A group of researchers claims to have simulated the functioning of a quantum computer in a classical computer, a result that according to the same scientists at the University of Linköping, Sweden, who carried out the research, could be crucial to understanding how to build quantum computers in the future.
The study was conducted by Professor Jan-Åke Larsson and his student Niklas Johansson of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the Swedish University. It is Larsson himself who explains the results of the study: “We have shown that the main difference is that quantum computers have two degrees of freedom for each bit. By simulating an extra degree of freedom in a classical computer, we can run some of the algorithms at the same speed as they would have reached in a quantum computer. ”
The researchers built a new simulation software called Quantum Simulation Logic, QSL, with which they could simulate the way in which a quantum computer works in a classical computer.
According to Larsson, “each bit has two degrees of freedom: it can be compared to a mechanical system in which each part has two degrees of freedom – position and speed. In this case, we deal with the calculation bits – which contain information about the result of the function and the phase bits – which contain information about the structure of the function.”
According to the scientist, the results obtained with this research can make the construction of the same quantum computers easier in the future, because it is now known which property is more important for it to work.
See also:
https://liu.se/en/news-item/de-sprider-ljus-over-kvantdatorn
https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/21/8/800
Image source:
https://blog.daimler.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/IBM-Q-QC-Bild-3_neu-1-1200×675.jpg
