(ORNL: Oak Ridge, TN) -- Researchers simulated a key quantum state at one of the largest scales reported, with support from the Quantum Computing User Program, or QCUP, at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The team’s techniques could help develop quantum simulation capabilities for the next generation of quantum computers.

The study used Quantinuum’s H1-1 computer to model a quantum version of a classical mathematical model that tracks how a disease spreads. Time on the computer was provided by QCUP, part of the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility, which awards time on privately owned quantum processors around the country to support research projects.

The model used quantum bits, or qubits, to simulate the transition between active states, such as infection, and inactive states, such as death or recovery.

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