SPECIAL
026 How It Works http://www.howitworksdaily.com
Here’s how the IBM Q
System One works while
keeping its qubits colder
thanouterspace
Inside a
quantum
computer
© IBM^6 Quantum
calculation
Themicrowave
pulsesmanipulate
thequbits,addingor
subtractingthem
fromoneanotherto
generateananswer.5 Qubitprocessor
Thequbitchips– alsoknown
as‘transmons’– arestoredjust
belowtheheliummixing
chamber.Extrashieldingalso
protectsthemfrom
electromagneticradiation.4 Multistage
refrigerator
Twoheliumisotopesaremixed
togetherin sucha waythatthey
createa reactionthatabsorbs
heat,chillingthewholesystem
downto-273.135°C.3 Inputmicrowavelines
Asthemicrowavepulsesenterthe
systemtheirsignalsarereduced,so
theirheatdoesn’taffectthequbits.7 Amplifyingtheanswer
Readoutmeasurementsfromthequbitsarerouted
throughcirculators.Amplifiersboosttheirsignal.9 Doublecheck
Thiswholeprocesstakesa matterofseconds,
butmayneedtobedoneseveraltimesas
quantumcomputershavesucha higherrorrate.1 Aska question
Usinga conventionallaptopasaninterface,enterthe
problemyouwanttosolve.Keepit simple,astoday’s
systemcan’trunmanyoperationsandstaycool.2 Microwave
electronics
Electronicsconvertyour
queryfromonesand
zeroesintomicrowave
pulses,whichare
carriedthoroughwires
tothecomputer.
8 Digital
conversion
Thebankofelectronics
digitisesthese
measurementsignals
andanansweris sent
backtothelaptop.© IBM