The main challenge in developing stable quantum systems is the protection of quantum information from environmental disorders. This is also one of the largest obstacles in achieving and maintaining unique quantum states such as tangling.
Quantum tangling is observed when two or more particles are able to communicate and influence each other, regardless of the distance between them. Einstein cited this concept as a “ghostly distance action”.
However, although it is so powerful quantum property, the tangle is also very sensitive to environmental disorders. Any unwanted noise as a result of stray particles, light rays or other sources can disrupt the entanglement – but now there is a way to prevent.
A new study by researchers at the University of Whitvatersran (WITS), Johannesburg, sheds light on a method that promises to keep quantum information even in a fragile braid.
Using the power of topology
The WITS team proposes that the coding of quantum information, using topological structures, in particular quantum skyrmions, can enhance the resistance to environmental noise.
Skyrmion is a stable, rotating model that appears in fields such as magnetism and quantum physics. This is a stable topological structure, which means that its shape is preserved, even if you try to deform it slightly, making it healthy against noise and disturbance.
Imagine a small whirlpool in a pond. No matter how the water moves around it, Whirlpool remains intact unless you completely break it. Skirmion is behaved similarly in a magnetic or quantum field. This is a twist in the system that resists deleted by minor interference.
In quantum mechanics, Skyrmions may look stable, similar to wave structures that help protect quantum information. In their study, researchers theoretically demonstrate that engineering quantum states with specific topological properties (Skyrmions) allow them to protect quantum information, even when particles tangle begins to fail
“We show that quantum skyrmions and their non -local topological observations remain durable to the noise, even as typical witnesses of entanglement and measures for state decay,” the study authors noted.
“We complement our experiments with complete theoretical treatment that unlocks quantum mechanisms behind topological behavior, explaining why topology leads to stability,” they added.
Stability is essential for the operation of large quantum networks
This is not the first time scientists have found an approach to provide quantum information in fragile quantum states. For example, we announced earlier about a technique called a correction code switching, which uses special protocols to maintain the stability of quantum systems.
However, most previous methods are either difficult to apply or focus on the preservation of the quantum state intact. They do not provide a method of storing information, even when the chaos (ie noise) has spread throughout the system.
Here, topological characteristics like Skyrmions can make a big change. “What we have found is that topology is a powerful resource for coding information in the presence of noise,” says Andrew Forbes, one of the researchers and professor at the White Physics School.
The authors of the study believe that their approach can play an important role in the development of highly healthy global quantum networks and quantum computers capable of overcoming noise in any environment.
“This can be especially valuable when creating modern medical image technologies and powerful artificial intelligence systems using entanglement,” Forbes added.
The study has been published in the magazine Natural communicationsS