This is the largest quantum simulation or calculation ever conducted, expected to pave the way for the emergence of large-scale quantum computing.
A team of Chinese scientists has completed the world’s largest ion trap quantum simulation with single-qubit precision, marking a significant advancement in the pursuit of large-scale quantum computing capabilities.
Typical quantum simulation results of the long-range transverse field Ising model with 300 ions. (Source: Nature).
Ion traps are devices that confine ions within a limited space through electromagnetic fields, holding potential to realize large-scale quantum computing.
However, the main challenge with this method is maintaining stable ion trapping while accurately controlling a large number of ions simultaneously.
Quantum simulations involving about 200 ions have been reported, but the inability to distinguish the states of each ion has hindered the extraction of crucial data, creating barriers for the development of flexible and scalable quantum computing applications in the future.
Researchers from Tsinghua University utilized cryogenic solid-state ion trapping technology and a two-dimensional scheme.
For the first time, they successfully stabilized the trapping of 512 ions. In addition, the research team successfully performed quantum state measurements with “1-qubit resolution” on 300 ions.
This is the largest quantum simulation or calculation ever conducted, expected to pave the way for the emergence of large-scale quantum computing.
The research paper has just been published in the scientific journal Nature.
