Johns Hopkins University researchers have pioneered a novel method to characterize and mitigate quantum noise, a fundamental barrier preventing reliable, large-scale quantum computers. By applying a sophisticated mathematical technique to exploit quantum symmetries, the team has created a framework that dramatically simplifies how noise is understood and corrected, representing a critical advance toward fault-tolerant quantum computing.
Quantum computers promise to revolutionize everything from drug discovery to cryptography, but they remain incredibly fragile. Their quantum bits, or qubits, are easily disturbed by a symphony of disruptive background noise—from mundane temperature fluctuations to the bizarre quantum spin of atoms.
This noise introduces errors, causing calculations to fail and stalling the progress toward practical quantum machines. Now, a team from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and Johns Hopkins University may have found a key to silencing this cacophony.
“Today’s models are commonly too simplistic to capture how quantum noise affects computation on real hardware,” explained Dr. Gregory Quiroz, a senior physicist at APL and associate research professor at Johns Hopkins University. “Our work is trying to bridge that gap.”
READ ALSO: https://www.modernmechanics24.com/post/tibet-plateau-snow-impact
The problem, according to Dr. Quiroz, is that most models treat noise as a single, isolated event. In reality, the most damaging noise propagates through the quantum processor across both space and time, a complexity that has been nearly impossible to model accurately until now.
The breakthrough, published in the prestigious journal Physical Review Letters, came from leveraging a fundamental property of physics: symmetry. William Watkins, a physics graduate student in Dr. Quiroz’s research group, realized that a mathematical technique called root space decomposition could be applied to the problem of quantum noise for the first time.
This method provides a structured way to organize the actions within a quantum system, making its immense complexity far more manageable. “It gave us insight into the problem in a mathematically compact and beautiful way,” said Watkins.
WATCH ALSO: https://www.modernmechanics24.com/post/uae-first-domestic-drone-maiden-flight
Their innovative framework allows them to represent a complex quantum system as a simple ladder. Each rung on this ladder represents a distinct state of the system. By applying noise, the researchers can observe whether it causes the system to “jump” from one rung to another.
This elegant visualization enables them to categorize noise into two distinct types, each requiring a different mitigation strategy. “That allows us to classify noise into two different categories, which tells us how to mitigate it,” Watkins explained.
This ability to precisely characterize noise is a game-changer, reported the Johns Hopkins team. It informs not only the physical design of better quantum hardware but also the development of smarter algorithms and software that are inherently more resilient to errors.
“Capturing the effects of noise on the system over time and in multiple locations is really important to successfully implementing quantum error-correcting codes fault-tolerantly,” emphasized Dr. Quiroz. “This is a problem we have to solve for large-scale quantum computers to work.”
READ ALSO: https://www.modernmechanics24.com/post/tum-startup-reinventing-rocket-pressure-tanks
The research is a cornerstone of a broader quantum portfolio at APL, which tackles the noise problem from multiple angles, including studying fundamental sources like cosmic rays. “We are very excited about this particular study due to the insight it provides on the impacts of noise on quantum algorithms and error correction,” added Kevin Schultz, assistant program manager for Alternative Computing Paradigms at APL.
By providing a new language and a powerful toolkit to describe and combat quantum noise, the Johns Hopkins team has illuminated a clearer path forward in the arduous journey to build a truly useful quantum computer.Johns Hopkins University researchers have pioneered a novel method to characterize and mitigate quantum noise, a fundamental barrier preventing reliable, large-scale quantum computers.
By applying a sophisticated mathematical technique to exploit quantum symmetries, the team has created a framework that dramatically simplifies how noise is understood and corrected, representing a critical advance toward fault-tolerant quantum computing.
Quantum computers promise to revolutionize everything from drug discovery to cryptography, but they remain incredibly fragile. Their quantum bits, or qubits, are easily disturbed by a symphony of disruptive background noise—from mundane temperature fluctuations to the bizarre quantum spin of atoms.
WATCH ALSO: https://www.modernmechanics24.com/post/black-hole-flare-outshines-10-trillion-suns
This noise introduces errors, causing calculations to fail and stalling the progress toward practical quantum machines. Now, a team from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) and Johns Hopkins University may have found a key to silencing this cacophony.
“Today’s models are commonly too simplistic to capture how quantum noise affects computation on real hardware,” explained Dr. Gregory Quiroz, a senior physicist at APL and associate research professor at Johns Hopkins University.
“Our work is trying to bridge that gap.” The problem, according to Dr. Quiroz, is that most models treat noise as a single, isolated event. In reality, the most damaging noise propagates through the quantum processor across both space and time, a complexity that has been nearly impossible to model accurately until now.
The breakthrough, published in the prestigious journal Physical Review Letters, came from leveraging a fundamental property of physics: symmetry. William Watkins, a physics graduate student in Dr. Quiroz’s research group, realized that a mathematical technique called root space decomposition could be applied to the problem of quantum noise for the first time.
READ ALSO: https://www.modernmechanics24.com/post/hanwha-saudi-spark-compressor
This method provides a structured way to organize the actions within a quantum system, making its immense complexity far more manageable. “It gave us insight into the problem in a mathematically compact and beautiful way,” said Watkins.
Their innovative framework allows them to represent a complex quantum system as a simple ladder. Each rung on this ladder represents a distinct state of the system. By applying noise, the researchers can observe whether it causes the system to “jump” from one rung to another.
This elegant visualization enables them to categorize noise into two distinct types, each requiring a different mitigation strategy. “That allows us to classify noise into two different categories, which tells us how to mitigate it,” Watkins explained.
This ability to precisely characterize noise is a game-changer, reported the Johns Hopkins team. It informs not only the physical design of better quantum hardware but also the development of smarter algorithms and software that are inherently more resilient to errors.
WATCH ALSO: https://www.modernmechanics24.com/post/worlds-first-motorbike-backflip-between-moving-trucks
“Capturing the effects of noise on the system over time and in multiple locations is really important to successfully implementing quantum error-correcting codes fault-tolerantly,” emphasized Dr. Quiroz. “This is a problem we have to solve for large-scale quantum computers to work.”
The research is a cornerstone of a broader quantum portfolio at APL, which tackles the noise problem from multiple angles, including studying fundamental sources like cosmic rays. “We are very excited about this particular study due to the insight it provides on the impacts of noise on quantum algorithms and error correction,” added Kevin Schultz, assistant program manager for Alternative Computing Paradigms at APL.
By providing a new language and a powerful toolkit to describe and combat quantum noise, the Johns Hopkins team has illuminated a clearer path forward in the arduous journey to build a truly useful quantum computer.
READ ALSO: https://www.modernmechanics24.com/post/chinese-company-new-humanlike-robot
