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Superconductor breakthrough replicated twice on preliminary testing (www.tomshardware.com)
submitted 3 years ago by to c/science@beehaw.org
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[–] 7 points 3 years ago (4 children)

Don't the current quantum computers also rely on superconducting materials that need to be kept sort cold?

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  • [–] 6 points 3 years ago (3 children)

    My understanding is that they also need low thermal noise to ensure pure states. They cool much below the superconduction threshold temperature (eg typically 20 mK). So I am not sure that this would be useful for quantum computers at the moment. Magnetic field productions such as that in MRI requires high current, so that depends on the maximum current that this material can sustain before that breaks superconductivity. So it could perhaps turn out useful or totally useless. Hard to say at the moment.

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  • [–] 5 points 3 years ago (2 children)

    "So it could perhaps turn out useful or totally useless."

    That's a realistic statement. Although the MRI thing sounds cool as well. I recall last year a big grant for a big 14T mRI project was awarded in the Netherlands, I wonder if this thing will make them reevaluate their plans. Before this becomes viable in such a setting I can imagine a lot more is needed, but it would be such a typical thing that they finish building a 14T MRI and then "hey guys we just finished this superconductor pipeline and stuff is much easier/better now!"

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  • [–] 3 points 3 years ago (1 child)

    I highly doubt they will switch plans. This current solution seems far from any real productive use.

    Compare to the battery industry which has frequent announcements of new solid state or natrium batteries, but there is still much investment in "old" lithium ion batteries since they are proven to be productive and they are also approved to be used in products.

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