Has the 'holy grail' of physics been found?

Just last week a team of scientists from Korea published experimental results showing the creation of a room temperature, ambient pressure superconductor. You can read that paper here. The race is on to replicate the results, but so far things look promising. If the discovery is confirmed it will be the largest scientific breakthrough since the atomic bomb.

The discovery and practical use of a room-temperature superconductor could dramatically transform numerous aspects of modern life. Here are several potential implications:

1.      Energy Efficiency: Superconductors, by definition, offer zero electrical resistance. This means electricity could be transmitted over vast distances without any loss of power, significantly improving the efficiency of our energy grids. This would unlock new methods of solving the climate crisis.

2.      Magnetic Levitation: Superconductors can produce very strong magnetic fields, leading to applications like magnetically levitated trains that are fast, efficient, and produce very little noise. Imagine going for a quick lunch in Chicago or New York City.

3.      Electric Vehicles and Renewable Energy: Superconducting materials could revolutionize battery storage technology by enhancing energy density and charging speed, making electric vehicles more efficient. Also, superconductors could dramatically improve the efficiency of renewable energy systems, such as wind turbines or solar cells.

4.      Computing: Superconducting circuits could be used to create much faster and energy-efficient processors. They would also be critical for the development of large-scale quantum computers, which could revolutionize fields like material science, cryptography, and artificial intelligence.

5.      Medicine: Superconductors are already used in medical imaging systems like MRI. Room-temperature superconductors could make these machines much cheaper and accessible, leading to breakthroughs in medical diagnostics.

6.      Research: Superconductors are also used in particle accelerators, such as the Large Hadron Collider. Room-temperature superconductors could make these facilities cheaper to run and maintain, accelerating scientific research in high-energy physics and other areas.

The possibilities that this new discovery could bring are unimaginable. Practically every field would be radically changed by this new level of energy efficiency. This article talks a bit more about how the discovery came about and its implications. Another thing to note, is that the paper actually proposes a new mechanism for superconductivity, meaning it will have opened the door to an entirely new field of chemistry. Let’s talk more about the impacts on computing technology (this is a tech blog after all).  The development of a room-temperature superconductor could have transformative effects on quantum computing, likely leading to improvements in several key areas:

1.      Qubit Coherence: One of the biggest challenges in quantum computing is maintaining qubit coherence or, in other words, preventing or minimizing the loss of quantum information over time. This loss of coherence, often referred to as "decoherence," results from interactions with the environment that introduce noise and errors into quantum computations. Superconductors at extremely low temperatures are already used to help maintain qubit coherence. If we could achieve the same superconductivity at room temperature, it would simplify the design of quantum computers and potentially improve coherence times.

2.      Scalability: Current quantum computers require intricate cooling systems to reach temperatures close to absolute zero to achieve superconductivity. This necessity makes the technology challenging to scale, both in terms of physical size and the number of qubits. Room-temperature superconductors could greatly simplify the design and construction of quantum computers, making them easier to manufacture and scale, potentially leading to quantum computers with more qubits and thus higher computational capabilities.

3.      Energy Efficiency: The cooling systems needed for current quantum computers use a significant amount of energy. Room-temperature superconductors would not require these systems, making quantum computers more energy-efficient and eco-friendly.

4.      Accessibility: If superconductors could operate at room temperature, the cost, complexity, and energy requirements for quantum computers would drop significantly. This reduction could potentially make quantum computing technology accessible to more researchers, companies, and institutions, and accelerate advancements in this field.

5.      Integration: Room-temperature superconductors could facilitate the integration of quantum and classical computing systems. Currently, the environment needed for quantum computing (near absolute zero temperatures) is drastically different from the one suitable for classical computing (room temperature). Room-temperature superconductivity would make it easier to integrate these two systems in hybrid architectures.

Remember that while the development of a room-temperature superconductor would certainly provide a boost, it's not the only challenge in the development of scalable and reliable quantum computers. Issues like error correction, software development, and creating practical algorithms that can take advantage of quantum computation will still need to be addressed.