Cornell and IBM Demonstrate Error-Resistant Quantum Computing Advance

Cornell and IBM researchers have demonstrated advances in quantum computing, achieving error-resistant implementation of universal quantum gates and solving problems intractable for conventional computers. Published on July 6th in Nature Communications, the collaboration successfully encoded information using Fibonacci string net condensate anyons in two-dimensional space, a crucial step towards fault-tolerant computing. Researchers validated the method by calculating chromatic polynomials – a computationally prohibitive task for classical computers – and established a scalable protocol for replication on larger quantum systems. The research, funded by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, involved co-authors from Harvard University and the Weizmann Institute of Science.

Advancing Topological Quantum Computing

The collaboration between Cornell and IBM researchers has demonstrated an error-resistant implementation of universal quantum gates and showcased a topological quantum computer’s ability to solve problems intractable for conventional computers, bringing the technology closer to practical quantum computing applications.

Information was successfully encoded using Fibonacci string net condensate (Fib SNC) anyons – exotic quasi-particles – in two-dimensional space, representing a crucial step towards universal topological quantum computing, or fault-tolerant computing. The two-dimensionality of the system is vital for achieving fault tolerance and error resistance, a feature absent in one-dimensional systems.

The researchers validated their method by applying it to the calculation of chromatic polynomials, a known hard problem arising from counting the possible colourings of graphs. The number of possibilities expands exponentially with increased graph complexity, rendering the task computationally prohibitive for classical computers.

The protocol employed involved sampling the chromatic polynomials for graphs where the number of colours corresponds to the golden ratio, and is scalable, allowing replication of the results on larger quantum computers. This presents a challenge to the wider scientific community to extend the findings beyond the current scale.

The research received funding from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and benefited from collaborative expertise from Harvard University, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and IBM Quantum. IBM’s contribution focused on understanding the theory of the topological state and designing a protocol for implementation on a quantum computer.

Error Resilience and Universal Gate Implementation

Studying topologically ordered many-body quantum systems – systems comprising a large number of interacting quantum particles – and their application to quantum computation presents significant challenges.

The success of this research was facilitated by a collaborative effort, drawing on expertise from both academia and industry.

Co-authors include researchers from Harvard University, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and IBM Quantum.

Demonstrating Scalable Computation with Fib SNC Anyons

The protocol employed – sampling the chromatic polynomials for graphs where the number of colours corresponds to the golden ratio – is scalable, allowing other researchers to replicate the results on larger quantum computers. This presents a challenge to the wider scientific community to extend the findings beyond the current scale.

The research received funding from the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and benefited from collaborative expertise from Harvard University, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and IBM Quantum. IBM’s contribution focused on understanding the theory of the topological state and designing a protocol for implementation on a quantum computer.

Co-authors include researchers from Harvard University, the Weizmann Institute of Science, and IBM Quantum.