At the core of quantum systems, understanding entanglement could enhance how information is preserved and manipulated within these systems.
Quantum bits, or qubits, form the foundational elements of quantum computing. Creating specific entangled states in systems with multiple qubits presents considerable challenges, both in production and analysis.
MIT researchers have now showcased a method to effectively create entanglement across a superconducting qubit array, demonstrating a specific entanglement pattern.
Historically, the Engineering Quantum Systems (EQuS) group at MIT has utilized microwave technology to refine control over quantum processors consisting of superconducting circuits. These advancements now facilitate the production of highly entangled states and transition between different entanglement types, potentially influencing quantum computational speed.
"Here, we are demonstrating that we can utilize the emerging quantum processors as a tool to further our understanding of physics. While everything we did in this experiment was on a scale which can still be simulated on a classical computer, we have a good roadmap for scaling this technology and methodology beyond the reach of classical computing," says Amir H. Karamlou '18, MEng '18, PhD '23, the lead author of the paper.
William D. Oliver, the Henry Ellis Warren professor of electrical engineering and computer science and of physics, director of the Center for Quantum Engineering, leader of the EQuS group, and associate director of the Research Laboratory of Electronics, is the senior author. The team also includes Jeff Grover, Ilan Rosen, and collaborators from various departments at MIT, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Wellesley College, and the University of Maryland. Their findings are published in Nature this week.
In quantum systems with multiple interconnected qubits, entanglement reflects the quantum information shared between a subsystem of qubits and the larger system. This entanglement can follow either area-law or volume-law based on the shared information's geometric scaling within the system.
"While we have not yet fully abstracted the role that entanglement plays in quantum algorithms, we do know that generating volume-law entanglement is a key ingredient to realizing a quantum advantage," says Oliver.
The study introduces a quantum processor and control protocol that facilitate efficient generation and analysis of both entanglement types.
The experiment's processor, comprising 16 qubits in a two-dimensional grid, was tuned to maintain identical transition frequencies across qubits. Applying a synchronous microwave drive allowed the generation of quantum states demonstrating volume-law entanglement, with adjustments in frequency shifting towards area-law entanglement.
"Our experiment is a tour de force of the capabilities of superconducting quantum processors. In one experiment, we operated the processor both as an analog simulation device, enabling us to efficiently prepare states with different entanglement structures, and as a digital computing device, needed to measure the ensuing entanglement scaling," says Rosen.
By demonstrating the shift from volume-law to area-law entanglement, the researchers have experimentally validated theoretical predictions and provided a method to determine the type of entanglement present in quantum processors.
Peter Zoller, a theoretical physics professor at the University of Innsbruck, and Pedram Roushan from Google, both external to the study, highlighted the experimental insights and the practical challenges in quantifying entanglement in extensive quantum systems.
Looking forward, this methodology could offer new insights into the thermodynamics of complex quantum systems and aid in benchmarking larger quantum systems.
Research Report:"Probing entanglement in a 2D hard-core Bose-Hubbard lattice"
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