Dec 16, 2023
Quantum Breakthrough: Caltech Scientists Unveil New Way To Erase Quantum Computer Errors
Posted by Paul Battista in categories: computing, quantum physics, sustainability
Future quantum computers are expected to revolutionize problem-solving in various fields, such as creating sustainable materials, developing new medications, and unraveling complex issues in fundamental physics. However, these pioneering quantum systems are currently more error-prone than the classical computers we use today. Wouldn’t it be nice if researchers could just take out a special quantum eraser and get rid of the mistakes?
Reporting in the journal Nature, a group of researchers led by Caltech is among the first to demonstrate a type of quantum eraser. The physicists show that they can pinpoint and correct for mistakes in quantum computing systems known as “erasure” errors.
“It’s normally very hard to detect errors in quantum computers, because just the act of looking for errors causes more to occur,” says Adam Shaw, co-lead author of the new study and a graduate student in the laboratory of Manuel Endres, a professor of physics at Caltech. “But we show that with some careful control, we can precisely locate and erase certain errors without consequence, which is where the name erasure comes from.”