• Home
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Digital technology
  • Cloud
  • Data analytics
  • Digital leaders
  • IoT
  • Opinion
  • Events
  • Whitepapers
  • Newsletters
  • Sign in
  • Events
    • Follow V3 Events

      Sign up to receive email alerts about our events

      Sign up
  • Whitepapers
    • V3resources 120x194
      Network Security Forensics For GDPR Compliance

      An effective network security forensics strategy can assist an organization in providing key compliance-related details as part of any post-incident GDPR investigation.

      Download
      V3resources 120x194
      10 ways to increase productivity with managed Office 365

      For businesses large and small, relying on a cloud-based collaboration and productivity suite such as Microsoft Office 365 is becoming the norm. Enhancing productivity in your organisation is vital to get ahead in 2017 - and using Office 365 can help, if it's used right...

      Download
      Find whitepapers
      Search by title or subject area
      View all whitepapers
  • Data Strategy Spotlight
  • Sign in
  •  
    •  

      You are currently accessing V3 .co.uk via your Enterprise account.

      Personalise your on site experience

      Download and use the apps

      Access your subscription from outside of the office

      Get relevant news and insight straight to your inbox

      • Sign in
     
      • Newsletters
      • Account details
      • Contact support
      • Sign out
     
  • Follow us
    • RSS
    • Twitter
    • Newsletters
    • Facebook
    • YouTube
  • Register
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Digital technology
  • Cloud
  • Data analytics
  • Digital leaders
  • IoT
  • Opinion
 
  •  

    You are currently accessing V3 .co.uk via your Enterprise account.

    Personalise your on site experience

    Download and use the apps

    Access your subscription from outside of the office

    Get relevant news and insight straight to your inbox

    • Sign in
 
    • Newsletters
    • Account details
    • Contact support
    • Sign out
 
V3.co.uk
  • Components

Army-funded researchers uncover particles that could be building blocks in quantum computers

Could be used in quantum computing to block intruders on sensitive communication networks

Army-funded researchers uncover particles that could be building blocks in quantum computers
  • Lee Bell
  • Lee Bell
  • @llebeel
  • 17 April 2018
  • Tweet  
  • Facebook  
  •  
  •  
  • Send to  
0 Comments

Researchers at the University of California in Los Angeles have claimed to have uncovered the long sought-after Majorana particle, which could be used in quantum computing to block intruders on sensitive communication networks.

The Majorana particles were predicted more than 80 years ago by Italian theoretical physicist Ettore Majorana (hence the name). However, US Army-funded researchers said the find could see the particles becoming critical building blocks for quantum computers because their unusual properties make them resistant to external interference and prevent loss of quantum information.

The scientists believe the discovery not only solves a long standing problem in physics, but also opens up a potential avenue to control Majorana fermions for creating robust topological quantum computing,

"Prior experimental approaches based on semiconductor nanowires on superconductors have produced inconclusive signals which could also be attributed to other effects," said Dr Joe Qiu, manager of the Solid-State Electronics Program within the Engineering Sciences Directorate at the Army Research Office.

"The UCLA experiment using stacked layers of magnetic topological insulator and superconductor has demonstrated the clearest and most unambiguous evidence of the particles as predicted by theory so far."

The research is backed by a close interdisciplinary collaboration between a team of researchers including electrical engineers, physicists and material scientists, but funded by an Army Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, or MURI.

This is because the US Army believes quantum computers could solve problems much more quickly and efficiently than classical computers, and potentially lead to a significant improvement in situational awareness with the capability to process large amount of available data, a "fundamental priority research area".

"Because the Majorana particle is its own anti-particle - carrying zero electrical charge - it is viewed as the best candidate to carry a quantum bit, or qubit, the unit of data that would be the foundation of quantum computers," Qiu explained.

"Unlike 'bits' of data in standard computers, which can be represented as either 0s or 1s, qubits have the ability to be both 0s and 1s, a property that would give quantum computers exponentially more computing power and speed than today's best supercomputers."

In the experiment, the Majorana particles travelled along the topological insulator's edges in a distinct braid-like pattern, said the researchers. They added that the next step in their research will explore how to use Majorana particles in quantum braiding, which would knit them together to allow information to be stored and processed at super high speeds. 

Further reading

  • Security
Researchers say quantum computing could improve self-driving cars' cyber security
  • 06 Mar 2018
  • Communications
"Quantum radio" could help take wireless and GPS communications underwater
  • 03 Jan 2018
  • Components
Intel claims breakthrough in quantum computing with spin qubits invention
  • 15 Feb 2018
  • Hardware
Google unveils experimental 72-cubit quantum processor
  • 06 Mar 2018
  • Tweet  
  • Facebook  
  •  
  •  
  • Send to  
  • Topics
  • Components
  • Hardware
  • quantum computing
  • Majorana particle
  • University of California
  • MURI
  • security
  • Ettore Majorana
  • Joe Qiu

V3 Latest

First plant to grow on the Moon, err, dies
First plant to grow on the Moon, err, dies

Cotton seedling freezes to death as Chang'e-4 shuts down for the Moon's 14-day lunar night

  • Communications
  • 18 January 2019
Fortnite news and updates: Fortnite made $2.4bn in 2018, according to SuperData
Fortnite news and updates: Fortnite made $2.4bn in 2018, according to SuperData

Fortnite easily out-earns PUBG, Assassin's Creed Odyssey and Red Dead Redemption 2 in 2018

  • Software
  • 18 January 2019
Japanese firm sends micro-satellites into space to deliver artificial meteor showers on demand
Japanese firm sends micro-satellites into space to deliver artificial meteor showers on demand

Meteor showers as a service will be visible for about 100 kilometres in all directions

  • Communications
  • 18 January 2019
Saturn's rings only formed in the past 100 million years, suggests analysis of Cassini space probe data
Saturn's rings only formed in the past 100 million years, suggests analysis of Cassini space probe data

New findings contradict conventional belief that Saturn's rings were formed along with the planet about 4.5 billion years ago

  • Communications
  • 18 January 2019
Back to Top
  • Contact
  • Marketing solutions
  • Enterprise IT Events
  • About
  • Terms & conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Newsletters
  • Facebook
  • YouTube

© Incisive Business Media (IP) Limited, Published by Incisive Business Media Limited, New London House, 172 Drury Lane, London WC2B 5QR, registered in England and Wales with company registration numbers 09177174 & 09178013

Digital publisher of the year
Digital publisher of the year 2010, 2013, 2016 & 2017