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New WSS research center for molecular quantum systems
The University of Basel and the University of Bern are setting up a new research center to enable the construction of superconducting quantum units. The Werner Siemens Foundation is supporting the project with a total of CHF 15 million over the next eleven years.
The WSS Research Center for Molecular Quantum Systems is working on a pioneering technology set to lay the foundations for reliable and powerful quantum computers. This involves what are known as topological quantum bits (qubits), computing elements in quantum computers that can store and process information according to the rules of quantum mechanics. These qubits are particularly robust against interference and could usher in a new era of data processing.
The use of materials with superconducting properties will take center stage. In superconductors, electricity is able to flow without resistance, meaning that no energy is lost. By combining superconducting materials with special molecular structures, the researchers want to develop durable and reliable qubits that will work faster and more efficiently than previous technologies.
One special feature of this new concept is “topological protection,” which means that the qubits are protected against external influences such as malfunctions or defects due to their special structure. This causes the desired quantum states to remain stable, even under difficult conditions, and enables more arithmetic operations to be performed before an error occurs.