Researchers from Stanford University and University College Dublin (UCD) have developed bespoke quantum computers with quantum components designed to solve specific questions. This analog quantum simulator is designed to help solve difficult problems even digital quantum computers cannot.
But these are not the room-sized computers you may think. These analog quantum simulators were smaller than traditional computer rooms. They are made up of hybrid metal-semiconductors and a nanoelectronic system. Researchers measured the devices in microns instead of meters. That makes them much more feasible than the room-sized computers we relied on decades ago.
These analog quantum simulators create a “hardware analogy”, which solves problems in quantum Physics. To test the simulator, researchers used a basic circuit and two quantum components. By tuning electrical voltages, they created a state of matter the researchers dubbed “Z3 parafermions,” where electrons have only one-third of their usual charge.
What’s impressive about this discovery is that this is the first time such a state has been created on an electronic device in a lab. The researchers published a paper on their findings in the journal Nature Physics, which fully details the analog quantum simulators.
The goal from here is to scale up the devices to solve more complex questions in quantum computing. These simulators, according to the researchers, will enable them to tackle mathematical problems that would otherwise take too much time using traditional computing methods. Researchers now have “knobs that turn” with analog quantum simulators.
This will enable them to better understand the complicated problems of quantum physics and help solve them. An analog quantum simulator is a novel approach to quantum computing. With recent advancements that could see smaller quantum computers being built, humanity may soon be on the cusp of learning more about quantum physics than ever before.
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