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Physics

Making custom qubits by pushing together two individual atoms

By Leah Crane

12 April 2018

New Scientist. Science news and long reads from expert journalists, covering developments in science, technology, health and the environment on the website and the magazine.

Custom molecules could make better quantum computers

IBM

When it comes to quantum computing, two atoms are better than one. For the first time, researchers have made a molecule simply by pressing two atoms together and making them bond on command. Molecules like the one they built could be used to store and process information in quantum computers.

Most chemical reactions are done by mixing large quantities of different types of atoms together with a catalyst to make them react. This method is imprecise, though, and makes it difficult to get one specific molecule exactly how and where you…

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