cirr
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Happy Cinco de Mayo!
Now I am just curious how our Indian friends here are going to spin this news with their usual "copy & paste" rhetoric.
More detailed report in Chinese
世界首台光量子计算机在中国诞生
2017-05-03 10:30:59
关键字:光量子计算机诞生中国量子计算机
【观察者网TMT报道】五一假期刚过,科技界就迎来一个重磅消息:世界上第一台超越早期经典计算机的光量子计算机诞生!中国科学院5月3日在上海举行新闻发布会发布了这一消息。
这次一共发布了两个量子计算机的原型,一种基于超导,一种基于光学。其中,10比特超导量子线路样品,演示了求解线性方程组的量子算法,相关成果即将发表于国际权威期刊《物理评论快报》。
中科院研制的光量子计算机线路图 中国科学院阿里巴巴量子计算实验室供图
针对多光子“玻色取样”任务的光量子计算原型机,是历史上第一台超越早期经典计算机量子模拟机,比国际同行类似的实验加快至少24000倍,5月2日,该研究成果以长文的形式在线发表于《自然光子学》。
更令人振奋的是,这个“世界首台”是货真价实的“中国造”,属中国科学技术大学潘建伟教授及其同事陆朝阳、朱晓波等,联合浙江大学王浩华教授研究组攻关突破的成果。
什么是量子计算机?曾有人打过一个比方:如果现在传统计算机的速度是自行车,量子计算机的速度就好比飞机。使用亿亿次的“天河二号”超级计算机求解一个亿亿亿变量的方程组,所需时间为100年。而使用一台万亿次的量子计算机求解同一个方程组,仅需0.01秒。
中国科学院阿里巴巴量子计算实验室 资料图
多粒子纠缠的操纵作为量子计算的技术制高点,一直是国际角逐的焦点。在光子体系,潘建伟团队在国际上率先实现了五光子、六光子、八光子和十光子纠缠,一直保持着国际领先水平。在超导体系,2015年,谷歌、美国航天航空局和加州大学圣芭芭拉分校宣布实现了9个超导量子比特的高精度操纵。这个记录在2017年被中国科学家团队打破。
根据今天发布会上的消息,潘建伟、朱晓波、王浩华等自主研发了10比特超导量子线路样品,通过发展全局纠缠操作,成功实现了目前世界上最大数目的超导量子比特的纠缠和完整的测量。进一步,研究团队利用超导量子线路演示了求解线性方程组的量子算法,证明了通过量子计算的并行性加速求解线性方程组的可行性。相关成果即将发表于国际权威期刊《物理评论快报》。
在光量子计算方面,潘建伟、陆朝阳等利用自主发展的综合性能国际最优的量子点单光子源,并通过电控可编程的光量子线路,构建了针对多光子“玻色取样”任务的光量子计算原型机。实验测试表明,该原型机的取样速度不仅比国际同行类似的实验加快至少24000倍,同时,通过和经典算法比较,也比人类历史上第一台电子管计算机(ENIAC)和第一台晶体管计算机(TRADIC)运行速度快10-100倍。
中科院微博截图
以前,量子计算速度比经典计算机快还只是停留在理论中,而该台原型机将这一理论变成现实迈出了坚实的第一步,把量子计算机真正推向和经典计算机竞争的擂台。这是历史上第一台超越早期经典计算机量子模拟机,为最终实现超越经典计算能力的量子计算这一国际学术界称之为“量子称霸”的目标奠定了坚实的基础。
在超导体系,该研究团队自主研发了10比特超导量子线路样品,通过高精度脉冲控制和全局纠缠操作,成功实现了目前世界上最大数目的超导量子比特的多体纯纠缠,并通过层析测量方法完整地刻画了10比特量子态。这一成果打破了美国之前保持的9个量子比特操纵的记录,形成了一个完整的超导计算机的系统,使我国在超导体系量子计算机研究领域也进入世界一流水平行列。
根据计划,潘建伟研究团队将计划在今年年底实现大约 20 个光量子比特的操纵, 20 个超导量子比特样品的设计、制备和测试,量子计算机的速度将会成指数增长。
量子计算机是指利用量子相干叠加原理,理论上具有超快的并行计算和模拟能力的计算机。随着可操纵的粒子数的增加,量子计算机的计算能力呈指数增长,可以为经典计算机无法解决的大规模计算难题提供有效解决方案,具有巨大的发展潜力。一台操纵 50个微观粒子的量子计算机,对一些特定问题的处理能力甚至比超级计算机更强。如果现在经典计算机的速度是自行车,那量子计算机的速度就好比飞机。并行计算让量子计算机一秒钟就可完成超级计算机几年的计算任务,几天内就能解决传统计算机花费数百万年时间才能处理的问题。正是因为其广阔的发展前景,许多欧美发达国家以及大型高科技公司纷纷布局相关研究。
目前,发展这一技术的关键在于如何通过发展高精度、高效率的量子态制备与相互作用控制技术,实现规模化量子比特的相干操纵。国际上学术界对于量子计算技术的研究主要基于光子、超冷原子和超导线路三个体系上。我国科学家日前在光子和超导线路上取得的重大突破,对于量子计算机的研究与应用具有标志性意义。
http://www.guancha.cn/TMT/2017_05_03_406444.shtml
Three technical routes: single photons, ultra-cold atoms and superconducting circuits.
Two prototypes, based on single photons and superconducting circuits, respectively, are unveiled this time.
Chinese scientists make quantum leap in computing
Source: Xinhua | 2017-05-03 14:21:06
Chinese leading quantum physicist Pan Jianwei (2nd R), an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and his colleagues announce their achievements at a press conference in Shanghai, east China, May 3, 2017. Chinese scientists have built world's first quantum computing machine that goes beyond the early classical -- or conventional -- computers, paving the way to the ultimate realization of quantum computing beating classical computers. (Xinhua/Jin Liwang)
SHANGHAI, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese scientists have built the world's first quantum computing machine that goes far beyond the early classical -- or conventional -- computers, paving the way to the ultimate realization of quantum computing.
Scientists announced their achievement at a press conference in the Shanghai Institute for Advanced Studies of University of Science and Technology of China on Wednesday.
Scientists believe quantum computing could in some ways dwarf the processing power of today's supercomputers. One analogy to explain the concept of quantum computing is that it is like being able to read all the books in a library at the same time, whereas conventional computing is like having to read them one after another.
Pan Jianwei, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a leading quantum physicist, said quantum computing exploits the fundamental quantum superposition principle to enable ultra-fast parallel calculation and simulation capabilities.
In normal silicon computer chips, data is rendered in one of two states: 0 or 1. However, in quantum computers, data could exist in both states simultaneously, holding exponentially more information.
The computing power of a quantum computer grows exponentially with the number of quantum bits that can be manipulated. This could effectively solve large-scale computation problems that are beyond the ability of current classical computers, Pan said.
For example, a quantum computer with 50 quantum bits would be more powerful in solving quantum sampling problems than today's fastest supercomputer, Sunway TaihuLight, installed in the National Supercomputing Center of China.
Due to the enormous potential of quantum computing, Europe and the United States are actively collaborating in their research. High-tech companies, such as Google, Microsoft and IBM, also have massive interests in quantum computing research.
The research team led by Pan is exploring three technical routes: systems based on single photons, ultra-cold atoms and superconducting circuits.
Recently, Pan Jianwei and his colleagues -- Lu Chaoyang and Zhu Xiaobo, of the University of Science and Technology of China, and Wang Haohua, of Zhejiang University -- set two international records in quantum control of the maximal numbers of entangled photonic quantum bits and entangled superconducting quantum bits.
Pan explained that manipulation of multi-particle entanglement is the core of quantum computing technology and has been the focus of international competition in quantum computing research.
In the photonic system, his team has achieved the first 5, 6, 8 and 10 entangled photons in the world and is at the forefront of global developments.
Pan said quantum computers could, in principle, solve certain problems faster than classical computers. Despite substantial progress in the past two decades, building quantum machines that can actually outperform classical computers in some specific tasks -- an important milestone termed "quantum supremacy" -- remains challenging.
In the quest for quantum supremacy, Boson sampling, an intermediate (that is, non-universal) quantum computer model, has received considerable attention, as it requires fewer physical resources than building universal optical quantum computers, Pan said.
Last year, Pan and Lu Chaoyang developed the world's best single photon source based on semiconductor quantum dots. Now, they are using the high-performance single photon source and electronically programmable photonic circuit to build a multi-photon quantum computing prototype to run the Boson sampling task.
The test results show the sampling rate of this prototype is at least 24,000 times faster than international counterparts, according to Pan's team.
At the same time, the prototype quantum computing machine is 10 to 100 times faster than the first electronic computer, ENIAC, and the first transistor computer, TRADIC, in running the classical algorithm, Pan said.
It is the first quantum computing machine based on single photons that goes beyond the early classical computer, and ultimately paves the way to a quantum computer that can beat classical computers. This achievement was published online in the latest issue of Nature Photonics this week.
In the superconducting quantum circuit system, a research team from Google, NASA and the University of California at Santa Barbara announced a high-precision manipulation of 9 superconducting quantum bits in 2015.
Now the Chinese team led by Pan, Zhu Xiaobo and Wang Haohua have broken that record. They independently developed a superconducting quantum circuit containing 10 superconducting quantum bits and successfully entangled the 10 quantum bits through a global quantum operation.
Chinese scientists aim to realize manipulation of 20 entangled photons by the end of this year, and will try to design and manipulate 20 superconducting quantum bits. They also plan to launch a quantum cloud computing platform by the end of this year.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2017-05/03/c_136253686.htm