Different research teams are working together to make Sydney a leading research hub for quantum computing. This is being championed by Professor Andrew Dzurak, who is the Director of the Australian National Fabrication Facility (University of New South Wales) and a Chief Investigator in the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology.
Dzurak is working with other research groups to further develop Sydney as one of the world’s major quantum research ecosystems. Quantum computing involves the use of quantum-mechanical phenomena, like superposition and entanglement, to perform fast computations. The hub will look to develop hardware, quantum control, quantum measurement and quantum software, all geared towards the future technology.
As well as developing the hub, two major research groups are pioneering specific development with quantum computers. The teams are led by Professor Dzurak along with Professor David Reilly from the University of Sydney. Work between the two research teams has had a recent breakthrough with the demonstration that the state of a quantum bit (qubits) in silicon can be analyzed so that it avoids the need to position readout sensors alongside the qubits. Qubits are fundamental to quantum computing and are somewhat analogous to bits in a classical computer. Qubits can be in a 1 or 0 quantum state. But they can also be in a superposition of the 1 and 0 states.
In a statement, Professor Reilly notes that the research is being conducted in parallel with the commercialisation of the technology: “I have a position with Microsoft and Andrew leads a project with Silicon Quantum Computing company. By working together, we are showing strong academic collaboration alongside an emerging quantum economy”.
The experimental data shows how electron spins in silicon quantum dots provide a promising route towards realizing the large number of coupled qubits required for a useful quantum processor. This combines two previous research strands: a single-gate electrode technique designed to read-out information combined with the requirement for single-shot readout of qubits, which can be fabricated using existing silicon chip technology. The combination of the two elements ensures scalability
The findings are published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. The research paper is titled “Gate-based single-shot readout of spins in silicon.”
