The smallest unit of information in a computer is the bit: on or off, 1 or 0. Today, the world’s entire computing power is built on the combination and interconnection of countless ones and zeros. Quantum computers have their own version of the bit: the qubit. It, too, has two basic states. The main difference: Quantum effects allow a superposition of the two states, so that the qubit is not either 1 or 0, but both at the same time. With different proportions of 0 and 1, the qubit can theoretically assume an infinite number of states. This ambiguity should give quantum computers true “superpowers.” At least in theory, quantum-based computers can perform calculations in fractions of a second that stump today’s best supercomputers. However, quantum computing is not yet fully developed. One of the biggest challenges is linking the qubits—since one single (qu)bit is not much of a computer. One way to realize the 0 and the 1 of the qubit is via the alignment of the so-called electron spin. The spin is a fundamental quantum mechanical property of electrons and other particles, a kind of torque that, put simply, can point “up” (1) or “down” (0). When two or more spins are quantum-mechanically linked, they influence each other’s states: Change the orientation of one, and it will also change for all the others. This is therefore a good way to make qubits “talk” to each other. However, like so much in quantum physics, this “language,” i.e. the interaction between the spins, is enormously complex.

Full report : Fundamental quantum model recreated from nanographenes.