Qudits Fully Entangled

We know that quantum computing isn’t based on the 1s and 0s of binary encoding. While quantum computers grew out of the binary system, physical systems that encode their quantum bits (qubits) have the potential also to encode quantum digits (qudits). A team at the Department of Experimental Physics, University of Innsbruck, recently demonstrated this. According to physicist Pavel Hrmo at ETH Zurich: “The challenge for qudit-based quantum computers has been to efficiently create entanglement between the high-dimensional information carriers.”

The team’s work, published in Nature Communications, shows how two qudits can be fully entangled with unprecedented performance, paving the way for more efficient and powerful quantum computers.

Quantum entanglement is one of the unique quantum features that underpin the potential for quantum to greatly outperform classical computers in certain tasks. Exploiting this potential requires the generation of robust and accurate higher-dimensional entanglement.

The researchers at the University of Innsbruck were now able to fully entangle two qudits, each encoded in up to 5 states of individual Calcium ions, providing physicists with a new tool to move beyond binary information processing, which could lead to faster and more robust quantum computers.

Quantum systems have many available states waiting to be used for quantum computing rather than limiting them to work with qubits. Chemistry, physics, or optimization can benefit from this more natural language of quantum computing.