The Quantum Mile, a space in Ibaeta for research in quantum physics

Last Wednesday, October 22, the Quantum Mile was presented, a space in Ibaeta that brings together the Donostia International Physics Center (DIPC), the Center for Physics of Materials (CFM), the University of the Basque Country and the School of Engineering-Tecnun for research in quantum physics. The event was attended by the Minister of Science, Universities and Innovation, Juan Ignacio Pérez Iglesias, and representatives of the different centers. 

This project aims to bring the daily work of researchers closer to Gipuzkoa's society and, at the same time, to highlight the Basque leadership in quantum technology, especially with the installation of IBM's Quantum System Two. 

In order to achieve the goal of popularizing science, two activities have been organized during the month of October: the Quantum Festival at Musikene and the Escape Street which will take place on October 24 and 25. In addition, all these centers are connected by a scientific-technological route that can be followed on foot (following the information on the totems) or virtually. virtually in Spanish, Basque and English.

Tecnun's director of development , Íñigo Gutiérrez, celebrates this milestone and stresses that the School had to be present. "It is about supporting the development of the territory, something we have been doing since our creation more than sixty years ago," he says. 

In addition, he assures that for a Research University such as Tecnun, this is a "strategic commitment" that allows it to continue to be present in the most cutting-edge environments.

 
To download the poster in PDF click on it. 

Quantum at Tecnun

The School of Engineering is part of this ecosystem thanks to the research in quantum computing that has been developed since 2018. Through the Electronics and Communications department , in which collaborates the Full Professor and researcher, Pedro Crespo, who is a pioneer and promoter of quantum research in Tecnun, the School has been working for several years in the field of quantum error correction, with special focus on the design of codes that allow building more stable and reliable systems.

Josu Etxezarreta, PhD and researcher, works in this field, who explains that "today, the main problem is the limitation of quantum computers, as they experience many errors". At Tecnun, the lines of research focus precisely on correcting and reducing these errors in order to broaden the horizon in the simulation of drugs, chemical compounds and materials.

Another area in plenary session of the Executive Council development is the application of quantum computing to biomedicine. In this field, the School, in partnership with CIMA, is investigating the use of virtual patients capable of simulating clinical trials in rare diseases with high accuracy. This is a transversal project that also incorporates the latest advances in Artificial Intelligence.
 
 

Quantum System Two

The quantum supercomputer that IBM has installed in the new Ikerbasque building will allow researchers to work using a machine that is currently exclusive. Its name, Heron, comes from a bird, following the company's tradition of naming each generation after birds.

Etxezarreta explains that this equipment is unique because "it uses superconducting qubits, materials that, when kept at extremely low temperatures (close to -273º), allow electricity to circulate without electrical resistance, thus achieving controllable quantum systems of a certain size". This year's Nobel award in physics was awarded for finding this subject of macroscopic quantum effects. 

In quantum computing, information is delicate. As it interacts with the environment, it can lose coherence and become confused. Keeping the system near absolute zero reduces these interferences to a minimum, making computations more accurate, although they still require additional techniques to be completely reliable.