Archive for the ‘Quantum Computing’ Category

Beyond Binary: The Convergence of Quantum Computing, DNA Data Storage, and AI – Medium

Exploring the convergence of quantum computing, DNA data storage, and AI how these technologies could revolutionize computing power, memory, and information handling if challenges around implementation and ethics are overcome.

Check out these two books for a deeper dive and to stay ahead of the curve.

Computing technology has advanced in leaps and bounds since the early days of Charles Babbages Analytical Engine in the 1800s. The creation of the first programmable computer in the 1940s ushered in a digital revolution that has profoundly impacted communication, commerce, and scientific research. But the binary logic that underlies modern computing is nearing its limits. Exploring new frontiers in processing power, data storage, and information handling will enable us to tackle increasingly complex challenges.

The basic unit of binary computing is the bit either a 0 or 1. These bits can be manipulated using simple logic gates like AND, OR, and NOT. Combined together, these gates can perform any logical or mathematical operation. This binary code underpins everything from representing the notes in a musical composition to the pixels in a digital photograph. However, maintaining and expanding todays vast computational infrastructure requires massive amounts of energy and resources. And binary systems struggle to efficiently solve exponentially complex problems like modeling protein folding.

In the quest to surpass the boundaries of binary computing, quantum computing emerges as a groundbreaking solution. It leverages the enigmatic and powerful principles of quantum mechanics, fundamentally different from the classical world we experience daily.

Quantum Mechanics: The Core of Quantum Computing

Quantum computing is rooted in quantum mechanics, the physics of the very small. At this scale, particles like electrons and photons behave in ways that can seem almost magical. Two key properties leveraged in quantum computing are superposition and entanglement.

Superposition allows a quantum bit, or qubit, to exist in multiple states (0 and 1) simultaneously, unlike a binary bit which is either 0 or 1. This means a quantum computer can process a vast array of possibilities at once.

Entanglement is a phenomenon where qubits become interlinked in such a way that the state of one (whether its a 0, a 1, or both) can depend on the state of another, regardless of the distance between them. This allows for incredibly fast information processing and transfer.

Exponential Growth in Processing Power

A quantum computer with multiple qubits can perform many calculations at once. For example, 50 qubits can simultaneously exist in over a quadrillion possible states. This exponential growth in processing power could tackle problems that are currently unsolvable by conventional computers, such as simulating large molecules for drug discovery or optimizing complex systems like large-scale logistics.

Revolutionizing Fields: Cryptography and Beyond

Quantum computing holds the potential to revolutionize numerous fields. In cryptography, it could render current encryption methods obsolete, as algorithms like Shors could theoretically break them in mere seconds. This presents both a risk and an opportunity, prompting a new era of quantum-safe cryptography.

Beyond cryptography, quantum computing could advance materials science by accurately simulating molecular structures, aid in climate modeling by analyzing vast environmental data sets, and revolutionize financial modeling through complex optimization.

Key Quantum Algorithms

Research in quantum computing has already produced notable algorithms. Shors algorithm, for instance, can factor large numbers incredibly fast, a task thats time-consuming for classical computers. Grovers algorithm, on the other hand, can rapidly search unsorted databases, demonstrating a quadratic speedup over traditional methods.

The Road Ahead: Challenges and Promises

Despite its potential, quantum computing is still in its infancy. One of the major challenges is maintaining the stability of qubits. Known as quantum decoherence, this instability currently limits the practical use of quantum computers. Keeping qubits stable requires extremely low temperatures and isolated environments.

Additionally, error rates in quantum computations are higher than in classical computations. Quantum error correction, a field of study in its own right, is crucial for reliable quantum computing.

Quantum computing, though still in the developmental stage, stands at the forefront of a computational revolution. It promises to solve complex problems far beyond the reach of traditional computers, potentially reshaping entire industries and aspects of our daily lives. As research and technology advance, we may soon witness the unlocking of quantum computings full potential, heralding a new era of innovation and discovery.

DNA data storage emerges as a paradigm shift, harnessing the building blocks of life to revolutionize how we store information.

Unprecedented Storage Capabilities

DNAs storage density is unparalleled: one gram can store up to 215 petabytes of data. In contrast, traditional flash memory can hold only about 128 gigabytes per gram. This immense capacity could fundamentally change how we manage the worlds exponentially growing data.

Longevity and Reliability

DNA is not only dense but also incredibly durable. It can last thousands of years, far outstripping the lifespan of magnetic tapes and hard drives. Its natural error correction mechanisms, rooted in the double helix structure, ensure data integrity over millennia.

DNA for Computation and Beyond

Beyond storage, DNA holds potential for computation. Researchers are exploring DNA computing, where biological processes manipulate DNA strands to perform calculations. This could lead to breakthroughs in solving complex problems that are infeasible for conventional computers.

Challenges in Practical Implementation

Despite its promise, DNA data storage is not without challenges. Synthesizing and sequencing DNA is currently expensive and time-consuming. Researchers are working on methods to streamline these processes and reduce error rates, which are crucial for making DNA a practical medium for everyday data storage.

While quantum computing offers exponential speedups on specialized problems, its broader applicability and scalability remain uncertain. And both quantum and DNA computing currently require extremely low operating temperatures only possible with expensive equipment. They also consume large amounts of energy, though less than traditional data centers. However, both offer inherent data security advantages. Quantum computations cannot be copied, while DNA data storage is dense and hard to access. We may see hybrid deployments that apply these technologies to niche applications. For generalized workloads, traditional binary computing will likely dominate for the foreseeable future.

The integration of AI with quantum computing and DNA data storage represents a leap forward in computational capability.

AI and Quantum Computing: A Synergy for Complex Problems

AI algorithms can leverage the immense processing power of quantum computers to analyze large datasets more efficiently than ever before. This synergy could lead to breakthroughs in fields like drug discovery, where AI can analyze quantum-computed molecular simulations.

AI and DNA Data Storage: Managing Massive Databases

With DNAs vast storage capacity, AI becomes essential in managing and interpreting this wealth of information. AI algorithms can be designed to efficiently encode and decode DNA-stored data, making it accessible for practical use.

Ethical and Societal Implications

As highlighted in The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman, the intersection of these technologies raises significant ethical questions. The use of genetic data in AI models, for instance, necessitates stringent privacy protections and considerations of genetic discrimination.

Looking Ahead: AI as the Conductor

The future sees AI not just as a tool but as a conductor, orchestrating the interplay between quantum computing and DNA data storage. This involves developing new algorithms tailored to the unique properties of quantum and DNA-based systems.

Google AI recently demonstrated a program that can autonomously detect and correct errors on a quantum processor, a major milestone. On the DNA computing front, researchers successfully stored a movie file and 100 books using DNA sequences. Ongoing studies also show promise in using DNA to manufacture nanoscale electronics for faster, denser computing. Quantum computing is enabling models of complex chemical reactions and biological processes. As costs decline, we could see exponential growth in synthesizing custom DNA and practical quantum computers.

Despite promising strides, there are still obstacles to realizing commercially viable DNA and quantum computing. Stability of quantum bits remains limited to milliseconds, far too short for practical applications. And while DNA sequencing costs have dropped, synthesis and assembly costs remain prohibitively high. There are also ethical pitfalls if without careful oversight, like insurers obtaining genetic data, or AI algorithms exhibiting biases. Job losses due to increasing automation present another societal challenge. Investments in retraining and social programs will be necessary to ensure shared prosperity.

Hybridized quantum-DNA computing could transform our relationship with information and usher in an era of highly personalized medicine and hyper-accurate simulations. It may even require overhauling information theory and rethinking how humans interact with advanced AI. But we must thoughtfully navigate disruptions to industries like finance and cryptography. Avoiding misuse will also require international cooperation to enact governance frameworks and design systems mindful of ethical dilemmas. With wise stewardship, hybrid computing could positively benefit humanity.

The convergence of quantum computing, DNA data storage, and AI represents an unprecedented phase change for processing power, memory, and information handling. To fully realize the potential, while mitigating risks, we must aggressively fund research and development at the intersection of these fields. The technical hurdles are surmountable through collaboration between the public and private sectors. But establishing governance and ethical frameworks ultimately requires a broad, multidisciplinary approach. If society rises to meet this challenge, we could enter an age of scientific wonders beyond our current imagination.

Check out these two books for a deeper dive:

See the original post here:
Beyond Binary: The Convergence of Quantum Computing, DNA Data Storage, and AI - Medium

Rigetti Announces Public Availability of Ankaa-2 System with a 2.5 x Performance Improvement Compared to Previous … – GlobeNewswire

The Companys 84-qubit Ankaa-2 system is now publicly available to all of its customers via Rigetti Quantum Cloud Services (QCS). The Ankaa-2 system has achieved a 98% median 2-qubit fidelity, a 2.5x performance improvement compared to the Companys previous QPUs.

BERKELEY, Calif., Jan. 04, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Rigetti Computing, Inc. (Nasdaq: RGTI) (Rigetti or the Company), a pioneer in full-stack quantum-classical computing, announced today that its 84-qubit Ankaa-2 quantum system was made publicly available to all of its customers via Rigettis Quantum Cloud Services (QCS) on December 20, 2023. The Ankaa-2 system is based on Rigettis fourth generation chip architecture that features tunable couplers and a square lattice, enabling high fidelity 2-qubit operations compared to the Companys previous systems. Ankaa-2 is also the Companys highest qubit count quantum processing unit (QPU) available to the public.

Following the internal deployment of Ankaa-1, the Company made iterative improvements through internal R&D to support enhancements to Ankaa-2. As a result, Ankaa-2 achieved a 2% median 2-qubit gate error rate less than half the error rate of the Companys previous systems. These fidelity improvements can be attributed to a variety of technology updates to the Ankaa-2 system:

Rigettis focus on improving our median 2-qubit fidelities is a crucial part of our mission to build the worlds most powerful computers. Useful quantum computers will need not only a large number of qubits, but also high quality qubits. Reaching 98% fidelity on the Ankaa-2 system is the result of years of innovation and commitment from our teams across the technology stack. Now that the Ankaa-2 system is available to all of our customers and partners, I look forward to focusing on continued progress in accelerating this transformational technology, says Dr. Subodh Kulkarni, Rigetti CEO.

I am thrilled with the progress we are making with our Ankaa-class architecture against our QPU roadmap and qubit performance. To reach quantum advantage we know we need high performance qubits, and a lot of them. Weve already designed and deployed a modular architecture, tiling multiple chips together demonstrating what we believe is the way forward towards building larger systems. We believe a densely connected square lattice with tunable couplers that allows us to control qubit interactions is the foundation for driving qubit performance. A 2.5x increase in error performance against our previous QPUs, increasing our fidelities by 3%, coupled with our scaling approach, shows us that we have a promising strategy for building increasingly higher performing QPUs to help our customers solve their most pressing problems, says David Rivas, Rigetti CTO.

The public launch of the Ankaa-2 system follows the release of the Novera QPU, Rigetts first commercially available QPU, which is based on the same Ankaa-class architecture and designed for hands-on access to state-of-the-art quantum hardware for foundational quantum computing R&D.

About Rigetti Rigetti is a pioneer in full-stack quantum computing. The Company has operated quantum computers over the cloud since 2017 and serves global enterprise, government, and research clients through its Rigetti Quantum Cloud Services platform. The Companys proprietary quantum-classical infrastructure provides high performance integration with public and private clouds for practical quantum computing. Rigetti has developed the industrys first multi-chip quantum processor for scalable quantum computing systems. The Company designs and manufactures its chips in-house at Fab-1, the industrys first dedicated and integrated quantum device manufacturing facility. Learn more at rigetti.com.

Media Contact press@rigetti.com

Cautionary Language Concerning Forward-Looking Statements Certain statements in this communication may be considered forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including but not limited to, expectations with respect to the Companys business and operations, including its expectations with respect to the success and performance, including future performance improvements, of the Ankaa-2 system, its ability to improve performance on future systems, future sales or leases of the Novera QPU, customer adoption of the Ankaa-2 system and Novera QPU and ongoing use and research by customers of the Ankaa-2 system and Novera QPU. Forward-looking statements generally relate to future events and can be identified by terminology such as commit, may, should, could, might, plan, possible, intend, strive, expect, intend, will, estimate, believe, predict, potential, pursue, aim, goal, outlook, anticipate, assume, or continue, or the negatives of these terms or variations of them or similar terminology. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other factors which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon estimates and assumptions that, while considered reasonable by Rigetti and its management, are inherently uncertain. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, but are not limited to: Rigettis ability to achieve milestones, technological advancements, including with respect to its roadmap, help unlock quantum computing, and develop practical applications; the ability of Rigetti to complete ongoing negotiations with government contractors successfully and in a timely manner; the potential of quantum computing; the ability of Rigetti to obtain government contracts and the availability of government funding; the ability of Rigetti to expand its QCS business; the success of Rigettis partnerships and collaborations; Rigettis ability to accelerate its development of multiple generations of quantum processors; the outcome of any legal proceedings that may be instituted against Rigetti or others; the ability to continue to meet stock exchange listing standards; costs related to operating as a public company; changes in applicable laws or regulations; the possibility that Rigetti may be adversely affected by other economic, business, or competitive factors; Rigettis estimates of expenses and profitability; the evolution of the markets in which Rigetti competes; the ability of Rigetti to execute on its technology roadmap; the ability of Rigetti to implement its strategic initiatives, expansion plans and continue to innovate its existing services; disruptions in banking systems, increased costs, international trade relations, political turmoil, natural catastrophes, warfare (such as the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine and related sanctions and the state of war between Israel and Hamas and related threat of a larger regional conflict), and terrorist attacks; and other risks and uncertainties set forth in the section entitled Risk Factors and Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements in the Companys Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2022 and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the quarters ended March 31, 2023, June 30, 2023, and September 30, 2023, and other documents filed by the Company from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and the Company assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements other than as required by applicable law. The Company does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.

Read the rest here:
Rigetti Announces Public Availability of Ankaa-2 System with a 2.5 x Performance Improvement Compared to Previous ... - GlobeNewswire

Quantum Leap: Princeton Physicists Successfully Entangle Individual Molecules for the First Time – SciTechDaily

A team of Princeton physicists has achieved a breakthrough in quantum mechanics by entangling individual molecules. This research opens up new possibilities for quantum computing, simulation, and sensing. The teams innovative use of optical tweezers to control molecules overcomes previous challenges in quantum entanglement, signaling a significant advancement in the field. Credit: SciTechDaily.com

In work that could lead to more robust quantum computing, Princeton researchers have succeeded in forcing molecules into quantum entanglement.

For the first time, a team of Princeton physicists has been able to link together individual molecules into special states that are quantum mechanically entangled. In these bizarre states, the molecules remain correlated with each otherand can interact simultaneouslyeven if they are miles apart, or indeed, even if they occupy opposite ends of the universe. This research was published in the journal Science.

This is a breakthrough in the world of molecules because of the fundamental importance of quantum entanglement, said Lawrence Cheuk, assistant professor of physics at Princeton University and the senior author of the paper. But it is also a breakthrough for practical applications because entangled molecules can be the building blocks for many future applications.

These include, for example, quantum computers that can solve certain problems much faster than conventional computers, quantum simulators that can model complex materials whose behaviors are difficult to model, and quantum sensors that can measure faster than their traditional counterparts.

Laser setup for cooling, controlling, and entangling individual molecules. Credit: Richard Soden, Department of Physics, Princeton University

One of the motivations in doing quantum science is that in the practical world it turns out that if you harness the laws of quantum mechanics, you can do a lot better in many areas, said Connor Holland, a graduate student in the physics department and a co-author on the work.

The ability of quantum devices to outperform classical ones is known as quantum advantage. And at the core of quantum advantage are the principles of superposition and quantum entanglement. While a classical computer bit can assume the value of either 0 or 1, quantum bits, called qubits, can simultaneously be in a superposition of 0 and 1. The latter concept, entanglement, is a major cornerstone of quantum mechanics, and occurs when two particles become inextricably linked with each other so that this link persists, even if one particle is light years away from the other particle. It is the phenomenon that Albert Einstein, who at first questioned its validity, described as spooky action at a distance. Since then, physicists have demonstrated that entanglement is, in fact, an accurate description of the physical world and how reality is structured.

Quantum entanglement is a fundamental concept, said Cheuk, but it is also the key ingredient that bestows quantum advantage.

But building quantum advantage and achieving controllable quantum entanglement remains a challenge, not least because engineers and scientists are still unclear about which physical platform is best for creating qubits. In the past decades, many different technologiessuch as trapped ions, photons, superconducting circuits, to name only a fewhave been explored as candidates for quantum computers and devices. The optimal quantum system or qubit platform could very well depend on the specific application.

Until this experiment, however, molecules had long defied controllable quantum entanglement. But Cheuk and his colleagues found a way, through careful manipulation in the laboratory, to control individual molecules and coax them into these interlocking quantum states. They also believed that molecules have certain advantagesover atoms, for examplethat made them especially well-suited for certain applications in quantum information processing and quantum simulation of complex materials. Compared to atoms, for example, molecules have more quantum degrees of freedom and can interact in new ways.

What this means, in practical terms, is that there are new ways of storing and processing quantum information, said Yukai Lu, a graduate student in electrical and computer engineering and a co-author of the paper. For example, a molecule can vibrate and rotate in multiple modes. So, you can use two of these modes to encode a qubit. If the molecular species is polar, two molecules can interact even when spatially separated.

Nonetheless, molecules have proven notoriously difficult to control in the laboratory because of their complexity. The very degrees of freedom that make them attractive also make them hard to control, or corral, in laboratory settings.

Cheuk and his team addressed many of these challenges through a carefully thought-out experiment. They first picked a molecular species that is both polar and can be cooled with lasers. They then laser-cooled the molecules to ultracold temperatures where quantum mechanics takes centerstage. Individual molecules were then picked up by a complex system of tightly focused laser beams, so-called optical tweezers. By engineering the positions of the tweezers, they were able to create large arrays of single molecules and individually position them into any desired one-dimensional configuration. For example, they created isolated pairs of molecules and also defect-free strings of molecules.

Next, they encoded a qubit into a non-rotating and rotating state of the molecule. They were able to show that this molecular qubit remained coherent, that is, it remembered its superposition. In short, the researchers demonstrated the ability to create well-controlled and coherent qubits out of individually controlled molecules.

To entangle the molecules, they had to make the molecule interact. By using a series of microwave pulses, they were able to make individual molecules interact with one another in a coherent fashion. By allowing the interaction to proceed for a precise amount of time, they were able to implement a two-qubit gate that entangled two molecules. This is significant because such an entangling two-qubit gate is a building block for both universal digital quantum computing and for simulation of complex materials.

The potential of this research for investigating different areas of quantum science is large, given the innovative features offered by this new platform of molecular tweezer arrays. In particular, the Princeton team is interested in exploring the physics of many interacting molecules, which can be used to simulate quantum many-body systems where interesting emergent behavior such as novel forms of magnetism can appear.

Using molecules for quantum science is a new frontier and our demonstration of on-demand entanglement is a key step in demonstrating that molecules can be used as a viable platform for quantum science, said Cheuk.

In a separate article published in the same issue of Science, an independent research group led by John Doyle and Kang-Kuen Ni at Harvard University and Wolfgang Ketterle at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology achieved similar results.

The fact that they got the same results verify the reliability of our results, Cheuk said. They also show that molecular tweezer arrays are becoming an exciting new platform for quantum science.

Reference: On-demand entanglement of molecules in a reconfigurable optical tweezer array by Connor M. Holland, Yukai Lu and Lawrence W. Cheuk, 7 December 2023, Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.adf4272

The work was supported by Princeton University, the National Science Foundation (Grant No. 2207518), and the Sloan Foundation (Grant No. FG-2022-19104).

Continued here:
Quantum Leap: Princeton Physicists Successfully Entangle Individual Molecules for the First Time - SciTechDaily

Caltech and Broadcom Announce Quantum Research and Development Partnership – Caltech

Caltech and Broadcom today announced a multi-year partnership to advance quantum science research and discoveries with the potential to seed new innovative technologies and applications.

The partnership, supported with a significant investment from Broadcom, will establish the Broadcom Quantum Laboratory at Caltech, a physical collaboration space that will bring together experts in the fields of quantum computing, quantum sensing, quantum measurement, and quantum engineering. Broadcom's investment will support joint programming and research to accelerate discovery.

Additionally, over the next five years, Broadcom and Caltech have agreed to host an annual symposium where scientists and engineers from both organizations will explore areas of mutual interest and future development opportunities in relevant fields.

"Developing deep connections to technology leaders like Broadcom amplifies the power of the science and engineering that Caltech can accomplish," says Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum, the Sonja and William Davidow Presidential Chair and professor of physics. "We share a belief in the transformative potential of quantum discoveries across the disciplines and welcome this new partnership."

"Broadcom is thrilled to partner with Caltech to launch this critical R&D initiative on quantum computing. As a world-class leader in science and engineering research, Caltech has a long and rich history of technology innovation," says Hock Tan, President and CEO of Broadcom. "This multi-year investment and engineering collaboration reinforces our continued commitment to supporting advanced R&D and represents our relentless pursuit of innovation to connect our customers, employees and communities worldwide."

Caltech is one of the world's preeminent institutions for quantum science research, with faculty positioned across the Institute working on theoretical and experimental advances that have the potential to impact everything from energy storage to drug design, to information processing and security. The Institute's faculty have been at the forefront of the field since the 1980s when the late Richard Feynman, a Caltech theoretical physicist who pioneered quantum computing and introduced the concept of nanotechnology, first posited that quantum computers would be necessary for future advanced computing systems and problems.

Read more:
Caltech and Broadcom Announce Quantum Research and Development Partnership - Caltech

Entanglement On-Demand Achieved in Breakthrough Study Pointing to New Frontier in Quantum Science – The Debrief

Physicists at Princeton University report the successful on-demand entanglement of individual molecules, a significant milestone that they say leverages quantum mechanics to achieve these unusual states, according to new research.

Quantum entanglement remains one of the great enigmas in contemporary physics. Essentially, the phenomenon entails particles that are bound together in such a manner that any alteration in the quantum state of one particle instantaneously influences its entangled counterpart.

Remarkably, this connection persists even over vast distances, an effect initially labeled as spooky action at a distance following its introduction in a seminal 1935 paper by Albert Einstein, Boris Podolsky, and Nathan Rosen.

While remaining mysterious, recent years have seen substantial progress in unraveling the mysteries of entanglement, with the additional promise for its practical application in diverse fields such as quantum computing, cryptography, and communication technology.

Now, the Princeton teams recent success can be counted among these developments, in the application of quantum entanglement toward producing beneficial future technologies. The teams work was recently described in a paper that appeared in the journal Science.

Lawrence Cheuk, assistant professor of physics at Princeton and the papers senior author, says the achievement helps to pave the way toward the construction of quantum computers and related technologies, which will inevitably overtake their classical counterparts in speed and efficiency in the coming years.

Significantly, the new research also achieves quantum advantage, whereby quantum bits, or qubits, can simultaneously exist in multiple states, unlike classical binary computer bits which are limited to assuming values of either 0 or 1.

This is a breakthrough in the world of molecules because of the fundamental importance of quantum entanglement, Cheuk said in a statement.

But it is also a breakthrough for practical applications because entangled molecules can be the building blocks for many future applications, Cheuk added.

Although entanglement is a core component of quantum mechanics, mastering its control for use in practical applications has remained elusive. Several technologies have been put forward as potential paths toward the creation of quantum computation devices, although no single solution has arisen, and researchers may ultimately be faced with utilizing different approaches respective to the various kinds of systems that are created.

In their recent research, Cheuk and the Princeton team succeeded in what they say is the first controlled entanglement of molecules, an achievement that was once considered too complex based on the quantum degrees of freedom and interactions that molecules possess. However, this quantum flexibility also makes molecules ideal for applications like quantum information processing, as well as the simulation of complex materials, when compared with alternatives like atoms.

Yukai Lu, a graduate student and co-author of the new paper, says the results of the teams research reveal novel ways of storing and processing quantum information.

For example, a molecule can vibrate and rotate in multiple modes, Lu explains, which means that researchers can use two of these modes to encode a qubit.

To overcome the difficulty presented by attempting to control the complex behavior of molecules, Cheuk and the team used a method of picking up individual molecules with a tightly focused array of lasers, in a system appropriately known as a tweezer array.

Cheuk calls the utilization of molecules for quantum science a new frontier, adding that the teams ability to showcase entanglement essentially on-demand represents a significant step toward eventually demonstrating that molecules could be used in practical systems for the application of quantum science.

Our results demonstrate the key building blocks needed for quantum applications and may advance quantum-enhanced fundamental physics tests that use trapped molecules, the team writes in their recent paper.

Notably, similar results were described in an entirely separate study, led by Harvard University researchers John Doyle and Kang-Kuen Ni, along with Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher Wolfgang Ketterle, which was published in the same issue of Science.

For Cheuk, the similarity of the two papers is only further confirmation that the tweezer array approach boasts significant potential for quantum science applications.

The fact that they got the same results verify the reliability of our results, Cheuk said.

Cheuk, Lu, and the Princeton teams paper, On-demand entanglement of molecules in a reconfigurable optical tweezer array, appeared in Science on December 7, 2023.

Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. He can be reached by email atmicah@thedebrief.org. Follow his work atmicahhanks.comand on X:@MicahHanks.

Read more here:
Entanglement On-Demand Achieved in Breakthrough Study Pointing to New Frontier in Quantum Science - The Debrief