Breaking down hard topics
The Physical Side of Quantum
The Scale of Quantum Hardware
So recently, I’ve been looking into an aspect of quantum computing that I have previously not dabbled in: quantum hardware. Rather than looking at just the high level physical implications of quantum hardware and how it works, this article takes an extremely in-depth view on how quantum computers function using superconducting units, complex circuitry, and new quantum systems.
It’s Beautiful, isn’t it?
Well, maybe it isn’t to you, but it is to me.
𝘘𝘶𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘮 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘲𝘶𝘣𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘲𝘶𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘶𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴.
Because of this, its important that we don’t lose site of the production of these systems, as well as how they can be used for manufacturing later on
So let’s talk about quantum hardware. Today, we’ll be building a quantum computer.
Well, not actually, unless you have some really strong connections to D Wave or something. Or you could just have $10,000,000 laying around 💸, and really want to have a 10ft tall box sitting in your room.
Either way, to build one yourself, it isn’t going to be easy. First, we need to begin by breaking down quantum hardware.
Beginning with the Basics
Though quantum computers are many times more powerful than conventional computational systems, they’re not very good at making friends because of how complex their mechanisms are. However, quantum computers can actually utilize classical computers to interface with typical information like users on a platform, network dashboard, and associated data. In addition, quantum computers use units called qubits, which need to be manipulated in extremely precise ways in order to be functional. Due to this, it is absolutely necessary that we develop systems that are great at manipulating quantum bits and devices that are even better at administrating this process. Fortunately, we can use classical computers for that too!
🆃🅷🅴 🅷🅰🆁🅳🆆🅰🆁🅴 🅿🅻🅰🅽🅴🆂
Hardware is really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really…
- important ‼️
- useful ⌂
- necessary 👌🏾
to developing scalable quantum systems. Developers are always raving about the things this new shiny piece of tech can do, so the hardware part remains largely untapped.
While yes, we do have different methods of quantum computing,
we don’t put enough 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐬 on the amazing things that the hardware itself can do.
But to learn about hardware implications, we need to learn the basics first 🖥
- This entirely lies within a model of an analog/gate-based quantum computer known as hardware planes
- These are apart of the 4 abstract layer model
ⓠⓤⓐⓝⓣⓤⓜ ⓓⓐⓣⓐ ⓟⓛⓐⓝⓔ · ⓒⓞⓝⓣⓡⓞⓛ ⓐⓝⓓ ⓜⓔⓐⓢⓤⓡⓔⓜⓔⓝⓣ ⓟⓛⓐⓝⓔ · ⓒⓞⓝⓣⓡⓞⓛ ⓟⓡⓞⓒⓔⓢⓢⓞⓡ ⓟⓛⓐⓝⓔ · ⓗⓞⓢⓣ ⓟⓡⓞⓒⓔⓢⓢⓞⓡ
🔵 — Quantum data plane: Holds the qubits (this is heir home station)
🟣 — Control and measurement layer: Completes tasks on the qubit models with the necessary constraints
🔴 — Control Processor Plane: Determines the algorithmic sequence for the control and measurement layer task; can also be extrapolated for future quantum calculations
⚪️ — Quantum module Interconnect: These allow for the use of superconducting qubits, as well as quantum ciruits. In doing so, we can connect multiple quantum modules
🟡 — Host Processor: This is just the classical computer that is able run the facilitator OS that hosts the necessary basic functions
Quantum Data Plane
The quantum data plane is an integral piece of a quantum computer. It contains physical qubits, which look like this:
and function operationally in a state of superposition, where they essentially spaz between two classical binary values 0 and 1, basically existing in a state of both at once.
Anyway, quantum data planes contain:
- Physical Quantum Bits
- Hold the qubits in place, commonly using a trapped ion methodology, in which qubits are held inside charged particles (ions) in their stable electronic states
- Quick side note, q-info is transferred through qubits via something called the Coulomb force, which allows for their interaction
- The electromagnetic fields suspend the ions, thus holding the qubits in place
3. Support Developments = Circuitry for measuring qubit states, completing gate operations which occur on the physical qubits
- In simulating physical occurrences, we can use analogue computers — instead calculating the Hamiltonian (a sum of all kinetic energy of a system’s particles + sum of all associated particle potential energy)
Control of the quantum data plane requires technology different from that of the qubits, and is done externally by a separate control and measurement layer (described next). Control information for the qubits, which is analog in nature, must be sent to the correct qubit (or qubits).
The transmission process is extremely tedious, and is designed to only affect a specific qubit that is intended to be observed, without any vibration or interference affecting other qubits in the system. As such, the quantum data layer is heavily informed by the size of the qubit system, as the difficulty increases with more qubits to account for.
The Control and Measurement Plane
This plane helps to determine the necessary executables for the physical qubits for the quantum data plane. It
- Holds control processor digital signal
- Holds quantum operations indicators
- Tells to analog control signal for qubit instructions
- Converts qubit output (in analog) to usable binary for control processor
One really important structural material called 𝕤𝕚𝕝𝕚𝕔𝕠𝕟 which is really important in new computing systems.
← Silicon looks something like this
- it is a crystalline material
- it is a metalloid- a chemical hybrid that essentially looks like a metal but generally behaves like a nonmetal
- semiconducting qubit models can be made using silicon
- it is an awesome semiconductor!
- can this be used with our logic??
”🄶🄻🄸🅃🄲🄷🄴🅂” 🄰🄽🄳 🄿🅁🄾🄱🄻🄴🄼🅂
There are margins of errors that we can approach in the quantum control and measurement plane. Isolation flaws can cause slight edits in qubit state definitions, which creates an error margin.
The nature of a QC’s control signals depends on the underlying qubit technology. For example, systems using trapped ion qubits usually rely upon microwave or optical signals (forms of electromagnetic radiation) transmitted through free space or waveguides and delivered to the location of the qubits.
It is entirely true that quantum computer signal controls are highly dependent on their qubit manufacturing types.
Superconducting qubit systems are controlled using microwave and low-frequency electrical signals, both of which are communicated through wires that run into a cooling apparatus (including a “dilution refrigerator” and a “cryostat”) to reach the qubits inside the controlled environment.
This is due to the principle of quantum decoherence, which is caused by the loss of a coherent superposition state. This is largely considered an optimization problem of quantum software:
We are trying to breakdown how it is possible to engineer new systems that allow the quantum computer to run in a quantum state for much longer; creating scalable and more efficient computational systems.
Finding: The speed of a quantum computer can never be faster than the time required to create the precise control signals needed to perform quantum operations.
Control Processor Plane and Host Processor 👾
We just need to bullet this one, too.
- The CPP (control processor plane) essentially sequences, or writes the order of instruction for the qubits
- The necessary sequence help to execute the program which the host processor passes, and that process is matched to the overall quantum layer capacity
- The CPP has been constantly looked at when trying to solve for the QEC (quantum error correction) algorithm
- The control processor is typically a product of an interconnected “processing elements”, which allow for the computer scaling of heavier tasks
The control processor plane operates at a low level of abstraction: it converts compiled code to commands for the control and measurement layer. As a result, a user will not interact with (or need to understand) the control processor plane directly. Rather, the user will interact with a host computer. This plane will attach to that computer and act to accelerate the execution of some applications. This type of architecture is widely used in today’s computers, with “accelerators” for everything from graphics to machine learning to networking.
This can be observed with quantum computer’s like d-Wave, in which the quantum computer is interfaced quasi-remotely by using a conventional computer
, allowing for comprehensive use through an accessible medium.
ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜɪɴɢ ᴏɴ…
Quantum computers are 🥶 cold, but they can actually be really hot 🥵, which is a new form of quantum computing with high potential.
We can use this diagram as a continuous reference.
∞ We begin with a qubit signal amplifier, where the stages are accelerated using cooling
∞ Superconducting Coaxial Lines help to minimize energy loss, and carry current extremely efficiency
∞ Quantum Amplifier Devices help magnify the comprehension of these signals coherent through magnetic fields
∞ Input Microwave Lines, Cryogenic Isolators, Mixing Chambers, and Cryoperm shield serve in the multistep process of “cooking fridges”
Overall, quantum hardware has the capacity to do so much in our lives! However, we need to optimize our quantum systems in order to craft the future of continuous quantum supremacy and quantum intelligence.
My name is Okezue Bell, and I’m a 14 y/o innovator/entrepreneur in the quantum computing and AI spaces. I’m also currently making developments in foodtech and cellular agriculture, as well as biocomputing! Contact me more:
✉️ Email: okezuebell@gmail.com
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/okezue-a-...
📑 Medium: https://medium.com/@okezuebell
🌍 Portfolio: https://tks.life/profile/okezue.bell
📱 GitHub: https://github.com/BellAI-Code
💻 Personal Website: https://okezuebell.com
