Scientists have shown how an
optical chip can simulate the motion of atoms within molecules at the quantum
level, which could lead to better ways of creating chemicals for use as
pharmaceuticals. An optical chip uses light to process information, instead of
electricity, and can operate as a quantum computing circuit when using single
particles of light, known as photons. Data from the chip allows a
frame-by-frame reconstruction of atomic motions to create a virtual movie of a
molecule's quantum vibrations, which is what lies at the heart of the research
published today in Nature. These findings are the result of a collaboration
between researchers at the University of Bristol, MIT, IUPUI, Nokia Bell Labs,
and NTT. As well as paving the way for more efficient pharmaceutical
developments, the research could prompt new methods of molecular modelling for
industrial chemists.
When lasers were invented in the
1960s, experimental chemists had the idea of using them to break apart
molecules. However, the vibrations within molecules rapidly redistribute the
laser energy before the intended molecular bond is broken. Controlling the
behaviour of molecules requires an understanding of how they vibrate at the quantum
level. But modelling these dynamics requires massive computational power,
beyond what we can expect from coming generations of supercomputers. The
Quantum Engineering and Technology Labs at Bristol have pioneered the use of
optical chips, controlling single photons of light, as basic circuitry for
quantum computers. Quantum computers are expected to be exponentially faster
than conventional supercomputers at solving certain problems.
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