Sudbury's SNOLAB delves into quantum computing research
Researchers are studying what effect cosmic radiation has on quantum computers
The underground Sudbury Neutrino Observatory Laboratory is most well-known for its Nobel Prize-winning research on subatomic particles called neutrinos.
But the lab, commonly called SNOLAB, located two kilometres underground at mining company Vale's Creighton Mine, is also home to several other experiments that benefit from its unique location.
One of those experiments is at a facility called the cryogenic underground test facility, or CUTE, which is testing what effect cosmic radiation has on quantum computing.
Because SNOLAB is under two kilometres of northern Ontario rock it has natural protection from cosmic radiation that constantly bombards everything on the Earth's surface.
Vijay Iyer, a post-doctoral researcher from the University of Toronto stationed at SNOLAB, explains that quantum computing is so complex that cutting out something like cosmic radiation could have an impact.
What is quantum computing, anyway?
A classical computer works with transistors that switch between zeros and ones, much like a light switch might complete or cut off a current.
"A quantum computer makes use of qubits [quantum bits] instead of regular bits which are zeros and ones," Iyer said.
He used the analogy of a coin flip to explain the difference. When that coin is in the air it is both heads and tails, until it lands.
Thanks to a principle called superposition, a qubit is like that mid-air coin. It can represent a zero, a one, or a combination of both simultaneously.
Quantum computers also rely on a phenomenon called entanglement, which links qubits together in such a way that their fates are intertwined, regardless of the distance separating them.
A change to one affects another.
Because of those two phenomena, a problem that could take a classical computer years or even decades to solve in a linear fashion can be solved by a quantum computer in a matter of hours.
Iyer explained that qubits are "extremely fragile" since a transistor with qubits would be controlled one atom at a time.
"So being able to control something at that level is very difficult, which means any small amount of noise that exists in the environment, it can break down the entire system," Iyer said.
Iyer is part of a team examining the link between cosmic rays and quantum bits. The ability to shield a quantum computer from cosmic rays should shed more light on that link.
International collaboration
The University of Waterloo and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden are the primary institutions behind the research.
And they've been awarded a grant from the U.S. Army Research Office to explore that link.
Jeter Hall is SNOLAB's outgoing director of research.
He said that while U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has cut research grants in several areas, including at the National Institute of Health, SNOLAB's research on quantum computing should be safe from any cuts.
"The American government has stated this is a priority," he said.
"So we believe right now that that work will continue and we'll be able to bring those benefits both to Canada and the U.S. in a collaborative manner."
But Hall said SNOLAB is looking to more international collaborations to fund its research projects, especially if funding from the U.S. could dry up.
A project to explore neutrino properties, which Hall said has the potential to win a second Nobel Prize for research done at SNOLAB, could cost up to $400 million.
With files from Jonathan Pinto