technology should extend the operating distance to ensure that the connection remains stable over much longer distances. Quantum repeaters, which increase the beach on which quantum information can be transmitted, can also be incorporated into future systems.
The addition of quantum processors would provide additional proof that DQC would be a viable solution to build quantum supercomputers. In the same way that the supervisors today are hundreds of conventional connected processors, it is theoretically possible to create a quantum supercaluler by connecting quantum processors over large distances.
As proof of concept, experience has proven that the DQC is viable. It also creates the foundations of a secure quantum internet, which could allow a more secure method of transmission of information, because quantum processors in different places could be used to create a secure communication network.
In a press release, David LucasThe main researcher of the research team and the main scientist for the British quantum calculation and simulation center, said that “team experience shows that the processing of quantum information distributed by the network is possible with current technology”.
However, Lucas admitted that there was a lot of work to do before quantum computers were available for practical applications.
“The scaling up of quantum computers remains a formidable technical challenge which will probably require new physical information as well as intensive engineering efforts in the coming years,” he said.