IBM's Quantum computer links two quantum revolutions

The IBM Q computer at CES 2020 (Credit: IBM) - Using the IBM Q computer, physicists at EPFL have verified for the first time the tight relationship between quantum entanglement and wave-particle duality, showing that the former controls the latter in a quantum system. "It is possible to do experiments in fundamental physics on the remotely accessible IBM Q quantum computer ," says Marc-André Dupertuis, a physicist at EPFL's School of Basic Sciences. Working with Nicolas Schwaller, a Master student in Physics at EPFL, and Clément Javerzac-Galy, co-CEO of photonics company Miraex, the three scientists carried out their work by studying a system made of two separate quantum elements, represented in the IBM Q as superconducting quantum bits. EPFL already has a longstanding relationship with IBM's famed quantum computer, with two teams of students placing second in the annual "IBM Q competition" in 2018 and 2020 . The work is published in Physical Reviews A . "We were able to indirectly confirm that the duality of each quantum bit can be turned off completely, or set to any desired amount by controlling the degree of entanglement of the pair," says Dupertuis. Quantum revolution #1: Wave-particle duality Wave-particle duality is the idea that every particle or quantum entity may be described as either a particle or a wave, with the most famous examples being photons (light particles) and electrons.