World's First Mechanical Qubit
New research was published in the journal Science. Physicists at ETH Zurich have built the first working mechanical qubit. In the paper, the team described their new ideas for the creation and testing of the qubit.
Quantum computers are thought to be able to solve problems beyond classical computers. One significant challenge is virtual qubits. These can be made by using electromagnetics. The electromagnetics create errors that must be corrected. Researchers have been using mechanical qubits as a way around the problem. Qubits are able to store data in a super position of both ones and zeros.
In the study, researchers built something similar to a drum head. It can hold information as a steady state, a vibrating state or a state that's both at once. They used the head as a mechanical resonator. They attached a qubit made of superconducting material. The qubit is fixed to its own sapphire base.
The results depend on the superconductor used, however, they are on average better than virtual qubits or hybrids used in other systems.
The team is currently looking to test their qubits with quantum gates to see how well they work in a computer.

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