By Dan Satherley
University of Otago scientists are celebrating a "major physics breakthrough" they say is an important step towards developing quantum computers.
In a world first, the team of four researchers led by Dr Mikkel Anderson, has found a way to consistently capture and photograph a fast-moving neutral atom – in this case, Rubidium 85.
“What we have done moves the frontier of what scientists can do and gives us deterministic control of the smallest building blocks in our world,” says Dr Andersen.
Unlike silicon-based computers, quantum computers can perform numerous tasks simultaneously.
“You need a set of 30 atoms if you want to build a quantum computer that is capable of performing certain tasks better than existing computers, so this is a big step towards successfully doing that,” says Dr Andersen.
Currently the technology allows the team to catch 10 Rubidium 85 atoms. First they are cooled, in order to slow them down, then are caught and held in place with lasers, and photographed. It is a difficult process as neutral atoms cannot be controlled with electrical fields.
“I learnt at elementary school that it is impossible to see a single atom through a microscope. Well, my elementary school teacher was wrong,” says Dr Andersen.
The next step for the team is to develop "entanglement" between atoms, which means actions performed on one would affect the other, even over a distance.
"This is the property that a quantum computer uses to do tasks simultaneously,” says Dr Andersen.
The breakthrough was the result of a three-year study funded by the taxpayer-funded Foundation for Research, Science and Technology.
The other members of Dr Andersen’s team are Tzahi Grünzweig, Andrew Hilliard and Matt McGovern.
3 News