"Sound Waves Pave the Way for Quantum Computing Breakthroughs"

Researchers from the University of Chicago have demonstrated the first phononic beamsplitter, a critical component for a phononic quantum computer that encodes information in sound waves. The team generated individual phonons using surface acoustic waves and used them to transfer quantum information between two superconducting qubits. They also replicated the Hong-Ou-Mandel effect using phonons and showed that they could control the direction of the output. While the approach is unlikely to compete with optical approaches to quantum computing, it could be promising for hybrid computing schemes that combine the best of both worlds.