The discovery of a new superconducting material promises lower susceptibility to electromagnetic fields for efficient quantum computing
Superconductors are materials that conduct electricity without any resistance when cooled below a certain temperature. They are also known to have quantum properties, which makes them an ideal choice for storing data and perform computing operations. Therefore, there is a growing demand from leading tech companies to utilise this technology to develop quantum computers on a large scale.
However, qubits (the units that form the backbone of quantum computing) tend to lose their quantum properties in presence of electromagnetic fields, heat and collisions with air molecules. To counter it, highly resilient qubits are required, which can be achieved with topological semiconductors, a special class of superconductors that host protected metallic states on their boundaries or surfaces.
Now a discovery of LaPt3P by the University of Kent along with the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory promises to be of huge importance to the future operations of quantum computers.
By performing various muon experiments and extensive theoretical analysis, the properties of the LaPt3P were determined, thanks to the University of Warwick and ETH Zurich who conducted experiments in different types of muon facilities: the ISIS Pulsed Neutron and Muon Source in the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and in PSI, Switzerland.
“This discovery of the topological superconductor LaPt3P has tremendous potential in the field of quantum computing. Discovery of such a rare and desired component demonstrates the importance of muon research for the everyday world around us,” said Dr Sudeep Kumar Ghosh, Leverhulme Early Career Fellow at Kent’s School of Physical Sciences.
The news is based on the paper ‘Chiral singlet superconductivity in the weakly correlated metal LaPt3P’ that was published in Nature Communications. More can be read here.
