QuTech Announces Scalable Quantum Bits that Operate Under Practical Conditions: Are ‘Hot, Dense and Coherent’

(QuTech.nl) QuTech, a collaboration between TU Delft and TNO, has managed to control qubits in silicon at temperatures over 50 times higher than previously. The increase to practical temperatures represents a crucial leap towards a functional quantum computer. Qubits are the building blocks of a future quantum computer and operating at a higher temperature opens up the possibility of integrating both qubits and their controlling electronics onto one standard chip. The researchers published their findings in Nature.

NOTE: The upcoming Inside Quantum Technology (IQT) events in NYC and the Netherlands are  jointly organized by QuTech & 3DR Holdings.

“This is the first time we can present qubits that are hot, dense and coherent,” said principal researcher Menno Veldhorst. “We are talking about qubits that are compact, and which function with high quality at a relatively high temperature – something that is particularly crucial for practical applications. Quantum information stored in such qubits is normally quickly lost unless the qubits are cooled down to near absolute zero (-273 degrees Celsius, or 0 Kelvin). Qubits therefore function in special ‘refrigerators’, but they are still controlled by conventional electronics operating at room temperature, which is a major obstacle to progress.”