Before quantum computers and quantum networks can fulfil their huge potential, scientists have got several difficult problems to overcome – but a new study outlines a potential solution to one of these problems.
are one type that physicists have managed to get more advanced and more stable over time, but there's also the question of linking them together at scale. What the new research shows is that certain defects in the silicon – known as T centers – can act as photonic links between qubits.
In other words, it's a more efficient system and quite possibly one that's easier to build. The researchers report that it is the first time this kind of quantum particle activity has been observed optically in silicon – more evidence that it's a viable way forward.There's another benefit, too: T centers emit light at the same wavelength used by current fiber communications and telecom equipment networks.
The researchers produced tens of thousands of small 'micropucks' on silicon wafers, using special microscopy techniques to confirm that each of these tiny devices had a small number of T centers that could be individually addressed and controlled.so they can be properly utilized – but this research gets us another significant step closer to a quantum computing future.