Today, leading countries and powerful corporations such as IBM and Google are spending billions of dollars on the development of quantum computers. The developers and scientists are convinced that these machines will help solve problems that are beyond the power of classic computers. In particular, solving a problem in a few minutes that an ordinary computer would be “thinking” for thousands of years.
Scientists at the Kyiv Academic University are also looking for a “key” to developing new materials and technologies in electronics that can be used to build a quantum computer.
Don’t waste your life on boring things
The project supervisor, Oleksandr Kordyuk, said that after winning the NRFU’s call, a group of KAU executors started working on the most important thing: clarifying plans and completing the team with students. “We do not single out students in a separate category, we consider them as young scientists,” said Mr. Kordyuk. – It is good that the rules of the project allow to involve them in solving the tasks, in particular, the problem of high-temperature superconductivity. We are grateful to the National Research Foundation for this opportunity. ”
Quantum technologies and materials are one of the main directions of the university’s work. After the start of the project, a special website was created, where you can track progress in this topic, and a series of seminars “Multizone” was launched.
– Informal credo of our students: do not spend your life on boring things. And what could be more interesting than complex basic research? – the scientist added with a smile. – I see how participation in this and other projects motivates young people to seek answers to the most difficult and at the same time the most interesting scientific questions. These answers can be the basis for the development of new areas of science and technology in the near future. ”
Ambitious goals
What is the essence of the project?
“One of the most ambitious issues we are exploring in the project is the discovery of the mechanism of high-temperature superconductivity. Scientists have been looking for this mechanism for over thirty years! And even if we do not give a comprehensive answer to the questions during the project, we will definitely shorten the way to find this mechanism. ” – the scientist says.
Oleksandr Kordyuk is convinced that the study of the effects of multiband superconductors will be the basis of new technologies: “This is where we can make a significant contribution to the development of quantum technologies at the global level!” – he said.
Within the project, scientists plan to identify common mechanisms of influence of multiband on the electronic properties of quantum materials, especially superconductors, and give examples of their practical application.
The device worth a million hryvnias
Scientists perform complex research on new equipment, which was purchased with grant funding from the NRFU. By 2021, scientists have already “unpacked” a unique device worth a million hryvnias – a compact vector analyzer of microwave circuits. “The analyzer allows us to study the complex dielectric, conductive and magnetic characteristics of various materials, structures and devices,” said Oleksandr Kordyuk.
How is the research progressing? What has already been done?
According to the scientist, a lot has already been done. “We were lucky to find out and explain the interesting effect of a significant improvement (40 times!) In the characteristics of the superconducting Josephson contact by adding a fundamentally non-superconducting intermediate layer of copper,” said Mr. Korduyk. – We also received other important results, which we “hunted” for. More detailed explanations can be found on the project website and YouTube channel. We invite everyone who is interested in quantum technologies to visit these resources and monitor the prospects for the creation of new, more stable superconducting qubits (elements of quantum computers) as a result of our research! ”
The project supervisor is convinced that the results will be useful for the engineering of new devices and progress in the field of quantum computers.
Svitlana GALATA
