MSGID: 1:317/3 64927d28   
   PID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
   TID: hpt/lnx 1.9.0-cur 2019-01-08   
    Open-source software to speed up quantum research    
      
     Date:   
         June 20, 2023   
     Source:   
         Chalmers University of Technology   
     Summary:   
         Quantum technology is expected to fundamentally change many key   
         areas of society. Researchers are convinced that there are many   
         more useful quantum properties and applications to explore than   
         those we know today.   
      
         A team of researchers has now developed open-source, freely   
         available software that will pave the way for new discoveries in   
         the field and accelerate quantum research significantly.   
      
      
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   FULL STORY   
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   Quantum technology is expected to fundamentally change many key areas   
   of society. Researchers are convinced that there are many more useful   
   quantum properties and applications to explore than those we know today. A   
   team of researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have   
   now developed open-source, freely available software that will pave the   
   way for new discoveries in the field and accelerate quantum research   
   significantly.   
      
   Within a few decades, quantum technology is expected to become a   
   key technology in areas such as health, communication, defence and   
   energy. The power and potential of the technology lie in the odd and   
   very special properties of quantum particles. Of particular interest to   
   researchers in the field are the superconducting properties of quantum   
   particles that give components perfect conductivity with unique magnetic   
   properties. These superconducting properties are considered conventional   
   today and have already paved the way for entirely new technologies used   
   in applications such as magnetic resonance imaging equipment, maglev   
   trains and quantum computer components. However, years of research and   
   development remain before a quantum computer can be expected to solve   
   real computing problems in practice, for example. The research community   
   is convinced that there are many more revolutionary discoveries to be   
   made in quantum technology than those we know today.   
      
   Open-source code to explore new superconducting properties Basic   
   research in quantum materials is the foundation of all quantum technology   
   innovation, from the birth of the transistor in 1947, through the laser   
   in the 1960s to the quantum computers of today. However, experiments   
   on quantum materials are often very resource-intensive to develop and   
   conduct, take many years to prepare and mostly produce results that are   
   difficult to interpret.   
      
   Now, however, a team of researchers at Chalmers have developed the   
   open-source software SuperConga, which is free for everyone to use,   
   and specifically designed to perform advanced simulations and analyses   
   of quantum components.   
      
   The programme operates at the mesoscopic level, which means that it   
   can carry out simulations that are capable of 'picking up' the strange   
   properties of quantum particles, and also apply them in practice. The   
   open-source code is the first of its kind in the world and is expected   
   to be able to explore completely new superconducting properties and   
   eventually pave the way for quantum computers that can use advanced   
   computing to tackle societal challenges in several areas.   
      
   "We are specifically interested in unconventional superconductors,   
   which are an enigma in terms of how they even work and what their   
   properties are. We know that they have some desirable properties   
   that allow quantum information to be protected from interference and   
   fluctuations. Interference is what currently limits us from having   
   a quantum computer that can be used in practice. And this is where   
   basic research into quantum materials is crucial if we are to make any   
   progress," says Mikael Fogelstro"m, Professor of Theoretical Physics   
   at Chalmers.   
      
   These new superconductors continue to be highly enigmatic materials --   
   just as their conventional siblings once were when they were discovered   
   in a laboratory more than a hundred years ago. After that discovery,   
   it would be more than 40 years before researchers could describe them   
   in theory. The Chalmers researchers now hope that their open-source code   
   can contribute to completely new findings and areas of application.   
      
   "We want to find out about all the other exciting properties of   
   unconventional superconductors. Our software is powerful, educational   
   and user-friendly, and we hope that it will help generate new   
   understanding and suggest entirely new applications for these unexplored   
   superconductors," says Patric Holmvall, postdoctoral researcher in   
   condensed matter physics at Uppsala University.   
      
   Desire to make life easier for quantum researchers and students To be able   
   to explore revolutionary new discoveries, tools are needed that can study   
   and utilise the extraordinary quantum properties at the minimal particle   
   level, and can also be scaled up large enough to be used in practice.   
      
   Researchers need to work at mesoscopic scale. This lies at the interface   
   between the microscopic scale, i.e. the atomic level at which the quantum   
   properties of the particles can still be utilised, and the macroscopic   
   scale which measures everyday objects in our world which, unlike quantum   
   particles, are subject to the laws of classical physics. On account of   
   the software's ability to work at this mesoscopic level, the Chalmers   
   researchers now hope to make life easier for researchers and students   
   working with quantum physics.   
      
   "Extremely simplified models based on either the microscopic or   
   macroscopic scale are often used at present. This means that they do   
   not manage to identify all the important physics or that they cannot be   
   used in practice. With this free software, we want to make it easier for   
   others to accelerate and improve their quantum research without having   
   to reinvent the wheel every time," says Tomas Lo"fwander, Professor of   
   Applied Quantum Physics at Chalmers.   
      
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   Story Source: Materials provided by   
   Chalmers_University_of_Technology. Note: Content may be edited for style   
   and length.   
      
      
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   Journal Reference:   
      1. P. Holmvall, N. Wall Wennerdal, M. Haakansson, P. Stadler,   
      O. Shevtsov,   
         T. Lo"fwander, M. Fogelstro"m. SuperConga: An open-source framework   
         for mesoscopic superconductivity. Applied Physics Reviews, 2023;   
         10 (1): 011317 DOI: 10.1063/5.0100324   
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   Link to news story:   
   https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230620113751.htm   
      
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