Tokyo, Japan – The advent of quantum computers promises to revolutionize computing by solving complex problems exponentially faster than classical computers. However, today’s quantum computers face challenges such as maintaining stability and transporting quantum information. Phonons, which are quantized vibrations in periodic lattices, offer new ways to improve these systems by enhancing qubit interactions and providing more reliable information conversion. Phonons also facilitate better communication within quantum computers, enabling their interconnection in a network. Nanophononic materials, which are artificial nanostructures with specific phononic properties, will be essential for next-generation quantum communication and networking devices. However, designing phononic crystals with desired vibration characteristics at the nano- and micro-scales remains a challenge.
In a study recently published in the journal ACS Nano, researchers at the University of Tokyo’s Institute of Industrial Science experimentally demonstrated that a new genetic algorithm enables the automatic inverse design of phononic crystalline nanostructures, which generates a structure based on desired properties and allows for the control of acoustic waves in the material. “Recent advances in artificial intelligence and inverse design offer the possibility of searching for irregular structures with unique properties,” explains the study’s lead author, Michele Diego. Genetic algorithms use simulations to iteratively evaluate proposed solutions, with the best ones passing on their characteristics, or “genes,” to the next generation. Sample devices designed and manufactured using this new method were tested with light scattering experiments to establish the effectiveness of this approach.
The team was able to measure vibrations on a two-dimensional phononic “metacrystal,” which had a periodic arrangement of smaller units. They showed that the device allowed vibrations along one axis, but not along a perpendicular direction, and could therefore be used for acoustic focusing or waveguides. “By expanding the search for optimized structures with complex shapes beyond normal human intuition, it becomes possible to design devices with precise control of the propagation properties of acoustic waves, quickly and automatically,” says lead author Masahiro Nomura. This approach is expected to be applied to surface acoustic wave devices used in quantum computers, smartphones, and other devices.
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