Researchers propose using quantum computers to enhance images of distant exoplanets by processing faint light signals more effectively. The method combines diamond-based devices and ultracold atom systems to extract clearer details from weak photon streams. This could reveal molecular signatures on these faraway worlds.
Astronomers have identified thousands of exoplanets beyond our solar system, with estimates suggesting billions exist. Studying these distant worlds is crucial for the search for extraterrestrial life, but their faint light signals, often overwhelmed by nearby stars, pose significant challenges.
Johannes Borregaard from Harvard University, along with colleagues, suggests that quantum computers could transform exoplanet imaging. Traditional methods struggle with signals as weak as one photon per second of telescope observation—a difficulty highlighted by Borregaard's NASA collaborators. By storing the quantum states of incoming photons, quantum devices could leverage their inherent properties to produce sharper images, distinguishing planets from stars and even detecting molecular fingerprints.
The proposed system starts with a quantum device made from engineered diamonds, which has been tested for photon storage. These states would then transfer to a second device using ultracold atoms—a technology showing experimental promise—for running algorithms to generate detailed images. Calculations indicate this approach could require only a fraction—hundredths or thousandths—of the photons needed by conventional techniques, excelling in low-light conditions.
Cosmo Lupo from the Polytechnic University of Bari notes, “Photons obey the rules of quantum mechanics. Therefore, it is natural and it makes sense to investigate quantum methods to detect and process light coming, for example, from exoplanets.” He acknowledges the complexity of linking the devices and controlling their performance, but points to existing quantum applications in astronomy, like observing a star in the Canis Minor constellation.
Borregaard agrees that while diamond and ultracold atom technologies are advancing, interconnecting them remains a focus for ongoing research. Lupo is optimistic, calling the work “an important first step” toward quantum computing's impact on imaging and astronomy. The findings appear in PRX Quantum (DOI: 10.1103/s94k-929p).