Engineers Demonstrate Quantum Integrated Circuit Made Up of Just a Few Atoms (newatlas.com) 21
Engineers in Sydney have demonstrated a quantum integrated circuit made up of just a few atoms. By precisely controlling the quantum states of the atoms, the new processor can simulate the structure and properties of molecules in a way that could unlock new materials and catalysts. New Atlas reports: The new quantum circuit comes from researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and a start-up company called Silicon Quantum Computing (SQC). It's essentially made up of 10 carbon-based quantum dots embedded in silicon, with six metallic gates that control the flow of electrons through the circuit. It sounds simple enough, but the key lies in the arrangement of these carbon atoms down to the sub-nanometer scale. Relative to each other, they're precisely positioned to mimic the atomic structure of a particular molecule, allowing scientists to simulate and study the structure and energy states of that molecule more accurately than ever before.
In this case, they arranged the carbon atoms into the shape of the organic compound polyacetylene, which is made up of a repeating chain of carbon and hydrogen atoms with an alternating pattern of single and double carbon bonds between them. To simulate those bonds, the team placed the carbon atoms at different distances apart. Next, the researchers ran an electrical current through the circuit to check whether it would match the signature of a natural polyacetylene molecule -- and sure enough, it did. In other tests, the team created two different versions of the chain by cutting bonds at different places, and the resulting currents matched theoretical predictions perfectly. The significance of this new quantum circuit, the team says, is that it could be used to study more complicated molecules, which could eventually yield new materials, pharmaceuticals, or catalysts. This 10-atom version is right on the limit of what classical computers can simulate, so the team's plans for a 20-atom quantum circuit would allow for simulation of more complex molecules for the first time. The research has been published in the journal Nature.
In this case, they arranged the carbon atoms into the shape of the organic compound polyacetylene, which is made up of a repeating chain of carbon and hydrogen atoms with an alternating pattern of single and double carbon bonds between them. To simulate those bonds, the team placed the carbon atoms at different distances apart. Next, the researchers ran an electrical current through the circuit to check whether it would match the signature of a natural polyacetylene molecule -- and sure enough, it did. In other tests, the team created two different versions of the chain by cutting bonds at different places, and the resulting currents matched theoretical predictions perfectly. The significance of this new quantum circuit, the team says, is that it could be used to study more complicated molecules, which could eventually yield new materials, pharmaceuticals, or catalysts. This 10-atom version is right on the limit of what classical computers can simulate, so the team's plans for a 20-atom quantum circuit would allow for simulation of more complex molecules for the first time. The research has been published in the journal Nature.
Pretend I don't have a PhD in QM ... (Score:2)
So this is a sort of analogue computer, custom built for a specific problem, and completely unrelated to quantum computers, which are digital and programmable. Am I on the right track?
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Yea, seems to me quite analogous to an oscilloscope for molecules, or perhaps a molecule simulator.
Let me know when they get it far enough along that we're looking into Elerium-115. I'm looking forward to plasma rifles and advanced interceptors under that tech-tree unlock.
Maybe we'll even get around to making those elusive hover boards we were all promised years ago.
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Sorry dude, this is an english language forum.
Maybe you were looking for slashdot.fu, for robots....
Honestly, at least post something legible, or this is gonna be really boring....
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Maybe we'll even get around to making those elusive hover boards we were all promised years ago.
We have em already. Turns out giving a human the flying powers of Superman with zero invulnerability isn’t going to get many repeat buyers. Who knew strapping 1000hp of ultra light weight jet engines to a human might be dangerous?
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Yes about the analogue part (the paper even explicitly refers to it as such), but it is a quantum system, so it would be something like an analogue quantum computer ("simulation" is the term used, since it's not reprogrammable without building a new device). Is this useful for developing more standard "digital" quantum computers? Maybe: anything that expands our understanding of interacting quantum systems is potentially helpful. And the ability to place precise quantum dots like this is very cool (though I
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Unless it uses quantum entanglement, it does not get the benefits of a QC.
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Sounds like that to me. Some people trying to ride along on the inane quantum-craze.
Re:Pretend I don't have a PhD in QM ... (Score:4)
No it isn't. The summary was quite clear, it is a quantum circuit able to simulate chemical bonds. That is all the scientists claimed. That is itself quite useful. Sorry it doesn't get you the "quantum-craze" you so much desire. Maybe you could talk to these scientists and tell them what they are doing is useless. Better show them your PhD in physics first or they might not take you seriously.
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And then Universe.exe crashed.
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You have it exactly right. They've built a physical model of a certain molecule. It's designed to have electronic properties that match the real molecule, but it's much easier to control and measure than the molecule is.
This doesn't have much to do with quantum computers in the sense people usually talk about. It's just a model of a particular thing, kind of like building a scale model of an airplane so you can study how it behaves before building the real thing. It can still be really useful.
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Please point out the lie so we can all be let into the secret only you see.
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Clearly it's where they claimed the "causality principle" doesn't exist.
Now you just have to figure out what that is.