PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Decay used to construct quantum information

2013-11-25
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Gertie Skaarup
skaarup@nbi.dk
45-35-32-53-20
University of Copenhagen - Niels Bohr Institute
Decay used to construct quantum information

Usually, when researchers work with quantum information, they do everything they can to prevent the information from decaying. Now researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute, among others, have flipped things around and are exploiting the decay to create the so-called entanglement of atomic systems, which is the foundation for quantum information processing. The results are published in the scientific journal, Nature.

"When working with quantum information, you would normally seek to isolate the system from the environment in order to not get a disturbing interaction that can destroy the fragile quantum state. But this is very difficult to avoid completely. So we thought that you could perhaps take the opposite approach and instead of seeing decay as the enemy, look at it as a friend and take advantage of it," explains Anders Søndberg Sørensen, a professor of quantum optics at the Niels Bohr Institute at the University of Copenhagen.

Electrons leaping hither and thither

The problem is that the quantum system is affected by the environment and exchanges energy with it. The electrons in the atoms jump from one energy state to another and researchers consider this kind of jump to be decay, because the information stored in the electrons disappears into its surroundings.

"But with our method we let the quantum system 'talk' with its surroundings and create a control of the electrons' jumps so that they are precisely in the state we want them to be in, and in that way we make use of the interaction with the environment," explains PhD student Florentin Reiter, who developed the theoretical model for the method together with Anders Sørensen.

The research is a collaboration with the experimental research group lead by David Wineland (recipient of the Nobel Prize in physics last year) at the National Institute for Standards and Technology in Boulder Colorado, USA.

Kicking the electrons into place

The method is based on a chain of ions comprised of magnesium and beryllium. They are cooled down to near absolute zero at minus 273 degrees C. The magnesium atoms are just there as a kind of cooling element in the chain of ions, while the beryllium atoms are the active elements. Entanglement is created between the electrons of the beryllium ions using carefully controlled laser light.

"The trick lies in the combination of laser light," explains Florentin Reiter and continues "the electrons can be in four energy states and if they jump around and land in a 'wrong' state, they are simply 'kicked' by the laser and we continue until they are where they are supposed to be. In that way there is perfect entanglement. Unlike in the past, when you had to use carefully designed laser pulses to create entanglement, researchers can now just turn on the laser and grab a cup of coffee and when they come back the electrons are in the correct state."

Up until this point, the decay of quantum information has been the biggest obstacle to making a quantum computer. The new experiment is the first time the problem has been turned on its head and the decay has been used constructively in a quantum computer. The researchers hope that this might be a way to overcome some of the problems that have previously made it difficult to make quantum computers. The researchers are now working to make more advanced quantum information processors based on the same ideas. In particular, they hope that similar techniques can be used to correct errors in a quantum computer.



INFORMATION:



For more information contact:

Anders Søndberg Sørensen
Professor, Quantum Optics
Niels Bohr Institute
University of Copenhagen
+45 3532-5240
+45 2466-1377
anders.sorensen@nbi.dk

Florentin Reiter
PhD student
Quantum Optics
Niels Bohr Institute
University of Copenhagen
0046-7232-70262
reiter@nbi.dk



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Diamond 'flaws' pave way for nanoscale MRI

2013-11-25
Diamond 'flaws' pave way for nanoscale MRI By exploiting flaws in miniscule diamond fragments, researchers say they have achieved enough coherence of the magnetic moment inherent in these defects to harness their potential for precise quantum sensors in a ...

NIST demonstrates how losing information can benefit quantum computing

2013-11-25
NIST demonstrates how losing information can benefit quantum computing BOULDER, Colo -- Suggesting that quantum computers might benefit from losing some data, physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have entangled—linked ...

How living cells solved a needle in a haystack problem to produce electrical signals

2013-11-25
How living cells solved a needle in a haystack problem to produce electrical signals Filtered from a vast sodium sea, more than 1 million calcium ions per second gush through our cells' pores to generate charges Scientists have figured out how calcium channels – the infinitesimal ...

New genomic study provides a glimpse of how whales could adapt to ocean

2013-11-25
New genomic study provides a glimpse of how whales could adapt to ocean The latest study was published online in Nature Genetics November 24, 2013, Shenzhen, China - In a paper published in Nature Genetics, researchers from Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, Korea Genome Research ...

Scientists prove X-ray laser can solve protein structures from scratch

2013-11-25
Scientists prove X-ray laser can solve protein structures from scratch SLAC's linac coherent light source reaches key milestone in decoding biological structures that were out of reach A study shows for the first time that X-ray lasers can ...

X-rays reveal another feature of high-temperature superconductivity

2013-11-25
X-rays reveal another feature of high-temperature superconductivity Discovery of a giant resonance puts these materials further apart Classical and high-temperature superconductors differ hugely in the value of the critical temperatures at which ...

UNL scientists develop novel X-ray device

2013-11-25
UNL scientists develop novel X-ray device Research quality X-rays could have widespread applications Lincoln, Neb., Nov. 24 – Using a compact but powerful laser, a research team at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has developed a new way to generate ...

Unusual greenhouse gases may have raised ancient Martian temperature

2013-11-25
Unusual greenhouse gases may have raised ancient Martian temperature Much like the Grand Canyon, Nanedi Valles snakes across the Martian surface suggesting that liquid water once crossed the landscape, according to a team of researchers who believe that molecular hydrogen ...

Study identifies protein essential for immune recognition, response to viral infection

2013-11-25
Study identifies protein essential for immune recognition, response to viral infection Mice lacking GEF-H1 protein expression unable to mount immune defense against influenza A Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)-led research team has identified an immune ...

Even if emissions stop, carbon dioxide could warm Earth for centuries

2013-11-25
Even if emissions stop, carbon dioxide could warm Earth for centuries Even if carbon dioxide emissions came to a sudden halt, the carbon dioxide already in Earth's atmosphere could continue to warm our planet for hundreds of years, according to Princeton University-led ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Cercus electric stimulation enables cockroach with trajectory control and spatial cognition training

Day-long conference addresses difficult to diagnose lung disease

First-ever cardiogenic shock academy features simulation lab

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

[Press-News.org] Decay used to construct quantum information