A 20-qubit quantum processor has been used to simulate the classical and quantum nature of non-equilibrium phase transitions. The work was done by researchers in the US and Canada, who used a processor made by Quantinuum, which is based in the UK and US. The team’s success suggests that small-scale quantum processors could soon be solving some problems that are beyond the capability of conventional computers – an achievement called quantum advantage. This advantage could be put to use in fields including condensed matter, quantum optics and metrology.
