IBM researchers collaborated with researchers at Cornell University, Harvard University, and the Weizmann Institute of Science to make impressive advances in quantum computing. They even managed to do it using Fibonacci string net condensate (Fib SNC) anyons. This experiment, published in Nature Communications, is a major step forward in the long-term pursuit of fault-tolerant quantum computation.
With almost no room for error, the study highlights the first error-resistant implementation of universal quantum gates, the elementary building blocks of quantum computers. This unique two-dimensional nature Fib SNC anyons is key to increasing fault tolerance and error resistance features. This cannon has empowered researchers to solve the intricacies of problems that traditional computers are not physically capable of solving.
Chao-Ming Jian, an assistant professor of physics at Cornell University and a co-author of the study, said this two-dimensional perspective was key. He noted, “The two-dimensionality is very important for being very fault tolerant and resistant to error. If you only do everything in one dimension, there is no such potential for fault tolerance.”
Eun-Ah Kim, the Hans A. Bethe Professor of Physics at Cornell University, emphasized the collaborative nature of this research. “Being able to draw on the resources, expertise, and insight of scientists from around the world was essential to achieve the results,” she stated.
Industry-academia collaboration
The industry/academic collaboration was international, each contributing strengths of researchers and industry to the project.
This experiment constitutes the first-ever demonstration of encodings of information via braiding of Fib SNC anyons in a 2-dimensional space. More than now pushing the theoretical frontier, this approach delivers practical experimental protocols to realize such topological states on their way to use in quantum computers.
“This is really the first step toward universal topological quantum computing, or fault-tolerant computing,” Kim added. She understood just how instrumental IBM researchers were in understanding the theory of these topological states. Equally important, they created powerful protocols for putting these ideas into practice. She acknowledged the work of her lab-mates who created hardware-in-the-loop simulations which bridged theoretical concepts to experimental approaches.
The researchers claim that their results have the potential to lay the foundation for revolutionary computational abilities. Kim stated, “Someone can follow our protocol and do something that is classically not possible,” while issuing a challenge to others in the field: “We set it out as a challenge to anybody.”
Quantum computing is developing quickly, and is still new and experimental. This discovery shows the power of topological quantum computers to address real-world challenges that today’s conventional computing platforms cannot address. If successful, the progress achieved by this global consortium may revolutionize the future terrain of computation.