2022 ANNUAL REPORT

As we move from the tangible realm to the miniscule nanometric dimensions, we find that the laws of physics change and make way to the world of quantum physics. It is a very different and counterintuitive world. Modern computers, for example, are made of transistors or bits that can be in one of two conditions, 1 or 0, much like a switch; quantum components, on the other hand, have qubits, and these present us with a myriad of possibilities. “An electron can be both a particle and a wave, and pretty much anything in between. Like waves at sea, electrons interfere with each other to create different forms of waves. Learning how to use these multipossibilities can dramatically enhance our computing power; calculations that today take an unreasonable amount of time will take mere seconds for quantum computers to perform,” says Prof. Frydman. One of the platforms that scientists use today to research quantum electric traits are superconductors. These materials can transmit electric current without losing energy or producing heat. Superconductors are also at the heart of Prof. Frydman’s research: “If our electric wires were superconductors, there would be no energy crisis and our electric bills would be negligible. Unfortunately, this trait only occurs at such low temperatures, close to absolute zero (-273 Celsius), that the cooling process itself is extremely energy-consuming. Nanometric components made of superconductors, compared to which our current electric wires look gigantic, are an important branch of our field; they are the foundation of quantum technology. Each superconductor nanoparticle can be a qubit, the quantum computer component that contains and provides information.” Size, Temperature and Sensitivity Prof. Frydman’s lab is a heavy user of the BINA Center for Scientific Instrumentation, where his students fabricate the superconductors’ samples. “Although this process can take up to six months per sample, nanotechnology equipment is continually advancing, bringing us closer to meeting the size challenge; it’s the low temperature that still poses a barrier,” says Prof. Frydman. At room temperature (25 Celsius or 300 Kelvin), thermic energy causes the particles in the sample to vibrate; this disruption overshadows the quantum traits, making it hard for scientists to research and further harness them for technological use. But the field is constantly advancing. While in past-generation labs like Prof. Frydman’s, pouring liquid helium—a highly expansive chemical—is the go-to cooling process, recent industrial developments provide new labs with cooling systems that contain helium in a close circuit. This sophisticated refrigerator-like system reduces experiment costs, enabling academia to scale its research volume and hopefully expedite results. The third challenge that concerns quantum researchers is this components’ sensitivity. Any disruption such as disorder, collision of electrons, cellular radiation from a ringing smartphone that penetrates the component, and so on, will suppress the quantum nature of the elements. If we want to research and eventually use these components, the electron must maintain its quantum traits over time. Fundamental Science — the Foundation of Future Quantum Technology 26

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