Researchers have confirmed the "weird" concept of contextuality to be an essential resource to realize the "magic" needed for universal quantum computation

Research was published in the journal Nature this week and conducted by experts at from the University of Waterloo's Institute for Quantum Computing, according to a report by RedOrbit.

"Scientists have long struggled to identify realistic ways to manage fragile quantum states. In pursuit of this goal, the researchers have confirmed theoretically that contextuality is an essential resource needed for realizing the benefits of quantum computation," according to the Science Recorder.

The term doesn't imply to pulling rabbits out of top hats or card tricks however, but rather a particular technique to constructing noise-resistant quantum computers known as magic-state distillation.

"Before these results, we didn't necessarily know what resources were needed for a physical device to achieve the advantage of quantum information. Now we know one," explained lead author Mark Howard, a postdoctoral fellow at IQC. "As researchers work to build a universal quantum computer, understanding the minimum physical resources required is an important step to finding ways to harness the power of the quantum world."

Magic states are noteworthy, but also hard to realize and manage, according to the study.

It improves the power of a quantum device to accomplish the enhanced processing power of a universal quantum computer.

"These new results give us a deeper understanding of the nature of quantum computation. They also clarify the practical requirements for designing a realistic quantum computer," said Joseph Emerson, professor of Applied Mathematics and Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, in a statement. "I expect the results will help both theorists and experimentalists find more efficient methods to overcome the limitations imposed by unavoidable sources of noise and other errors."

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