Oxford scientists recreate Aharonov-Bohm effect using hybrid quantum computer
Oxford scientists just pulled off something wild in the world of physics: they recreated the Aharonov-Bohm effect, where particles react to a magnetic field even if they never actually pass through it.
Using a hybrid quantum computer, they managed to stop a particle in its tracks with an artificial magnetic flux and saw some fascinating quantum interference in action.
Trapped-ion system encodes magnetic flux
The team's experiment used trapped-ion qubits and quantum oscillators to build a loop in which an entangled state represented magnetic flux passing through the center of the loop.
This breakthrough shows that hybrid quantum systems can investigate fundamental interactions between matter and fields that are increasingly difficult to simulate using conventional computers, opening up new ways to explore the mysteries of the quantum world.