Scientists Just Discovered Magic at the Large Hadron Collider

Researchers at the Large Hadron Collider discovered that top quarks exhibit a property known as “magic“which could advance quantum computing.

A pair of twin researchers discovered that when the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) produces top viarks — the heaviest known fundamental particles — regularly creates a property known as “magic”.

This property is a measure which describes the difficulty of a quantum system being calculated by a non-quantum computerexplains .

The study, conducted by twin professors, shows that the level of this magic in top quarks can inform the need for quantum computers in simulations.

whose results were presented in an article published in Physical Review Dhas implications for the quantum computing progress.

Quantum computing and the LHC

“The greater the magicthe more we need quantum computers to describe behavior”, explains Martin Whitea professor at the University of Adelaide, who co-led the study with his twin brother, Chris Whitephysicist at Queen Mary University of London.

“The study of the properties magic of quantum systems allows us to obtain significant information about the development and potential uses of quantum computers”, says Martin White.

The LHC, at CERN, is the largest and most powerful particle accelerator in the world, consisting of a 27-kilometer ring of superconducting magnets with various accelerating structures through which two beams of high-energy particles travel at close to the speed of light before colliding.

The amount of magic displayed by the top quarks it depends on how fast they move and the direction in which they travel, which can be measured by the ATLAS and CMS detectors that observe the results of LHC proton collisions.

Advancing quantum computing

“Quantum research has long focused on quantum entanglementwhich happens when interacting particles become linked at a distance; However, our work on magic explores the suitability of particles for building powerful quantum computers,” says White.

“The ATLAS experience already observed evidence of quantum entanglement. We show that the LHC can also observe more complex patterns of quantum behavior at the highest energies that have ever been attempted for this type of experiment.”

During the last few decades, scientists have strived to build buildings that take advantage of the laws of quantum mechanics to achieve a power of far superior processing compared to traditional computers.

The potential benefits of quantum computers are vast, impacting areas such as drug discovery and materials science. Harnessing this power requires robust and controllable quantum statesand magic plays a key role in achieving that control.

“Our research paves the way for a deeper understanding of the connection between quantum information theory and high-energy physics,” says Martin White.

“This discovery doesn’t just have to do with the heaviest particles in the universe, it has to do with the unlocking the potential of a new and revolutionary paradigm computing”, concludes White.