Researchers at NIST and Chalmers University have developed a novel “quantum refrigerator” that cools superconducting qubits to record low temperatures, essential for maintaining a clean workspace for quantum computations. The refrigerator uses two qubits to autonomously cool a third target qubit, achieving temperatures as low as 22 millikelvins – significantly lower than previous methods. This improved cooling reduces initial errors in quantum calculations, which can compound over time. The refrigerator operates by siphoning heat from the target qubit and dumping it into a heat sink, using heat from other parts of the quantum computer. This innovative approach could lead to more reliable quantum computing by reducing errors before they occur and may introduce new technological capabilities.
Keywords: qubits, quantum, computational, superconducting, refrigerator
