A huge quantum computer breakthrough?

[John Clark]

Microsoft, in today's issue of the journal Nature, claims they have produced 8 Majorana Non-Abelian pseudoparticles called "Anyons" and used them to store a few Qbits of quantum information:  

Interferometric single-shot parity measurement in InAs–Al hybrid devices

Nobody has ever produced an Anyon before, they were just theoretical and some thought they didn't exist. If this is legitimate then it is a HUGE breakthrough because Anyons can be used in a topological quantum computer and their quantum state would be FAR less vulnerable to quantum decoherence than a regular quantum computer. The trouble is Microsoft made this claim once before, but 4 years ago to their great embarrassment they had to withdraw their claim, I like to think they wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Microsoft's Chetan Nayak says "You can explain the data with a non-topologic explanation, but in order to do that, you have to really tune some of those parameters." He says the probability of an incorrect interpretation would be about 1%.  

Steven Simon, a quantum computing expert at the University of Oxford who was not involved in the Microsoft project says "Would I bet my life that they’re seeing what they think they’re seeing? No, but it looks pretty good”. Jason Alicea at the California Institute of Technology says the quantum dot method the team created is meaningful even if what has been measured are “Majorana impostors”. “The pursuit of a topological qubit is a very, very worthwhile endeavour. But in the topological qubit land, we’re still most certainly at the zero-qubit level. No one has ever made one, but at least what Microsoft has demonstrated is a crucial ingredient that you would need to work your way up”.

John K Clark    See what's on my new list at  Extropolis

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