Physicists have recently been able to demonstrate quantum teleportation between two computer chips for the first time, paving the way towards fully realized quantum computing.
This means that information was passed between the computer chips not by physical electronic connections, but through quantum entanglement. This was achieved by linking two particles across a gap according to the principles of quantum physics.
Although quantum entanglement, the phenomenon Einstein called "spooky action", is still difficult to be fully understood, the ability to use it to send information between computer chips is really important, even if so far we are confined to a tightly controlled lab environment.
Quantum entanglement can work over any distance, hypothetically speaking. Two particles get inextricably linked together; looking at one can tell us something about the other, wherever it is.
To achieve their result, the scientific team generated pairs of entangled photons, encoding quantum information to ensure low levels of interference and high levels of accuracy. Finally, up to four qubits – the quantum equivalent of classical computing bits – were linked together.
Then, the researchers could run experiments in which the fidelity reached 91% – as in, almost all the information was transmitted and logged with accuracy.
Scientists are trying to learn more and more about how quantum entanglement works, although for now it is difficult to control. It isn't something you can install inside your laptop: you'd need a lot of bulky, expensive scientific equipment to get it working.
Nevertheless, the hope is that advances in the lab, like this one, may one day lead to advances in computing that everybody can take advantage of.
The research was published in Nature Physics.
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