Scientists have built the smallest quantum computer in the world. It is the size of a desktop PC and can work at room temperature. The machine is powered by just one photon, or light particle, embedded in a ring-shaped optical fiber, the scientists wrote in a study published Sept. 3 in the journal Physical Review Applied. The machine is a proof of concept and can complete mathematical operations such as prime number factorization — such as 15 = 5 x 3. Many quantum computers and processors, including IBM’s 1,000-qubit Condor chip, are built using superconducting qubits. But to tap into the laws of quantum mechanics and calculate using quantum superposition — which allows the qubit to exist in multiple states simultaneously — they must be cooled to near absolute zero. This requires complex equipment that typically takes up at least the size of a room. Photons have long been proposed as an alternative to superconducting qubits, in a field known as “optical quantum computing.” In February, scientists suggested that building qubits from a single laser pulse could let them make a stable quantum computer at room temperature, for example. In the new study, the scientists built a machine that can process calculations at room temperature. And because it doesn’t need to be chilled, it is the size of a typical desktop PC. The quantum computer stores information in “32 time-bins or dimensions” within the wave packet of a single photon, study lead author Chuu, Chih-sung, professor of quantum optics at the Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, said in a translated statement. This is a world record for the number of computing dimensions that can be accessed by a single qubit, he added.

Full research : Scientists build the smallest quantum computer running in room temperature and it fits on your desktop.