Scientists working at CERN’s Large Hadron Collider have detected what researchers are calling “magic” particles – an unexpected quantum phenomenon that could help accelerate the development of next-generation quantum computers, according to a recent report by Quanta Magazine.
At the center of this discovery are top quarks, the heaviest known elementary particles. These particles are created when protons are smashed together at extremely high speeds inside the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), a massive circular accelerator spanning 5.34 miles. When these collisions occur, they can produce a top quark and its counterpart, an anti-top quark. What makes them special is not just their mass, but how they behave before they decay.
Because top quarks are so heavy, they decay more slowly than lighter particles. During this brief window, scientists can observe quantum entanglement between the particle and its partner. Entanglement is a strange but fundamental property of quantum physics, where two particles become linked in such a way that the state of one instantly influences the other, regardless of distance.
This entanglement leaves behind measurable patterns that researchers can analyze. These patterns contain what physicists refer to as “quantum magic,” a property that goes beyond ordinary quantum entanglement. This magic is critical because it enables quantum systems to perform computations that classical computers simply cannot handle efficiently.
Traditional computers operate using bits, which represent information as either a 0 or a 1. Quantum computers, on the other hand, use qubits, which can exist in multiple states at once thanks to quantum superposition. When combined with entanglement and quantum magic, qubits can solve certain complex problems exponentially faster than classical machines.
The Large Hadron Collider was originally designed to explore fundamental physics questions, such as discovering new particles and understanding the origins of the universe. However, this discovery highlights an emerging role for the facility. It is now becoming a valuable tool for quantum information science, offering insights into how quantum systems behave under extreme conditions.
Understanding quantum magic could help scientists design more stable and efficient quantum computers. These machines have the potential to revolutionize fields like cryptography, materials science, drug discovery, and artificial intelligence by solving problems that are currently impossible or impractical.
While practical, large-scale quantum computers are still in development, discoveries like this bring researchers closer to unlocking their full potential. By studying the behavior of these rare and powerful particles, scientists are learning how to harness the strange rules of quantum physics for real-world technological breakthroughs.
