It is roughly 1,000 times smaller than similar devices , meaning it can fit on one chip. We are talking about a quantum memory device developed by Italian and American researchers as published in Science .
Specifically, the device is approximately 10 by 0.7 microns and has a unique shape, like a Toblerone candy bar.
Indispensable condition: size
As a sine qua non for developing computers and quantum networks, quantum memories must fit on a chip, and now it seems that it has finally been achieved .
In this case, the memory device is constructed of yttrium orthovanadate with small amounts of neodymium, which form a cavity. These cavities in turn have a crystal cavity that traps individual photons that encode information. This crystal is the first quantum storage device of its kind that could fit on a chip alongside nano-sized instruments to detect and send signals written in quantum bits.
The secret to the small size of this storage device is its shape, which resembles a Toblerone chocolate bar – a triangular prism with notches etched across the top. "The slots toward the ends of the [glass] collectively behave like two mirrors, one on each side," explains Tian Zhong , a molecular engineer at the University of Chicago.