Quantum coupling
Universitaet Tübingen
The linking of these two building blocks is a significant step towards the construction of a hybrid quantum system of atoms and superconductors which will enable the further development of quantum processors and quantum networks. Instead of the conventional signals used in today’s technology – bits – which can only be a one or a zero, the new hardware will have to process far more complex quantum entangled states. The hybrid quantum system combines nature’s smallest quantum electronic building blocks – atoms – with artificial circuits – the superconducting microwave resonators. The new hybrid system for future quantum processors and their networks forms a parallel with today’s technology, which is also a hybrid, as a look at your computer hardware shows: Calculations are made by microelectronic circuits; information is stored on magnetic media, and data is carried through fiber-optic cables via the internet. Future quantum computers and their networks will operate on this analogy – requiring a hybrid approach and interdisciplinary research and development for full functionality, Fortágh says.