This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: So far, quantum computers have been held back by their extreme sensitivity to errors and external disturbances. The longer a quantum operation takes, the greater the risk of computational errors.
Now, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have developed a new method that allows a wide range of advanced quantum operations to be carried out more than 1,000 times faster. The breakthrough addresses a well-known bottleneck in the field and paves the way for fault-tolerant quantum computing. Quantum computers are expected to drive breakthroughs in fields ranging from drug discovery and energy systems to cryptography, artificial intelligence and logistics.
Yet before this potential can be realized, quantum computers must become far more reliable than they are today. One of the biggest challenges is the computational errors that arise when quantum computers process information. These errors can be triggered by even the slightest environmental disturbances, such as electrical noise, cosmic radiation or overheating.
Conventional computers are also susceptible to such errors, but well-established error-correction techniques allow them to be detected and fixed quickly. For quantum computers, however, the challenge is far greater. "The fundamental building blocks of quantum computers, known as qubits, are so sensitive that even the smallest disturbance can cause the quantum state to deviate from the target, resulting in the loss of information.
If too many errors accumulate before they can be corrected, the computation can fail," says Lei Du, a researcher in applied quantum physics at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and lead author of the theoretical study published in the journal Physical Review Letters. In the search for more resilient and fault-tolerant quantum computing, researchers are exploring new ways to safeguard fragile quantum information. One promising approach involves the use of so-called bosonic quantum codes.
"Rather than storing quantum information in individual qubits, bosonic codes encode information in the microwave fields found within superconducting circuits. This approach has been shown to provide stronger protection against certain types of errors," explains Tangyou Huang, a researcher in quantum technology at Chalmers and co-author of the study. Quantum operations based on bosonic quantum codes are notoriously difficult to create and control.
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