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We can use the electric and magnetic opinion “this is never going to work”, Then we will really be addressing the
fields around the phosphorus to affect that so our patent for how to keep an atom in question: can you control the world at the
electron’s spin, so we can control it in three place was very exciting. atomic scale? And, if so, will that give you the
dimensions. We can even bring in a second predicted spin-up in computing power – the
phosphorus atom and look at the overlap What are the challenges in scaling up to notion of quantum supremacy? No one has
and the entanglement. chips with multiple qubits? shown unequivocally that it is possible yet.
One challenge in the qubit world is cross-talk,
How on earth do you not lose an individual which happens if you try to engineer one Will I get a quantum laptop?
phosphorus atom? qubit and inadvertently affect the one next I’m not sure that you will. To understand
It’s a technical achievement. To keep track to it, because it is so close. But we have and control the quantum world, you need
of it after taking it out of the microscope, recently demonstrated atomic engineering very low temperatures, and exquisite control
we make all kinds of markers on the transistor’s that beautifully isolates each one. of the electric and magnetic fields – every
surface. We also needed to encapsulate that parameter. It is likely to be a cloud-based
phosphorus atom in silicon to protect it, So when will quantum computers become quantum server that people would access
without having it move around during that a useful reality? through conventional computers.
process. The industry was very much of the We want to demonstrate a 10-qubit system I must admit that when we began, we had
by 2022. Then we are looking for between this idea to build a universal system that
“ A quantum computer will 10 and 100 qubits, which we want to do in anyone could program, but I’ve realised that’s
allow us to address problems the five years after that. I think that’s where a very utopic view, that’s a long way off. Q
the first commercial applications will come,
we aren’t even aware of yet” if not before. Phil Dooley is a science writer in Canberra, Australia
27 October 2018 | NewScientist | 43
