Research and development
Australian Researchers Develop Ultrafast Hole Spin
One of the challenges in developing spin qubitsis the loss of their coherence with an increase in the speed of work. A new study by Australian scientists (FLEET, CQC2T) in collaboration with colleagues from the University of British Columbia (Canada) indicates that a trade-off between speed and coherence can be achieved by using holes as a qubit, behaving like positively charged electrons. Hole qubits, unlike electronic ones, are much less exposed to unwanted fluctuating electric fields that exist in any material. Moreover, the “golden mean”, in which the hole qubit is least sensitive to such noise, is also the point where it can be worked with the fastest. This approach opens up the possibility of potentially scaling qubits to a mini-quantum computer based on an "array" of bits.
Scientists from Stuttgart questioned the existence of quantum spin fluids
Spin fluid is a very rare magnetica state of matter in which, unlike most materials, the spins are not ordered even at ultralow temperatures, but form collective entangled states. For this reason, spin liquids are considered as a promising medium for creating a topological (error-proof) quantum computer.
Until now, the existence of spin fluids has beenconfirmed only by indirect measurements and certain theoretical assumptions. Scientists from the University of Stuttgart used the technique of broadband spin resonance spectroscopy for the first time to study the ordering process in a spin liquid and found that when the temperature decreases, an unexpected process of formation of spatially separated spin pairs occurs, which probably refutes the views on the fundamental properties of this exotic form of matter.
Feline qubits made a quantum computer more fault-tolerant
A group of scientists from Amazon, led by Fernando Brandão, has developed a new circuit for a quantum computer that is resistant to errors.They used so-called cat qubits, or qubits in a superposition of coherent states with opposite phases.The idea is that once such a qubit stabilizes, bit flipping errors become extremely rare, and phase reversal errors become more frequent.And in order to protect against phase reversal errors, you can use active error correction.
Researchers performed full simulationsnoise, including an in-depth study of rare bit flip processes. Using the architecture proposed in the work and active error correction allows achieving a logical error of 2.7 × 10-8 using only nine qubits of the data code - an improvement of more than five orders of magnitude compared to completely unprotected qubits.
New error correction code allows you to work in high noise environments
Among the many error correction codes, there areso-called surface codes. To represent them, a two-dimensional lattice is used, on the edges of which the qubits are located. Some of them are involved in calculations, and the other part helps to identify and correct errors. Surface codes are used, for example, by Google in its superconducting devices.
Researchers from the University of Sydney underBenjamin Brown's leadership managed to develop code that was twice as efficient as the existing ones. The authors tested it on small systems and showed that the new code requires fewer additional physical qubits to correct errors and in some cases exceeds the theoretical estimate. Due to their robustness to noise, the new codes are promising for applications in large systems, where they will require significantly fewer additional qubits.
National quantum programs
Launch of domestic cloud platforms for access to quantum computers
Russian Quantum Center has opened cloud accessto the quantum computing emulator SimCIM, which uses classical algorithms that simulate the behavior of quantum systems. The cloud platform will be useful for solving discrete optimization problems, as well as for analyzing the economic effect of introducing quantum computing architectures.
In the future, the platform will provide access tothe latest quantum computers created as part of the implementation of the Roadmap for Quantum Computing, as well as quantum computers from third-party international companies. For the convenience of client companies from various industries, a set of ready-made applications for financial optimization, quantum chemistry, bioinformatics, logistics, etc., as well as a set of tools for comparative analysis of algorithms, has been created.
The physical basis for the second platform,developed at the Center for Quantum Technologies of Moscow State University, there are two systems: a quantum processor based on neutral atoms in optical traps and a linear-optical quantum computer. At the moment, classical simulators of quantum processors are available to users, in the near future it will be possible to get access to a real optical chip. The platform allows you to implement and test almost any quantum and hybrid quantum-classical algorithms.
The Canadian Institute released a report on the national quantum strategies of 46 countries
The 57-page report contains an analysis of existingin the world of quantum initiatives. According to the level of development of national programs, countries are divided into four categories: 17 countries with a coordinated quantum strategy (including Russia, USA, China, Germany, France), three countries with a developing quantum strategy (Canada), 12 countries without a formally adopted strategy, but with a significant share of government initiatives in the quantum field (Australia, Denmark, Finland) and 14 countries participating in international programs (Baltic countries, Turkey, Poland).
Among the various government support measures:creation of research centers and R&D hubs, competitions for government grants, direct investments in quantum projects and venture financing. According to the authors of the report, most of these measures have been implemented in Russia, with the exception of the organization of specialized grant competitions in the field of quantum science and technology.
Best Universities in Quantum Computing Named
Experts from The Quantum Daily portal named the 12 best research universities in the world that have achieved success in the development of quantum computing systems.
Among them, five American universities andinstitutes (Harvard, MIT, Universities of Maryland, Berkeley and Chicago) and one university each from China (University of Science and Technology), Canada (Waterloo), Singapore (Nanyang Technological University), Australia (Sydney), Germany (Ludwig and Maximilian in Munich ) and Austria (Innsbruck).
Canadian government invests $ 288 million in quantum research in seven years
Canada is one of the world leaders inthe field of quantum research and development, ranking first among the G7 countries in terms of expenditures in this area per capita. However, unlike other countries, Canada does not have a formally accepted quantum program.
As part of measures to restore the economy afterof the COVID-19 pandemic, the government has formulated a budget proposal for 2021 entitled "Plan for Jobs Recovery, Growth and Resilience." In particular, it is planned to allocate $ 288 million for the development and financing of the national quantum strategy. The program involves the coordinated development of fundamental and applied research and strengthening the country's leadership in this breakthrough direction.
The US government announces new funding programs for quantum research
The Department of Energy is allocating $25 million for fundamental work on the development of the quantum Internet, which involves the creation of the first test bed on a regional scale.
Also, two new programs are supported by the U.S.Army Research Office: The first involves the development of fundamentally new methods for the design, manufacture and control of qubits to improve their stability compared to modern devices. The second program is aimed at targeted support of talented graduate students and researchers from among US citizens in the field of quantum information processing and quantum sensing.
Australian Department of Defense Selects NEC and D-Wave for Defense Logistics Challenges
As a result of the competition, collaborationAustralian representative office of NEC Corporation - NEC Australia - and D-Wave Systems Inc. (Canada) was selected as the executor of the project on the use of hybrid quantum computing in solving the “last mile” problem in logistics. The developed technology is designed to optimize the use of autonomous vehicles to resupply various units from a central supply base.
NEC and D-Wave entered into a partnership agreement in November 2019 to jointly develop quantum applications. This is the first such interaction for companies with customers outside of Japan.
A new institute has been created in Finland to coordinate work in the field of quantum technologies
Aalto University, University of Helsinki and CenterTechnical Research Finland VTT signed a cooperation agreement in the field of quantum science and technology under the auspices of the established Finnish Quantum Institute InstituteQ. By joining forces, the parties aim to keep Finland at the forefront of an increasingly competitive global technology field.
Currently VTT together with the Finnishstartup IQM is working on the creation of the first quantum computer in Finland. This project will serve as an initial platform for further research, innovation and commercial activities in the field of quantum technology.
Quantum Industry
PsiQuantum and GlobalFoundries begin mass production of photonic processor components
California startup PsiQuantum isthe leader in attracted investments among all quantum companies ($ 508.5 million). Its goal is to develop the world's first photonic quantum processor Q1, consisting of a million qubits.
Together with GlobalFoundries, which deals withBy contract manufacturing of semiconductor products, PsiQuantum demonstrated the ability to manufacture and integrate, on standard equipment, the main components of a photonic processor, including an optical circuit, single photon sources and detectors. The special equipment required for mass production of photonic processors has already been installed at two GlobalFoundries factories in New York (silicon photonics) and Dresden (electronic components) and will soon be mass-produced.
NTT and Tokyo Institute of Technology Study Ising Machine Applications in Medicine
The coherent Ising machine uses quantumeffects in a system of interacting spins, but is not fully a quantum computer. Its main purpose is to solve combinatorial optimization problems. NTT Research and Tokyo Institute of Technology are using the Ising Machine to create new drugs. The computational task is to find the optimal match between a colossal number of combinations of drug molecules and target proteins.
The second area of application is the so-called compressedprobing - will allow you to process huge datasets at high speed, quickly discarding fragments that do not contain useful information. This approach can be used to analyze magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography images.
Quantum Brilliance and Quantum South will develop solutions to optimize logistics
Australian startup Quantum Brilliancedevelops a quantum platform based on nitrogen vacancies in diamond, capable of operating at room temperatures. Cooperation with Quantum South (Uruguay) began in 2018 and was initially aimed at developing logistics solutions using a software emulator of the processor. The companies became finalists of the Airbus Quantum Computing Challenge.
Companies are now installing two-qubitquantum computer at the Pawsey supercomputing center in Perth, Australia, to integrate with a classical supercomputer and solve logistics problems in a hybrid environment. It is expected that as the processor size increases and software develops, the computing system will significantly surpass classical devices in terms of computing power.
Q-CTRL explores traffic optimization in Australia
Australian Department of TransportNew South Wales has announced a collaboration with Q-CTRL to use a quantum computer to manage a complex transport network. Q-CTRL will also tackle one of the pressing issues for the largest Australian city of Sydney - updating public transport schedules during mass public events. The ability to adjust schedules in real time can significantly improve the efficiency of a city's transport network and reduce congestion problems.
First IBM Q System One installed in Europe
IBM's first quantum computer outside the USwas installed as part of a joint project with the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. The machine is installed at IBM's Ehningen location, near Stuttgart, for the exclusive use of the Fraunhofer Society and its partners as part of the activities of the Baden-Württemberg Competence Center for Quantum Computing.
IBM Q System One will be used inin accordance with German law, which is an important advantage for users in terms of data protection and intellectual property security. Installation of the second IBM quantum computer outside the US is planned for this year at the University of Tokyo.
A quantum sensor capable of monitoring the entire radio frequency range has been created
Quantum sensors based on Rydberg atomsonly recently have they begun to be used as detectors for electromagnetic radiation. For the first time, they began to be developed by the US military with the aim of monitoring radio frequency space using a single broadband detector for all radio wave bands.
In a new work, US Army military researchersResearch Lab demonstrated the high sensitivity of the compact (1 cm) sensor in the range from 1 kHz to 1 THz, and also compared it with alternative wideband receivers based on electro-optical crystals and dipole antennas.
Quantum lidar will help detect methane leaks during oil and natural gas production
QLM Technology (UK) developedan ultra-sensitive atmospheric lidar with a quantum single-photon detector capable of visualizing and quantifying methane leaks from oil and natural gas production and use.
The project is supported by BP, NationalGrid, AMETEK Land and the UK government, and lidar was one of the first commercial products under the UK's national quantum technology program. The first version of the lidar is available for commercial testing this year, and tests of cameras installed on unmanned aerial vehicles will begin in 2022.
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