WASHINGTON (November 15, 2023) - Major tech companies like IBM and Google as well as the U.S. government are in a race to build a quantum computer, which can analyze information in ways traditional computers cannot. Researchers now believe they may have found the answer to building a quantum computer and that solution may be right underneath our feet.
In a new study published today in Nature’s Scientific Reports, the researchers find that not only can everyday plants efficiently process energy from the Sun through photosynthesis but plants can also use it to fabricate the all-important quantum ‘glue,’ which provides the force that binds together the components of a quantum computer. Quantum glue, referred to by physicists as entanglement, is the vital ingredient for building quantum computers and new technologies. The study authors say the discovery could one day impact how fast your laptop runs, how well your phone works, how we communicate with each other, how we can solve otherwise unsolvable mathematical problems and how we discover new materials and medical cures.
“We were completely surprised to see that the strength of this quantum glue increases as the number of component pieces increases — and can arise even in everyday plants. This could open the door to a ‘green' quantum revolution with new types of quantum computers and even quantum AI systems,” Neil Johnson, study co-author and a professor of physics at the George Washington University, says.
The paper, “Energy transfer in N-component nanosystems enhanced by pulse-driven vibronic many-body entanglement,” was published in Nature’s Scientific Reports. The research was funded by EU and U.S. Air Force Office for Scientific Research. If you would like to speak with Prof. Johnson, please contact GW Senior Media Relations Specialist Cate Douglass at [email protected].
-GW-
