Fibonacci pulses created an astounding, new phase of quantum matter.

 

 

 

Fibonacci pulses created an astounding, new phase of quantum matter.

Physicists fired laser pulses into a quantum computer using a rhythm based on the Fibonacci sequence — and it created a new phase of matter that’s more stable than anything they’ve seen before.

Quantum computers rely on qubits, the building blocks of quantum information. Unlike classical bits, qubits can exist in multiple states at once, making them incredibly powerful — but also delicate. Even the slightest interference from the environment can erase their data.

So, scientists at the Flatiron Institute tried something strange: they hit a line of 10 qubits with laser pulses that followed the Fibonacci sequence — a series where each number is the sum of the two before it. That non-repeating, yet ordered pattern created what they called a “quasicrystal in time.”

The results were stunning. Normally, a qubit might stay in its quantum state for 1.5 seconds. Under the Fibonacci pattern, they lasted up to 5.5 seconds — more than three times longer. That’s an eternity in quantum physics.

And the strangest part? This setup seemed to behave as if time had two distinct directions. Not forward and backward exactly — but as if it were flowing along two independent paths.

Researchers believe the Fibonacci sequence helps cancel out errors at the edges of the quantum system, keeping the state coherent for longer. In other words, the pattern of nature itself may be the key to unlocking the future of computing.

Read the study:

"Dynamical topological phase realized in a trapped-ion quantum simulator." Nature, 2022.

Credit: Salvatore Orlando