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Mon December 11, 2023
Quantum-computing approach uses single molecules as qubits for first time
Platforms based on molecules manipulated using ‘optical tweezers’ might be able to perform complex physics calculations.
Physicists have taken the first step towards building quantum computers out of individual molecules trapped with laser devices called optical tweezers. Two teams report their results in Science on 7 December in both cases making pairs of calcium monofluoride molecules interact so that they became entangled — a crucial effect for quantum computing.
The two papers constitute a “landmark result”, says Adam Kaufman, a physicist at the University of Colorado Boulder. “This opens the door to leveraging entangled states to enhance the potential applications of molecular tweezer arrays.”
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