Quantum computers promise exponential computational power by processing many possibilities simultaneously. But the machines we have today are still far from this ideal. For one, their bits, called qubits, are prone to frequent errors, and as a result, quantum computers are limited for now. To overcome errors, the machines need to tap into so-called magic states—and scientists at Google Research think their quantum chip could help get them there. In a new study published today in Science, the researchers show how to supply magic states more cheaply using a gardening-inspired technique called cultivation.
Traditional computers build every calculation from a few simple logic gates, such as AND, OR and NOT. By contrast, “quantum computers have their own analogy of these operations called the Clifford gates,” explains Emma Rosenfeld, a researcher at Google Quantum AI and the study’s lead author. Clifford gates, however, can be imitated by a normal computer. “But there is one particular gate that unlocks the quantum computer’s power,” Rosenfeld says. “Physicists call it a non-Clifford gate, most often a T gate.” This extra gate is produced using a magic state.
To read more, click here.