US Patent 8195596 - Interconnected quantum processor topology

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8195596.html

In recent years D-Wave has been on the forefront in commercializing quantum computers capable of solving computationally complex problems beyond the capability of conventional microprocessors. This is one of their latest patents including some broad claims for analog quantum processing. Claim 1 reads:

1. An analog processor system comprising:

a plurality of quantum devices forming a fully interconnected topology of at least 5 quantum devices; and

a plurality of controllable coupling devices wherein there exists a controllable coupling device between each pair of quantum devices in the plurality of quantum devices.

US Patent 8008942 - Quantum analog processor

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/8008942.html

This latest patent from D-Wave Systems teaches how a plurality of superconducting quantum devices can be combined to "evolve" solutions to computational problems beyond the capability of conventional computers. Claim 1 reads:

1. A computational system, comprising:

a computer; and

a quantum processor in communication with the computer, the quantum processor comprising:

(i) a plurality of quantum devices, wherein each quantum device in the plurality of quantum devices has a respective first basis state and a respective second basis state; and

(ii) a plurality of coupling devices, wherein a first coupling device in the plurality of coupling devices couples a first quantum device in the plurality of quantum devices to a second quantum device in the plurality of quantum devices, and wherein the first coupling device is configured to tune a coupling strength between the first quantum device and the second quantum device so that the first quantum device and the second quantum device couple either ferromagnetically or anti-ferromagnetically.

US Patent 7418283 - Quantum computation via monitored Hamiltonian transformation

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7418283.html

D-Wave is a company attempting to make quantum computation a reality. This latest patent seems to include some basic claims to quantum computation by monitoring the state of a Hamiltonian (math expression for energy state) describing superconducting qubits under adiabatic conditions. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for adiabatic quantum computing using a quantum system comprising a plurality of superconducting qubits, wherein the quantum system is capable of being in any one of at least two quantum configurations at any given time, the at least two quantum configurations comprising:

a first configuration described by an initialization Hamiltonian HO; and

a second configuration described by a problem Hamiltonian HP having a ground state, the method comprising:

A) initializing the quantum system to the first configuration;

B) adiabatically changing the quantum system until it is described by the ground state of the problem Hamiltonian HP; and

C) reading out a state of the quantum system.

US Patent 7332738 - Phase shift coupling for quantum state readout

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7332738.html

Quantum computing depends on the entangling of states such as spin or polarization of fundamental particles such that there is a certain degree of information sharing between physically separated particles. D-Wave has taken the lead in patents in this area focusing on quantum computers formed using superconducting materials and one of the problems that they are trying to solve is maintaining entanglement during a readout process. This patent teaches a method in which readout is facilitated by the use of a charge device which has a quantum state entangled with that of a phase device. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for reading out the quantum state of a mesoscopic phase device, the method comprising: coherently coupling said mesoscopic phase device to a mesoscopic charge device using a phase shift device; and measuring the quantum state of said mesoscopic charge device.

US Patent 7230266 - Oscillation readout for quantum computing

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/7230266.html

D-Wave is a company that focuses on superconducting electronics to achieve quantum computing and currently has the largest U.S. patent portfolio in this area. Although superconducting materials can be difficult to work with if the development of a quantum computer is achieved it will open up the possibility of more exact modeling and simulation of stochastic phenomena which can be applied to economic and weather forecasting. This latest patent focuses on a reading method of a qubit using the frequency response of a quantum system. Claim 1 reads:

1. A method for determining whether a first state of a quantum system is occupied, the method comprising: (A) applying a signal to the quantum system at a frequency that corresponds to an energy level separation between said first state and a second state of said quantum system, wherein (i) said quantum system produces a readout frequency when said first state is occupied at a time when said signal is applied, and (ii) said quantum system does not produce said readout frequency when said first state is not occupied at the time when said signal is applied; and (B) measuring a property of a measurement resonator that is conditionally coupled to the quantum system when said quantum system produces said readout frequency, thereby determining whether said first state of said quantum system is occupied.