(dr) IBM Research
The inside of a quantum computer at IBM
The new type of superconductor was created thanks to the proximity effect, placing layers of trigonal tellurium next to a thin film of gold.
Scientists at the University of California, Riverside, in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, have created a new superconducting material that could significantly improve the reliability of quantum computers. This development was documented in a publication in Science Advances.
Typically, superconductors exhibit zero electrical resistance when cooled to a critical cutoff temperature, which allows them to conduct electricity efficiently. Certain superconductors, such as topological superconductors, have unique quantum properties which make them ideal for quantum computing as they can help preserve quantum data.
The researchers in this study created a new type of superconductor layering trigonal tellurium, a chiral material with a unique mirror-image asymmetry, alongside a thin film of gold. At the interface between these materials, they found well-defined quantum polarization states, which could potentially serve as quantum bits, or qubits, in a quantum computer.
The gold film itself acquired superconducting properties through a process known as the “proximity effect,” whereby a non-superconducting material becomes superconducting when placed very close to a superconductor, explains .
By establishing a clean interface between the chiral material and gold, the researchers created a two-dimensional interface superconductora type of superconductor with enhanced spin energy – about six times greater than that of conventional superconductors.
Under magnetic fields, this new interface superconductor showed resilience, transforming into a “triplet superconductor,” a type more resistant to magnetic influences than typical superconductors. This robustness could make it better suited to the demanding conditions of quantum computing.
Furthermore, the researchers highlighted that the thickness of this new material, an order of magnitude thinner than current quantum computing components, could be advantageous for producing low-loss microwave resonators. These resonators are essential for quantum computingsince they store and manipulate electrons at microwave frequencies, and minimizing energy loss is crucial for the precision required in quantum calculations.
However, although this new superconducting material is promising, researchers have not specified its critical temperature. If I could maintain coherence higher temperatureswould represent a huge step forward in quantum computing.
Despite this, the material’s quantum resilience and its potential to mitigate decoherence – a constant obstacle in quantum systems – make it a promising candidate for future quantum technologies.
