Quantum computing systems developer D-Wave Systems Inc. has published a study demonstrating a topological phase transition using its 2048-qubit annealing quantum computer.

This complex quantum simulation of materials is a major step toward reducing the need for time-consuming and expensive physical research and development. This work marks an important advancement in the field and demonstrates again that the fully programmable D-Wave quantum computer can be used as an accurate simulator of quantum systems at a large scale. The methods used in this work could have broad implications in the development of novel materials, realizing Richard Feynman's original vision of a quantum simulator.

"This paper represents a breakthrough in the simulation of physical systems which are otherwise essentially impossible," said J. Michael Kosterlitz, 2016 Nobel laureate. "The test reproduces most of the expected results, which is a remarkable achievement. This gives hope that future quantum simulators will be able to explore more complex and poorly understood systems so that one can trust the simulation results in quantitative detail as a model of a physical system. I look forward to seeing future applications of this simulation method."

This new research comes on the heels of another D-Wave paper demonstrating a different type of phase transition in a quantum spin-glass simulation. The two papers together signify the flexibility and versatility of the D-Wave quantum computer in quantum simulation of materials, in addition to other tasks such as optimization and machine learning.

"The work described in the Nature paper represents a landmark in the field of quantum computation: For the first time, a theoretically predicted state of matter was realized in quantum simulation before being demonstrated in a real magnetic material," said Mohammad Amin, chief scientist at D-Wave. "This is a significant step toward reaching the goal of quantum simulation, enabling the study of material properties before making them in the lab, a process that today can be very costly and time-consuming."

D-Wave is a developer of quantum systems and software, and a supplier of quantum computers.