Olivier Pfister, a professor at the University of Virginia, has shown it is possible to create huge numbers of entangled qubits, more specifically a multilevel variant termed as Qmodes. Qubits are single quantum memory units that form the building blocks for a quantum computer. He recorded the results of his findings in the Physical Review Letters journal.
Qubits are just like the normal memory "bits" in existing digital computers, but are relatively more fragile. It is tough to extract these microscopic components of matter from their surroundings. Hence it is important to make them form accurate, physical connections that are non-local, termed as entangled states.
Pfister and his team used complex lasers to develop 15 groups consisting of four entangled Qmodes to create a total of 60 measurable Qmodes. They believe that they have generated around 150 groups, or 600 Qmodes. However, they could measure only 60 Qmodes with the methods used by them. Each Qmode is a distinctly specified color of the electromagnetic field. In order to develop a quantum computer, nearly hundreds to thousands of Qmodes are required.
Pfister said that they aspire to develop a large entangled quantum processor, which is the basis for any quantum computer. Pfister's group utilized a laser known as optical parametric oscillator, which released entangled quantum electromagnetic fields over a rainbow of colors known as the optical frequency comb.
Quantum computing can be explained with qubit processing. It involves computing with individual elementary systems, such as monochromatic light waves or atoms, as memory units. Pfister said that randomness plays a crucial role in quantum evolution. Randomness is useful to make predictions and to control quantum systems, but it restricts the way information can be read and encoded from qubits.
Source: http://www.virginia.edu/