It’s a phenomenon that the late, great theoretical physicist Albert Einstein called “spooky action at a distance.” It spurred decades of research that cuts to the core of our understanding of “reality” and, more specifically, of the interaction and behavior of entangled particles. It’s called quantum entanglement, and last year it was the subject of a Nobel Prize for physicists Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger. Each was honored for their work in furthering our knowledge about the shared behavior of grouped particles, even those separated by vast distances.
Entanglement has bewildered scientists for the better part of a century. One puzzle piece was the work of physicist John Stewart Bell who, through trials now known as “Bell tests,” posited that the activity of entangled particles corresponds to our basic understanding of quantum physics. Still, his findings weren’t complete, and this coupling continued to perplex scientists. That includes the recent Nobel Prize recipients who closed various loopholes with their work over 30-plus years, particularly around the existence of what Einstein called “hidden variables,” or peculiar characteristics of grouped particles as they are measured.
IonQ has performed tests that coincided with much of the cited research which, collectively, is moving the needle in quantum science. For instance, understanding the basic principles of Bell’s findings – made apparent by Aspect, Clauser, Zeilinger and others – we used photonic interconnects to demonstrate the likeness of atoms separated by a large distance. This technology now comprises a sizable part of our architecture at IonQ.
All told, it’s no exaggeration to say that we’ve helped break ground here. Our experiments branched out to the behavior of atoms at long distances, rather than only photons, since the latter are by nature faster and more easily entangled from a central source. Atom entanglement, on the other hand, requires precise engineering and clearer control of the system, but also may be more useful in the long run because unlike photons, atoms can behave as perfect fixed memories. We advanced Bell's work using atoms and demonstrated that the principles did in fact extend to particles with mass.
So, while we were early pioneers in this quantum race, we continue to exploit this great control over atoms and leverage trapped ions for computing. Specifically, we’ve engineered a more useful platform for a quantum computer using atomic memories. Our demonstrations were vital in measuring the validity of entanglement between atoms based on their proximal forces and over larger distances.
We know that when Einstein helped develop quantum mechanics, he believed that it was not the final word. In fact, he thought it was much too odd to be concrete. While the “weird” arguably persists in the quantum realm, we’re thrilled to see the foundational work of these physicists so publicly honored. In fact, one honoree, Zeilinger, collaborated on work that extended to the launch of the first quantum communications satellite.
While science races to uncover other practical applications for these principles, here at IonQ, we’re adamant that quantum computers will singlehandedly shape the course of the 21st century – providing speed and functionality previously unseen on classical systems. What’s more, we’re proud of the foundational work we’ve accomplished that has helped the scientific community more easily understand this puzzling yet critical phenomenon.