Quantum computers and other advanced quantum technologies rely on specialized quantum materials that behave in unusual ways under the right conditions. In some cases, scientists can even create entirely new quantum properties by carefully changing a material's structure. One striking example involves stacking sheets of graphene and twisting them into a moiré pattern, which can suddenly turn the material into a superconductor.
Researchers can arrange these layers into even more complicated structures, including quasicrystals and super-moiré materials. But predicting how these exotic materials will behave is extraordinarily difficult. Quasicrystals are so mathematically complex that simulating them can involve more than a quadrillion numbers, a scale far beyond the reach of today's most powerful supercomputers.
Scientists at Aalto University's Department of Applied Physics have now developed a quantum-inspired algorithm capable of handling these enormous non-periodic quantum materials almost instantly. Assistant Professor Jose Lado says the work also highlights a promising feedback cycle within quantum technology itself.
"Crucially, these new quantum algorithms can enable the development of new quantum materials to build new paradigms of quantum computers, creating a productive two-way feedback loop between quantum materials and quantum computers," he explains.
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