Majorana Particles: The Key to a New Era of 'Topological' Quantum Computing?
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Science and Technology - Awareness in the fields of IT, Computers, nano-technology; Particle Physics (Bosons, Fermions, Antiparticles); Quantum Technology.
Mains:
General Studies Paper 3 (S&T): Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday life; Awareness in the fields of IT, Computers, nano-technology; Achievements of Indians in science & technology. Quantum computing is a frontier technology.
Key Highlights from the News
Scientists believe that more stable and efficient quantum computers can be built using Majorana particles, theoretical particles that are their own antiparticle.
This new technology may help overcome decoherence (the state where quantum information is lost due to interaction with the surroundings), which is the biggest challenge in quantum computing.
This is called Topological Quantum Computing, and it has two main features:
Non-local Encoding: A qubit's information is split and stored across two physically distant particles. Therefore, minor flaws in one particle do not destroy the entire information.
Braiding: Computation is performed by "braiding" the particles together. This process is naturally protected from small physical errors.
While regular quantum computers attempt to create a stable "logical qubit" using thousands of regular qubits, topological quantum computers may achieve this with very few qubits.
This technology is still in the early stages of research, but it has the potential to revolutionize quantum computing.
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