The "quantum spin-glass" state in quantum computing was discovered by Cornell researchers, providing information for error correction and revealing hidden orders in quantum algorithms. When examined under the microscope, window glass displays a peculiar blend of features. Despite appearing liquid-like, its atoms exhibit the sturdiness of a solid, and any force exerted on one atom can impact all others. A "quantum spin-glass" is a physicist's analogy for a quantum state characterized by disordered and rigid quantum mechanical bits in a quantum computer. Cornell researchers discovered this state while conducting a research project to learn about quantum algorithms and error correction methods. The physics professor Erich Mueller reported that quantum particles have varying momentum and quantitative quantities for each other when measured. Consequently, some incompatible measurements result in the creation of a quantum spin-glass, as shown by experiments. The study, published in Physical Review B, co-authored by physics doctoral student Vaibhav Sharma, has just been published. A&S assistant professor Chao-Ming Jian is one of the co-authors of Mueller's research, which is conducted at Cornell's Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics (LASSP). The research was supported by a College of Arts and Sciences New Frontier Grant.

“It’s something like a dance in space,” said Jeevak Parpia, professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S). “The effect of this pairing, called a ‘fluctuation,’ is to scatter other non-paired partners and disrupt the overall transport of momentum.”

“Measuring the position of a quantum particle changes its momentum and vice versa. Similarly, for qubits there are quantities which change one another when they are measured. We find that certain random sequences of these incompatible measurements lead to the formation of a quantum spin-glass,” said Erich Mueller, professor of physics in the College of Arts and Sciences (A&S). “One implication of our work is that some types of information are automatically protected in quantum algorithms which share the features of our model.”