NIST Physicists Achieve Breakthrough in Quantum Entanglement Purification
NIST researchers have made a significant breakthrough in quantum physics by purifying entangled atom pairs for the first time. This achievement could revolutionize the development of quantum computers and communications systems.
Entanglement is a quantum phenomenon where particles become linked, allowing their properties to be correlated regardless of distance. This property is essential for quantum computing and communication, but environmental factors can degrade entanglement quality. NIST’s new process involves illuminating beryllium ions with ultraviolet laser pulses to create entangled pairs, which are then cross-entangled to create a more robust entanglement. The first pair is measured to determine the quality of the second pair.
The NIST team has successfully purified entangled atom pairs with a record-breaking success rate of more than one success for every three attempts. This achievement is a significant step towards creating a practical tool for quantum computing and communication.
The NIST process could be used to purify entangled ions before transferring information to photons in large networks. Quantum computers could potentially break today’s best public-key encryption systems, while quantum communications systems provide a new approach to “unbreakable” encryption.
The NIST team’s research has also demonstrated all the basic building blocks for a quantum computer, including error correction and a mass-producible ion trap. Ions are among the most promising candidates for quantum bits, and the development of quantum computers could have a significant impact on fields such as cryptography, optimization, and database searching.
The NIST process for purifying entangled atom pairs has the potential to revolutionize the development of quantum computers and communications systems. This achievement is a significant step towards creating a practical tool for quantum computing and communication.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2006/10/nist-physicists-boost-entanglement-atom-pairs
Keywords: entanglement, quantum computer, ion trap, laser pulses, quantum bits
