(PhysicsWorld) A new toolbox for sophisticated quantum simulators, in which qubits can directly communicate through so-called “topological radio channels”, has been proposed by physicists. Researchers led by Alejandro González-Tudela at the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics in Garching constructed the theory by transferring the principles of topology from condensed matter to photonics.
Topology has become an incredibly influential branch of mathematics in recent years. In geometric terms, it describes how an object can easily be transformed into another object with the same number of holes, without cutting or gluing. In condensed matter, meanwhile, topological materials display similar geometries on the molecular scale, which gives them diverse mechanical and electrical properties.
González-Tudela and colleagues propose a toolbox for allowing two specific, distant qubits to communicate with each other through a so-called topological radio channel. By tuning the topology of the waveguide to induce specific chiral bound states, particular pairs of qubits could be consciously chosen to interact with each other on these different channels.
Toolbox for Sophisticated Quantum Simulators Proposed by Researchers
