It returns to the quantum computing race with a new designScientists have successfully revived the use of niobium to create high-performance superconducting qubits, a critical component for building quantum computers. Discuss© Ferra
For more than a decade, aluminum has dominated the field of superconducting qubits thanks to longer coherence time (duration of information storage). However, niobium offered significant advantages, such as higher operating temperatures, a wider range of frequencies and magnetic fields.
Despite all these advantages, niobium's short coherence time did not allow it to remain aside. The problem was the niobium Josephson junction, the heart of the qubit responsible for information processing.
A research group led by David Schuster at Stanford University solved this problem, which led to the creation of niobium-based qubits.
This development marks a major leap forward in the field of quantum computing. By leveraging the unique advantages of niobium and aluminum, researchers have paved the way for the creation of powerful and versatile quantum devices with greater functionality and wider applications in a variety of industries, including medicine, finance and communications.