Quantum computer research is advancing at a rapid pace. Today’s devices, however, still have significant limitations: For example, the length of a quantum computation is severely limited—that is, the number of possible interactions between quantum bits before a serious error occurs in the highly sensitive system. For this reason, it is important to keep computing operations as efficient and lean as possible.

Drawing on the example of a quantum simulation, physicists Guido Burkard and Joris Kattemölle from the University of Konstanz illustrate how harnessing symmetry dramatically lowers the computational effort needed: They use recurring patterns in the quantum systems to reduce the required computational effort by a factor of a thousand or more. The method has now been published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Many physicists are searching for a triplet superconductor. Indeed, we could all do with one, although we may not know it yet—or understand why. Triplet superconductors could be the key to achieving the most energy-efficient technology in the future.

“A triplet superconductor is high on the wish list of many physicists working in the field of solid state physics,” said Professor Jacob Linder. He works at NTNU’s Department of Physics, more specifically at QuSpin—a research center where physicists grapple with some of the gnarliest questions you can imagine. “Materials that are triplet superconductors are a kind of ‘holy grail’ in quantum technology, and more specifically quantum computing,” explained Linder.

He and his colleagues are now on the trail of this triplet superconductor—much to the excitement of physicists worldwide. “We think we may have observed a triplet superconductor,” said Professor Linder.