Where do you store quantum computing information? Caltech assistant professor of electrical engineering and applied physics Mohammad Mirhosseini and his lab have developed a method for translating electrical quantum states into sound and vice versa; using phonons, the sound equivalent of a light particle called a photon.

The research team’s solution is a tiny device consisting of flexible plates that are vibrated by sound waves at extremely high frequencies. When an electric charge is placed on those plates, they become able to interact with electrical signals carrying quantum information. This allows that information to be piped into the device for storage, and be piped out for later use.

According to the researchers, the method is independent on the properties of specific materials, making it compatible with established quantum devices, which are based on microwaves.

Read the Caltech update on the research here.

Read their research published in Nature Physics (subscription needed).