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A quantum computer is an orchestra of artificial atoms, controlled by microwaves, racing against decoherence.
This page explains the physics from first principles — one concept at a time, with sound and animation driven by real hardware data.
A qubit has exactly two energy levels — a ground state and an excited state. The energy gap between them corresponds to a specific microwave frequency, just like a guitar string has a natural pitch. This qubit's note is 5.0 GHz.
One qubit, one note. But quantum computing needs harmony...
Now add a second qubit at a slightly different frequency. On the chip, a capacitor between them creates a coupling — they can feel each other's state. The coupling strength g determines how strongly they interact.
Two notes make a chord. What happens with nine?
A real quantum computer is an ensemble of qubits, each deliberately tuned to a different frequency so they can be individually controlled. This is QuTech's Tuna-9 — a 9-qubit transmon chip that we've been running experiments on throughout this project.
Resonance lets you control individual qubits. Coupling lets you entangle them. Together, they let you compose quantum algorithms — choreographed sequences of microwave pulses that explore exponentially many states at once.
That's how you simulate a molecule's energy levels, optimize a supply chain, or crack problems that would take classical computers longer than the age of the universe. The physics you just heard is real. The challenge is making it last long enough to be useful.