The smallest machine of its kind in the world uses a single photon as its qubit and it can perform calculations without needing the cumbersome equipme

Scientists build the smallest quantum computer in the world — it works at room temperature and you can fit it on your desk

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2024-10-30 06:30:03

The smallest machine of its kind in the world uses a single photon as its qubit and it can perform calculations without needing the cumbersome equipment to cool it down to near absolute zero.

Scientists have built the smallest quantum computer in the world. It is the size of a desktop PC and can work at room temperature.

The machine is powered by just one photon, or light particle, embedded in a ring-shaped optical fiber, the scientists wrote in a study published Sept. 3 in the journal Physical Review Applied. The machine is a proof of concept and can complete mathematical operations such as prime number factorization — such as 15 = 5 x 3.

Many quantum computers and processors, including IBM's 1,000-qubit Condor chip, are built using superconducting qubits. But to tap into the laws of quantum mechanics and calculate using quantum superposition — which allows the qubit to exist in multiple states simultaneously — they must be cooled to near absolute zero. This requires complex equipment that typically takes up at least the size of a room.

Photons have long been proposed as an alternative to superconducting qubits, in a field known as "optical quantum computing." In February, scientists suggested that building qubits from a single laser pulse could let them make a stable quantum computer at room temperature, for example.

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