--- title: "Scientists Fed the Fibonacci Sequence Into a Quantum Computer and Something Strange Happened" description: "By shooting a laser pulse imitating the Fibonacci Sequence into qubits, physicists created a new phase of matter far better at maintaing a quantum state." date: "2022-10-21" modified: "2022-10-21" authors: - name: "Frank Landymore" job_title: "Contributing Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/flandymore" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/fibonacci-quantum-computer" categories: - "Physics" - "Quantum Physics" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "fibonacci sequence" - "quantum computing" - "the digest" --- # Scientists Fed the Fibonacci Sequence Into a Quantum Computer and Something Strange Happened ![By shooting a laser pulse imitating the Fibonacci Sequence into qubits, physicists created a new phase of matter far better at maintaing a quantum state.]() *\Image: Getty Images/Futurism\* ## Future of Computing Physicists shot a laser pulse sequence mimicking the Fibonacci sequence at a quantum computer and ended up creating a new phase of matter in the process, according to a [study published in *Nature*]() earlier this year. They suggest that the newfound phase of matter is particularly robust in preserving information, more so than the methods currently used**.** It's a potentially massive breakthrough that could allow quantum computers to be far more reliable, since with current technology, keeping qubits in their quantum states is a precarious task. ## Qubit Quandary In the realm of quantum computing, a one or zero is not stored as an ordinary bit, but a qubit. What distinguishes a qubit is that it can be a one or zero *at the same time*, potentially allowing quantum computers to blaze through far more advanced calculations that take classical computers [orders of magnitude longer]() to complete. Quantum computers still have a long way to go before reliably achieving that kind of speed or **to** be practical in everyday use. For one, the qubits require an extremely controlled environment in which a slight perturbation, like a minuscule change in temperature, could cause the qubits to lose their quantum states — and their information. In the experiment, a regular qubit at each end of a line-up of ten atoms retained its quantum state for 1.5 seconds. But when they blasted those atoms with a pulse of laser light to the tune of the Fibonacci numbers — a sequence of numbers where each number is the sum of the two preceding ones — the qubits lasted a whopping 5.5 seconds. And according to the physicists, the reason that occurs has to do with time itself. "What we realized is that by using quasi-periodic sequences based on the Fibonacci pattern, you can have the system behave as if there are two distinct directions of time," study lead author Philip Dumistrescu, a research fellow at the Flatiron Institute's Center for Computational Quantum Physics, [told *Gizmodo* in a recent interview](). ## Erasing Errors But why the Fibonacci numbers? In essence, when you shoot laser pulses following the Fibonacci numbers, they act as a sort of quasicrystal, the physicists say, a structure of matter that adheres to a pattern, but is not periodic. In other words, ordered, but not repeating. "With this quasi-periodic sequence, there's a complicated evolution that cancels out all the errors that live on the edge," Dumistrescu elaborated [in a press release](). "Because of that, the edge stays quantum-mechanically coherent much, much longer than you’d expect." **More on quantum computing:** [*Scientists Suggest Our Brains Work Like Quantum Computers*]() ## Author At Futurism, my work has often centered on bringing a sense of clarity and insight to complex topics ranging from the regulation of emerging technologies to the esoteric ideologies of Silicon Valley executives, while striving not to lose the poetic sense of awe inspired by often-obscure fields like astrophysics and quantum computing. I broke the story of CNET using AI to produce articles that turned out to be riddled with factual errors and plagiarism — a dam-breaking inflection point, as I've reported, that's inspired copycats and endless discourse while beguiling stakeholders ranging from tech giants to purveyors of spam around the web. My work at Futurism has been cited by publications including CBS News, the Los Angeles Times, Vice, Gizmodo, Engadget, the Verge, and Vanity Fair. I grew up in locales ranging from India to China, and now live in the exotic suburbs of Virginia. In my free time, I'm an avid reader of weird sci-fi literature, an aficionado of East Asian cinema, and, regrettably, a relapsed gamer. Allegedly, I’m working on a debut novel, currently untitled. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()