IBM's breakthrough: Turning titanium atoms into tiny dancers

Some people compare this breakthrough to the ancient Chinese invented the "tablet".

IBM Research has just announced a new breakthrough in nanotechnology that allows researchers to position individual atoms and then control their quantum properties. This has the potential to become the basis for building an efficient quantum computer, and besides, you can imagine the extraordinary power that humans have when we control the atom.

IBM's new breakthrough allows researchers to position individual atoms and then control their quantum properties.

The research team develops this particle manipulation method to build a quantum computer simulation system. Classical computers - like those you use to surf the web, play video games - only use '0' and '1' to describe the data, while quantum computers have one more state called 'state' superposition , which allows data to exist in both ' 1' and '0', only gives the final result when measured.

IBM Research created a method to simulate superposition state by making titanium atoms create magnetism, a feature similar to superposition state. Basically, they use a special tool called the Scanning Tunnel Microscope (STM) that has a fine needle-like tip, which pushes atoms back and forth in the research space.

According to what IBM 'shows' on the blog:

"In the experiment, we used the quantum property of the titanium atom, called 'spin - spin', to describe a qubit. The rotating atom will make it magnetic, and have similar properties. like a small compass needle like a fridge magnet, titanium atoms also have north and south poles that describe the '0' and '1' states of a qubit. titanium atoms into a special plane - a super thin layer of magnesium oxide, to protect titanium's magnetism and allow it to show its quantum properties. "

STM system won the Nobel Prize of IBM.

Turns out the titanium atom is more interesting than we thought. The researchers used short microwave waves to navigate and position the titanium atoms. These microwaves emanate from the tip of the STM, forcing the atom to rotate in a certain direction, as if the needle is 'teaching' the titanium atom how to dance on a stage made of magnesium oxide.

By this technique, the researchers simulated the state of quantum entanglement in a powerful 2 qubit quantum computer system.

Besides the big breakthrough in quantum technology (by teaching ballet atoms), this research is also a big step forward in quantum computing. Although there have been many breakthroughs related to quantum computing recently, we are still in the 'pre-spreadsheet' phase (that of ancient China), when physicists were still Research in a 'sticky meat' style , without a solid foundation that is constantly experimenting with particles and lasers.

There are ideas that IBM's breakthrough is equivalent to the invention of spreadsheets, opening up a new method of research and building quantum computers.

Turn atomic particles into dancers, listen to your head with Elton John's song Tiny Dancer.