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The W. M. Keck Foundation granted a $1.4 million grant to a team led by the University of Minnesota Twin Cities to research a novel mechanism that blends quantum physics and biology. If the study is successful, it might result in a significant advance in the field of quantum computing.
The initiative is one of two applications the University of
Minnesota makes to the Keck Foundation each year, and it marks the
institution's first funding of this sort in 20 years.
The potential for quantum computers to solve very difficult
tasks at previously unheard-of speeds. They have uses in supply chain
optimization, cryptography, information security, and maybe even the
development of novel materials and medicines in the future.
The fact that the information held in quantum bits—the
fundamental units of quantum computation—is frequently transient poses one of
the largest hurdles for scientists. Although early-stage prototype quantum
computers do exist, it is currently unable to solve large practical issues
because of how rapidly they lose the information they hold.
Combining semiconductors with superconductors to create
stable states known as Majorana modes is one method researchers have looked at
to try and make quantum devices more stable, but this method has proven difficult
and so far fruitless because it calls for extremely high-purity semiconductors.
The project's principal investigator, Associate Professor Vlad Pribiag of the
University of Minnesota School of Physics and Astronomy, has developed a fresh
concept that could produce stable Majorana quantum structures.
With the use of magnetic nanoparticles, superconductors, and
recent developments in DNA nanoassembly, Pribiag has developed a method for
detecting Majoranas, hypothetical particles that may be essential for safeguarding
quantum information and building robust quantum devices.
This is a fundamentally different approach to thinking about quantum devices, according to Pribiag. "When I learned about this DNA nano assembly method, I immediately felt it would solve the Majoranas and quantum gadget puzzle I had been working on. It is a true paradigm change in the industry and offers great promise for finding a means to secure quantum data so that we may create more sophisticated quantum machines to do these intricate tasks.
Three years will be spent on the research, which is named
"Topological Quantum Architectures Through DNA Programmable Molecular
Lithography." Professor Oleg Gang of Columbia University, whose lab will
handle the DNA nano assembly portion of the study, and Pribiag are working on
this project.
About the W. M. Keck Foundation
The late W. M. Keck, who founded the Superior Oil Company,
created the W. M. Keck Foundation, which has its headquarters in Los Angeles.
The Foundation primarily funds groundbreaking initiatives in the fields of
science, engineering, and medicine. Additionally, the Foundation promotes
undergraduate education and runs the Southern California Grant Program, which
offers assistance to the Los Angeles neighborhood with a focus on children and
kids. Visit the Keck Foundation website for further details.
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