A major breakthrough in quantum computing has been achieved by a team of scientists from Harvard University. They have successfully developed the world’s first quantum circuit using logical quantum bits, or qubits. This groundbreaking research has been conducted as part of DARPA’s ONISQ program, which aims to create quantum devices capable of surpassing classical supercomputers in solving complex optimization problems.
Led by Dr. Mikhail Lukin from Harvard, the ONISQ team collaborated with researchers from MIT, QuEra Computing, Caltech, and Princeton. Their focus was on Rydberg qubits, and they were able to develop error-correcting logical qubits from them. This is a crucial step towards achieving fault-tolerant quantum computing, as logical qubits are capable of sustaining their quantum state despite errors.
The team at the Harvard laboratory has constructed quantum circuits using approximately 48 Rydberg logical qubits, representing the largest assembly of logical qubits to date. The uniformity of Rydberg qubits allows for easy scaling and manipulation, giving them a significant advantage over other types of qubits.
Dr. Mukund Vengalattore, the ONISQ program manager, emphasized the transformative potential of this breakthrough. The reconfigurability and transportability of Rydberg qubits offer dynamic possibilities. This challenges the conventional belief that millions of physical qubits are necessary for fault-tolerant quantum computing. DARPA’s exploratory approach has played a vital role in this development, drawing from their various programs to contribute to the advancement of quantum computing.
The detailed publication of this discovery in Nature suggests that even fewer logical qubits may be sufficient to solve specific problems, which could propel the field towards large-scale logical processors. The continued commitment of DARPA to quantum research significantly contributes to the progress of this field, with the potential to revolutionize multiple industries and reshape society on a scale comparable to the impact of the internet.
The source of the article is from the blog qhubo.com.ni