USTC's Zuchongzhi 3.0 quantum processor outperforms modern supercomputers. (Image Credit: USTC)
Researchers at the University of Science and Technology China (USTC) developed the fastest quantum processor called the Zuchongzhi 3.0, which outpaces the fastest, most powerful supercomputers. The superconducting quantum chip features 105 qubits and 182 couplers, competing with Google's Willow chip while putting USTC at the lead of quantum chip research.
All 105 transmon qubits in USTC's Zuchongzhi 3.0 chip are made of metals like niobium, aluminum, and tantalum, effectively reducing noise sensitivity. Placed in a 15x7 lattice, the qubits represent a significant advancement over the previous version featuring 66 qubits. It has better performance metrics, achieving a 99.90% parallel single-qubit gate fidelity, 99.62% two-qubit gate fidelity, 99.13% parallel readout fidelity, and a 72 μs coherence time.
That coherence time enables the chip to perform more complex tasks and computations, taking seconds to complete. The team tested the processor's capabilities by conducting an 83-qubit, 32-layer random circuit sampling task on it. Additionally, it runs 15 orders of magnitude faster than the world's most powerful supercomputer using the current optimal classical algorithm. Zuchongzhi 3.0 has also exceeded Google's Sycamore chip results by six orders of magnitude, published in October 2024.
After demonstrating the quantum processor, the team is now progressing toward research in other areas, including quantum error correction, entanglement, simulation, and quantum chemistry. The team adopted a 2D grid qubit architecture, enabling efficient interconnections and faster data transfer between qubits. Based on this framework, they integrated a distance-7 surface code for quantum error correction, and plan to extend it to distances of 9 and 11 for huge integration and manipulation of quantum bits.
Image representing light. (Image Credit: Wonderwoman627/pixabay)
Supersolids are remarkable quantum states of matter made of both solids and liquids. They're about to get even more interesting. Researchers at the National Research Council in Italy have turned light into a supersolid for the first time—a breakthrough that could unlock new quantum and photonic technologies.
The team achieved this by coupling laser-based photons with gallium arsenide, a semiconducting material. Those photons interacted with excitations in the material to form polaritons with supersolid qualities. Gallium arsenide has a structure that can transform the photons into three quantum states.
Those photons start in a zero-momentum state, and while they saturate, the photon pairs shift to the neighboring states. The polaritons then evolve into a bound state in the continuum (BiC). Trapping the polaritons in each state within the semiconductor causes them to turn into a solid structure. Meanwhile, their frictionless movement enables them to behave like a superfluid. Both of those properties form the supersolid.
Afterward, the team verified this process by looking for certain clues. They mapped the photons' density, revealing two tall peaks and a central dip. The team also observed a wave-like pattern on top, representative of a broken translational symmetry, a defining feature of supersolids.
To measure the system's quantum state, the team used interferometry, which also confirmed internal consistency within each state and across the system. This showed that a supersolid had formed as the fragile order held together.
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