Swiss scientists have presented a concrete, physical version of the qubit, moving away from traditional systems based on ions, atoms and electromagnetic traps. 24 Channels with reference physics.org.

Their innovative design uses a resonant piezoelectric membrane that greatly increases the qubit’s coherence time, the amount of time it can maintain its superposition state. This development allows for more efficient quantum computation and measurements.

traditional challenges

Traditional qubit systems face problems that limit their reliability, such as high error rates and extremely short retention times of quantum states.

The ETH Zurich team solved these problems by combining a superconducting qubit with a piezoelectric resonator. This setup converts the quantum superposition state into resonant oscillations of a mechanical membrane, effectively creating the first fully mechanical qubit.

Notable achievements and experiments

In their experiments, the researchers showed that a mechanical qubit could respond to single photons. The coherence time exceeds that of conventional “bosonic” qubits and depends on the type of superconducting materials used in their construction.

Where can it be applied?

The development has promising prospects for many applications:

• quantum computing: The mechanical qubit will be integrated into quantum computing circuits to investigate its performance.
• precision sensors: It will also be tested as an ultra-sensitive sensor for various measurement tasks.