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back to article Noise can improve quantum computing, says ANU scientist

Here’s a nice paradox: since noise gets in the way of quantum computing, cure it by adding more noise. That startling proposal is the work of a team led by the Australian National University’s Dr André Carvalho, along with collaborators from Brazil and Spain. Noise is normally treated as the enemy in quantum-level experiments …

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  1. Steve Knox
    Thumb Up

    "This means, simply, that if a qubit starts in a “1” state, it will eventually emit a photon and fall to a “0” state...

    Dr Carvalho’s solution is two-fold: first, to add noise (as photons, using a laser) back into a qubit before the state-decay takes place..."

    So, essentially, in this way qubits act similarly to DRAM, requiring a refresh (as opposed to NVRAM). That's probably simplifying a bit, but I'd hope it's a good analogy for this crowd.

    Of course, the mechanism to do this refresh, and the second part about the added noise essentially keeping the quantum uncertainty alive is well beyond my mortal ken...

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  2. Robert E A Harvey
    Go

    It’s quantum computing: of course there’s a paradox

    Best subhead of the year!

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    1. Christoph
      Reply Icon

      Re: It’s quantum computing: of course there’s a paradox

      A most ingenious paradox!

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      2. Graham Wilson
        Reply Icon

        @Christoph Re: Re: It’s quantum computing: of course there’s a paradox

        W.S.Gilbert.

        (...and you can only say that without impunity because his copyright on it expired in 1961.)

        >:-)

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    2. Anonymous Coward
      Reply Icon
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: It’s quantum computing: of course there’s a paradox

      Wonderful subhead though it may be, there isn't actually any paradox in getting useful results out of a system by adding noise, in fact it's rather old hat; google simulated or quantum annealing.

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  3. Mage Silver badge
    Coffee/keyboard

    Not Good :(

    I'm beginning to get an impression that we are a long way off having a Quantum Computer.

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    1. David Dawson
      Reply Icon
      Happy

      Re: Not Good :(

      While simultaneously already having one!

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      1. Christoph
        Reply Icon

        Re: Not Good :(

        The Douglas Adams method - if you can calculate exactly how unlikely it is for the quantum computer to work, you will have one

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  4. Kevin Johnston

    They're right....

    In the John Ringo/Travis Taylor 'looking glass' Sci-fi series they stress that any time you start discussing Quantum stuff you have to make a sanity check........I think I failed on this one.

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  5. Destroy All Monsters Silver badge
    Paris Hilton

    Intredasting!

    So is he using a mixture [probabilistically mix a photon from system A with one from system B] to enlarge system B into a system C so that even when you get info about the state of C by measuring the photon, you still get to keep the original B?

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  6. Barry Dingle

    Instestinal Metaphortitiude

    Put things in the top to force things out the bottom. Qubits.

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  7. Gagol
    Happy

    Shroedinger's cat's box just got a brand new LED!

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    1. Asiren
      Reply Icon
      WTF?

      So...

      You keep feeding cats into the box and see what comes out? But sometimes you're throwing a dead cat in to start with?

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  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Is this dolby for Q Computing ?

    see title.

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  9. Schultz

    Nice trick...

    If you detect all interaction with the 'outside world' (== absorbed and emitted photons), then you remove all decoherence: by monitoring the environment, you explicitly treat the interactions with the environment, hence there are no unexpected (nosy) interactions.

    Of course, this just creates a bigger box of a quantum system that you have to control and manipulate. The environment is now part of your quantum computing system. The bigger system will have more interaction with the environment (the photon detectors have their own noise, the lasers you use to re-pump the quantum system also bring noise), hence the problem is shifted one level out from the initially considered inner system. Whether this will help to perform real-world quantum computations is not clear.

    Just to boggle you mind: What happens if you take the whole universe into your considered quantum system? No unexpected interactions with other matter can occur if all matter is taken into the system. So we might be basically performing one humongous quantum simulation to determine the fate of life, the universe, and anything. From the inside, of course, we wouldn't ever be able to tell, so don't give up on free will quite yet.

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    1. bep
      Reply Icon

      Re: Nice trick...

      Provided you can still feed the cat from a spooky distance, no problem!

      (PS. You're right, I haven't got a clue.)

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  10. Yesnomaybe

    Let me see...

    In order to preserve the information, he has to hide the information, so it can't readily be read.

    This quantum stuff is giving me a headache

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  11. Silverburn
    Mushroom

    Quantum computing

    <-- my brain.

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  12. NomNomNom

    Quantum Computing was BIG in Soviet Russia

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  13. Graham Wilson
    Angel

    Next they'll be telling us the cat's actually vanished.

    Seems Grizabella escaped from the box after some statistically improbable quantum fluctuations and was last seen skiving off with Deuteronomy up to the Heaviside Layer:

    "...Up up up past the Russell Hotel,

    Up up up up to the Heaviside Layer.

    Up up up past the Russell Hotel,

    Up up up up to the Heaviside Layer.

    Up up up past the Jellicle Moon,

    Up up up up to the Heaviside Layer.

    Up up up past the Jellicle Moon,

    Up up up up to the Heaviside Layer.

    The mystical divinity of unashamed felinity

    Round the cathedral rang 'Vivat'

    Life to the everlasting cat!"

    (Apologies to T.S.E.)

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