Scientists blasted atoms with a Fibonacci laser to create an "extra" dimension of time. New phase
Why are quantum measurements unique?
Ordinary computers use bits (0 and 1) toform the basis for all calculations. But quantum computers are designed to use qubits, which can also exist in state 0 or 1. But that's where the similarities end. Thanks to the bizarre laws of the quantum world, qubits can exist in a combination or superposition of states 0 and 1 until they are measured, after which they randomly collapse into either 0 or 1.
This strange behavior is the key to strengthquantum computing, because it allows qubits to communicate with each other through quantum entanglement. It links two or more qubits to each other, linking in such a way that any change in one particle will cause a change in the other. This will happen even if they are separated by a huge distance. So quantum computers can perform multiple calculations at the same time, exponentially increasing their computing power compared to classical devices.
What is the problem?
The development of quantum computers is hindered by onedisadvantage: qubits do not just interact and get entangled with each other. Due to the fact that they cannot be perfectly isolated from the environment outside of a quantum computer, they interact with the external environment. As a result, this leads to the loss of their quantum properties and the information they carry in the process of decoherence.
Quantum Physics. Original public domain image from Wikimedia Commons
Cover photo: Berndthaller, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In other words, even if you keep all the atoms under tight control, they can lose their "quantumness", interacting with the environment, not at all the way scientists planned.
There is a solution
To circumvent the effects of physics decoherenceused a special set of phases - topological. Quantum entanglement not only allows quantum devices to encode information through single static positions of qubits, but also to weave them into the dynamic movements and interactions of all material—in the very form or topology of entangled states of material. This creates a "topological" qubit that encodes information in a form formed by multiple parts, not just one. This reduces the probability of losing information by the phase.
The key sign of transition from one phase toanother is the breaking of physical symmetries—the idea that the laws of physics are the same for an object at any point in time or space. As a liquid, water molecules follow the same physical laws at any point in space and in all directions.
But if you cool the water enough toturned into ice, its molecules will choose the right points along the crystal structure or lattice. All of a sudden, water molecules have preferred points in space that they occupy, leaving others empty. As a result, the spatial symmetry of water is spontaneously broken. This inspired scientists to a new topological phase inside the quantum computer. An important difference is that in this new phase, symmetry is broken not in space, but in time.
How to create an additional dimension?
Physicists did not intend to create a phase withtheoretical additional dimension of time and did not look for a method that would improve the storage of quantum data. Instead, they wanted to create a new phase of matter, a form in which matter could exist. Of course, in addition to the standard ones - solid, liquid, gas and plasma.
In this quantum computer, physicists have createda never-before-seen phase of matter that behaves as if time has two dimensions. The phase can help protect quantum information from destruction for much longer than existing methods. Photo: Quantinuum
They began to create a new phaseQuantinuum's H1 quantum processor, which consists of 10 ytterbium ions in a vacuum chamber. There they are precisely controlled by lasers in an ion trap. According to the plan, by giving each ion in the chain a periodic jolt (“exploding” them) with the help of lasers, physicists wanted to break continuous time symmetry.
What's the bottom line?
Now, a new phase of matter created withlasers that rhythmically swing a string of 10 ytterbium ions allows scientists to store information in a much more error-proof way. This will help in the development of quantum computers that store data for a long time without distorting it. The researchers outlined their findings in a paper published July 20 in the journal Nature.
Now including a theoretical "extra" time dimension is a completely different way of thinking about the phases of matter.
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