A research team led by National Tsing Hua University Department of Physics and Center for Quantum Science and Technology professor Chuu Chih-sung (褚志崧) has developed Taiwan’s first and the world’s smallest quantum computer, using a single photon, the university said yesterday.
Chuu said in the study, which was published in the journal Physical Review Applied last month, that they had resolved the main obstacles for quantum computing development — high energy costs and a low-temperature operating environment.
Chuu said that photons are the smallest possible particle of electromagnetic energy, and his team had devised a way to encode information in 32time bins, or dimensions, of a single photon.
Photo: Hung Mei-hsiu, Taipei Times
Photons can be kept at a stable quantum state even at room temperature, he said.
Quantum computing is normally prone to information loss and calculation errors from vibrations or magnetic fields, he said.
However, photons have a more extended range of transmission, and they are less prone to interference, which contributes to a unique advantage when developing a commercialized quantum computer, he added.
Traditional computers enact computation on circuit boards, while quantum computing relays information through photonics and enacts computation using quantum physics.
The smallest unit of digital information in a traditional computer is the binary digit, or bit, which can only represent 0 or 1, Chuu said.
However, the quantum bit, or qubit, can be processed as both 0 and 1, a characteristic referred to as quantum superposition, he added.
Superposition enables quantum computing to process complex computations, such as prime factorizations or big data searches, up to 100 million times faster than traditional computers.
University president John Kao (高為元) said the paper’s publication in Physical Review Applied was an excellent milestone for quantum computing, as the device could operate at room temperature and was compact.
Kao said he remembered touring the US’ most advanced quantum computer lab last year.
He was struck by the enormity of the cooling system, which took up a whole room and kept temperatures at extremely low levels, Kao said.
Separately, the National Science and Technology Council has invited Alain Aspect, the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate, to attend this year’s Quantum Taiwan event, highlighting the nation’s focus on developing quantum technology.
The event would discuss quantum technology, superconducting quantum computers, quantum communications, quantum metrology, sensing and imaging.
National Science and Technology Council Minister Wu Cheng-wen (吳誠文) said quantum technology promises unforeseen computational abilities and could make communication safer.
The seminar is aimed at fostering international collaboration in creating a global platform to further develop quantum technology and ensure that Taiwan is an indispensable member of the global quantum technology development effort, Wu added.
DEFENSE: The first set of three NASAMS that were previously purchased is expected to be delivered by the end of this year and deployed near the capital, sources said Taiwan plans to procure 28 more sets of M-142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), as well as nine additional sets of National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS), military sources said yesterday. Taiwan had previously purchased 29 HIMARS launchers from the US and received the first 11 last year. Once the planned purchases are completed and delivered, Taiwan would have 57 sets of HIMARS. The army has also increased the number of MGM-140 Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) purchased from 64 to 84, the sources added. Each HIMARS launch pod can carry six Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems, capable of
GET TO SAFETY: Authorities were scrambling to evacuate nearly 700 people in Hualien County to prepare for overflow from a natural dam formed by a previous typhoon Typhoon Podul yesterday intensified and accelerated as it neared Taiwan, with the impact expected to be felt overnight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, while the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration announced that schools and government offices in most areas of southern and eastern Taiwan would be closed today. The affected regions are Tainan, Kaohsiung and Chiayi City, and Yunlin, Chiayi, Pingtung, Hualien and Taitung counties, as well as the outlying Penghu County. As of 10pm last night, the storm was about 370km east-southeast of Taitung County, moving west-northwest at 27kph, CWA data showed. With a radius of 120km, Podul is carrying maximum sustained
Tropical Storm Podul strengthened into a typhoon at 8pm yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with a sea warning to be issued late last night or early this morning. As of 8pm, the typhoon was 1,020km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving west at 23kph. The storm carried maximum sustained winds of 119kph and gusts reaching 155kph, the CWA said. Based on the tropical storm’s trajectory, a land warning could be issued any time from midday today, it added. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張竣堯) said Podul is a fast-moving storm that is forecast to bring its heaviest rainfall and strongest
TRAJECTORY: The severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday, and would influence the nation to varying degrees, a forecaster said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it would likely issue a sea warning for Tropical Storm Podul tomorrow morning and a land warning that evening at the earliest. CWA forecaster Lin Ting-yi (林定宜) said the severe tropical storm is predicted to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday and Thursday. As of 2pm yesterday, the storm was moving west at 21kph and packing sustained winds of 108kph and gusts of up to 136.8kph, the CWA said. Lin said that the tropical storm was about 1,710km east of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, with two possible trajectories over the next one
RSS