Revolutionary Quantum Milestone
Scientists at the University of Chicago have shattered quantum computing records by maintaining quantum coherence for over five seconds—a breakthrough that represents thousands of times longer than typical qubit preservation, according to News. The achievement marks a dramatic leap from previous qubit coherence times that were typically limited to microseconds or milliseconds, opening new possibilities for practical quantum computing applications.
"It's uncommon to have quantum information preserved on these human timescales," said David Awschalom, the Liew Family Professor in Molecular Engineering and Physics at the University of Chicago, according to News. "Five seconds is long enough to send a light-speed signal to the moon and back."
Unprecedented Scale and Duration
The University of Chicago breakthrough encompasses two major achievements that address fundamental quantum computing challenges. Researchers not only achieved the ability to read out their qubit on demand but also demonstrated that light reflecting the qubit state could circle Earth almost 40 times in five seconds, according to News analysis.
Separately, other researchers have achieved the largest number of entangled logical qubits on record, with 24 logical qubits successfully entangled—the highest number ever achieved to date, according to Livescience. This milestone was detailed in a study published November 18 on the preprint database arXiv, representing a crucial step toward larger, more fault-tolerant quantum systems.
Silicon Carbide: The Game-Changing Material
The University of Chicago team's qubits utilize silicon carbide, a material commonly found in lightbulbs, electric vehicles, and high-voltage electronics, according to News. This choice of material represents a significant advantage for scalability and cost-effectiveness in quantum innovation.
"This essentially brings silicon carbide to the forefront as a quantum communication platform," said graduate student Elena Glen, co-first author on the University of Chicago paper, according to News. "This is exciting because it's easy to scale."
The researchers developed a new readout method that uses carefully designed laser pulses to add a single electron to the qubit depending on its quantum state, providing almost 10,000 times more signal than previous approaches.
Understanding Quantum Coherence Challenges
Quantum coherence—the ability of qubits to maintain their quantum state—has historically been one of the most significant barriers to practical quantum computing. Coherence times are usually measured in fractions of a second and can be disrupted by the tiniest environmental factors, according to Livescience.
Researchers at Kyushu University have also made progress in this area, managing to maintain quantum coherence in a molecular qubit for over one hundred nanoseconds at room temperature, according to Advancedsciencenews. While significantly shorter than the University of Chicago achievement, this work demonstrates the global effort to extend coherence times across different quantum systems.
Breakthrough in Ultrafast Electron Dynamics
Parallel research has unveiled new understanding of quantum phenomena at unprecedented timescales. Scientists from SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Stanford University, in collaboration with multiple international institutions, have successfully observed plasmonic resonances occurring at attoseconds—billionths of a billionth of a second, according to Www6.
The collaborative study, published February 2 in the journal Science Advances, involved researchers from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, University of Hamburg, DESY, Northwest Missouri State University, Politecnico di Milano, and the Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, according to Www6.
"When plasmonic resonances unfold at incredibly small scales, new phenomena emerge, allowing light to be confined and controlled with unprecedented precision," the researchers found, according to Www6. By timing the interval between electron excitation and electron emission, scientists can determine whether true resonance occurred with all electrons moving in unison.
Quantum Computing's Transformative Potential
These breakthroughs address fundamental challenges that have limited quantum computing's practical applications. Unlike classical computers that rely on binary 1s and 0s using 20th-century technology, quantum computers could easily handle computational problems that would take a conventional computer trillions of years to solve, according to Advancedsciencenews.
The significance extends beyond raw computational power. IBM analysis indicates that for complex problems with many variables interacting in complicated ways—such as modeling molecular behavior or identifying new physics—even the most powerful classical supercomputers pale in comparison to quantum computing potential, according to Ibm.
Future Implications and Applications
The University of Chicago achievement opens pathways toward practical quantum networks and communications systems. The five-second coherence time is long enough for quantum information to be transmitted across vast distances while maintaining its integrity, potentially enabling a distributed quantum internet, according to News.
The combination of extended coherence times, improved readout methods, and scalable materials like silicon carbide creates a foundation for quantum systems that could revolutionize fields from drug discovery to cryptography. As researchers continue pushing the boundaries of quantum coherence and entanglement, these recent breakthroughs represent critical steps toward making quantum computing a practical reality rather than a laboratory curiosity.