(Diginomica) Classical computers require built-in fans and other ways to dissipate heat, and quantum computers are no different. The current operating temperature of quantum computers is 0.015 Kelvin or -273C or -460F. There have been some creative solutions proposed for this problem, such as the “nanofridge,” which builds a circuit with an energy gap dividing two channels creating a cooling effect.That is the only way to slow down the movement of atoms, so a “qubit” can hold a value.
The cooling problem must get sorted. It may be diamonds that finally solve some of the commercial and operational/cost issues in quantum computing: synthetic, also known as lab-grown diamonds.
Synthetic diamonds have unique properties. They have high thermal conductivity (meaning they don’t melt like silicon). They are also an excellent electrical insulator. In its center, a diamond has an impurity called an N-V center, where a carbon atom is replaced by a nitrogen atom leaving a gap where an unpaired electron circles the nitrogen gap and can be excited or polarized by a laser.
Unlike other potential quantum computing systems, NV-center qubits are long-lived. There are still many issues to unravel to make quantum computers feasible, but today, unless you have a refrigerator at home that can operate at near absolute-zero, hang on to that laptop.
Synthetic Diamonds May Solve Some of Commercial & Operational Costs of Quantum Computers
