They trapped a thousand atoms with light

Idea quantum computing has existed for a long time. The main goal of engineers is creation of supercomputers capable of rapidly solving complex problems. The full realization of this vision still faces obstacles. The biggest challenge is connecting components in a stable environment. Scaling the system often leads to a loss of stability of the entire system.

The key element here is qubits. These are equivalents of bits known from classic computers. However, physical qubits are extremely delicate. They demonstrate high sensitivity to noise and interference from the environment. Increasing their number in one place increases the generation of errors. Quantum information can degrade in microseconds.

Scientists for years they are looking for error correction methods. So-called logical qubits are introduced to filter noise. However, so far successes in this area have been limited. It is difficult to increase the number of qubits while keeping errors below a critical threshold. Some estimates say that for commercial applications we need machines with millions of qubits.

Team z Columbia University proposed a completely new solution. Researchers used the so-called surface approach. They combined high-power lasers with optical tweezers technology. This allowed for unprecedented control over individual atoms and molecules.

They turned out to be the key to success metasurfaces. These are not physical tools in the traditional sense. These are highly focused beams of light. They are strong enough to hold small objects such as atoms in place. Metasurfaces use two-dimensional arrays of nanometer-sized pixels. They shape the light beam into a uniform pattern.

Thanks to this method managed to trap 1000 page atoms. These atoms can naturally act as qubits. The use of light allows for maintaining identical properties of all atoms in the system. This translates to greater stability of calculations compared to traditional methods.

The achievement of the US team is just the beginning. Researchers declare that their method allows for further scaling. The next goal is trapping one hundred thousand atoms. Such arrays could significantly speed up the development of quantum algorithms.