This groundbreaking achievement in the field of quantum physics was announced by Maciej Kawęcki, a Polish science journalist designated by the European Commission as an EU digital ambassador, the strefabiznesu.pl website has reported.
Kawęcki said in a statement on LinkedIn that no other scientific facility worldwide has managed to surpass the record set by the Polish team.
The efficiency of this quantum memory extends beyond just data storage; it allows for the processing of information embedded in the light spectrum emitted by any object.
This can be particularly transformative for fields such as astrophysics, where analyzing light from distant stars can reveal their elemental composition with unprecedented precision.
The origins of this innovative quantum memory date back to when Parniak-Niedojadło, then a doctoral student, first embarked on this ambitious project.
Despite not being the only team pursuing such technology, with the Chinese also developing similar devices backed by substantial funding, the Polish team's research, published eight years ago in the journal Nature Communications, has led to a memory system that is three times faster than its closest competitor.
Parniak-Niedojadło is an assistant professor at the Optics Division of the Faculty of Physics at the University of Warsaw and a group leader at the university's Centre for Quantum Optical Technologies (QOT). In recognition of his contribution to quantum physics, Parniak-Niedojadło received the 2022 Frank Wilczek Award, named after the Nobel laureate in physics.
Quantum memory, a concept often challenging for non-specialists to grasp, operates at scales and speeds that approach fundamental limits of nature such as the speed of light and atomic behavior.
Essentially, this technology involves a cloud of atoms in a vacuum that can absorb and process photons, thereby functioning like a quantum processor. This processor is particularly crucial for quantum communication — ensuring secure data transmission that is significantly faster and potentially more efficient in energy use.
The significance of this technology extends beyond academic circles. Businesses and industry are keen to understand how such breakthroughs can be put to commercial use and integrated into existing technologies, such as enhancing the capabilities of 5G telecommunications networks.
Despite the high stakes and potential economic benefits, the broader business interest in quantum memory remains cautious, with a focus on understanding the specifics and scalability of the technology.
Meanwhile, as Western countries face the challenge of keeping pace with rapidly advancing Chinese technology, the development of indigenous technologies such as the Polish quantum memory system could offer a strategic advantage without the geopolitical tensions typically associated with such advancements.
(rt/gs)
Source: strefabiznesu.pl