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.
FIREPOWER: On top of the torpedoes, the military would procure Kestrel II anti-tank weapons systems to replace aging license-produced M72 LAW launchers Taiwan is to receive US-made Mark 48 torpedoes and training simulators over the next three years, following delays that hampered the navy’s operational readiness, the Ministry of National Defense’s latest budget proposal showed. The navy next year would acquire four training simulator systems for the torpedoes and take receipt of 14 torpedoes in 2027 and 10 torpedoes in 2028, the ministry said in its budget for the next fiscal year. The torpedoes would almost certainly be utilized in the navy’s two upgraded Chien Lung-class submarines and the indigenously developed Hai Kun, should the attack sub successfully reach operational status. US President Donald Trump
TPP RALLY: The clashes occurred near the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall on Saturday at a rally to mark the anniversary of a raid on former TPP chairman Ko Wen-je People who clashed with police at a Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) rally in Taipei on Saturday would be referred to prosecutors for investigation, said the Ministry of the Interior, which oversees the National Police Agency. Taipei police had collected evidence of obstruction of public officials and coercion by “disorderly” demonstrators, as well as contraventions of the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法), the ministry said in a statement on Sunday. It added that amid the “severe pushing and jostling” by some demonstrators, eight police officers were injured, including one who was sent to hospital after losing consciousness, allegedly due to heat stroke. The Taipei
NO LIVERPOOL TRIP: Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting, who won a gold medal in the boxing at the Paris Olympics, was embroiled in controversy about her gender at that event Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-ting (林郁婷) will not attend this year’s World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, due to a lack of response regarding her sex tests from the organizer, World Boxing. The national boxing association on Monday said that it had submitted all required tests to World Boxing, but had not received a response as of Monday, the departure day for the championships. It said the decision for Lin to skip the championships was made to protect its athletes, ensuring they would not travel to the UK without a guarantee of participation. Lin, who won a gold medal in the women’s 57kg boxing
The US has revoked Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC, 台積電) authorization to freely ship essential gear to its main Chinese chipmaking base, potentially curtailing its production capabilities at that older-generation facility. American officials recently informed TSMC of their decision to end the Taiwanese chipmaker’s so-called validated end user (VEU) status for its Nanjing site. The action mirrors steps the US took to revoke VEU designations for China facilities owned by Samsung Electronics Co and SK Hynix Inc. The waivers are set to expire in about four months. “TSMC has received notification from the US Government that our VEU authorization for TSMC Nanjing
RSS