New superconductors could make faster Quantum computers

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Practical quantum computers could soon arrive with profound implications for everything from drug discovery to code-breaking. By Sascha Brodsky.

One of the biggest challenges in quantum computing today relates to how we can make superconductors perform even better.One of the biggest challenges in quantum computing today relates to how we can make superconductors perform even better.

Making practical quantum computers could hinge on finding better ways to use superconducting materials which have no electrical resistance. In a step toward building better quantum machines, researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory recently measured the electrical current between an atomically sharp metallic tip and a superconductor. This new method can find linked electrons with extreme precision in a move that could help detect new kinds of superconductors, which have no electrical resistance.

Better superconductors may be key to making practical quantum computers. Michael Biercuk, the CEO of quantum computing company Q-CTRL, said in an email interview that most current quantum computing systems use niobium alloys and aluminum, in which superconductivity was discovered in the 1950s and 1960s.

While we see small advances in each of the indicated technological directions, combining them into a good working device is still elusive. The ‘Holy Grail’ of quantum computing is a device with hundreds of qubits and low error rates. Scientists can’t agree on how they will achieve this goal, but one possible answer is using superconductors. Interesting read!

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