Sejong University research team identifies critical threshold for quantum error correction
Kim Se-yong, professor in Sejong University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy / Courtesy of Sejong University
Professor Kim Se-yong's team collaborates with German researchers
A Sejong University research team has identified a critical threshold for quantum error correction, one of the key challenges in quantum computing, through a collaborative study with German researchers.
The university said Thursday that its research team, led by professor Kim Se-yong of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, calculated a fundamental threshold probability for common types of errors that occur at the circuit level of quantum computing in collaboration with researchers at RWTH Aachen University in Germany.
The German research team was led by professor Markus Müller.
The findings were published last month in npj Quantum Information under the title “The random coupled-plaquette gauge model and the surface code under circuit-level noise.”
Quantum computing researchers around the world are currently focusing on developing quantum error correction technologies to address computational errors caused by noise from the external environment.
The joint research team used the parallel tempering Monte Carlo technique to analyze the random coupled-plaquette gauge model in statistical physics and determine the error threshold for quantum error correction.
The Monte Carlo technique is a mathematical and computational method that uses random sampling and repeated trials to estimate solutions to complex problems.
Based on these findings, the research team derived the maximum error probability that allows a quantum memory to maintain its state reliably.
The findings have important academic and practical implications, providing a specific physical error-tolerance target that researchers developing quantum-computing hardware can use as a benchmark.
“By defining the theoretical limits of quantum error correction through years of international collaboration, we have established an important foundation for designing practical quantum-computing hardware,” Kim said.
The research was supported by research programs of the National Research Foundation of Korea under the Ministry of Science and ICT and the Institute of Information & Communications Technology Planning & Evaluation.