The way we can tweak interactions between qubits in quantum computers means the machines could help us create novel structures with weird properties we have never seen in nature
Technology
9 June 2022
Solids such as crystals of zinc sulphate have regular repeating structures, but quantum computers could create structures with totally different geometries Xvision/Getty Images
Quantum computers could create a new form of matter with strange structures and qualities not seen in nature, which could one day help unlock exotic properties similar to superconductivity.
Most solid materials are made up of atoms or molecules that are influenced by short-range forces from their near neighbours, a principle known as locality. This gives rise to the common lattice structures seen in compounds like ice or salt. But …