Reaching absolute zero for quantum computing now much quicker thanks to breakthrough refrigerator design

A breakthrough cooling Technology could help invigorate quantum computing and slash costly preparation time in key scientific experiments by weeks.

Scientists often need to generate temperatures close to absolute zero for quantum computing and astronomy, among other uses. Known as the "Big Chill," such temperatures keep the most sensitive electrical instruments free from interference — such as temperature changes. However, the refrigerators used to achieve these temperatures are extremely costly and inefficient. 

However, scientists with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) — a U.S. government agency — have built a new prototype refrigerator that they claim can achieve the Big Chill much more quickly and efficiently.

The researchers published the details of their new machine April 23 in the journal Nature Communications. They claimed using it could save 27 million watts of power per year and reduce global energy consumption by $30 million.

A new breed of refrigerator

Conventional household fridges work through a process of evaporation and condensation, per Live Science. A refrigerant liquid is pushed through a special low-pressure pipe called an "evaporator coil." 

As it evaporates, it absorbs heat to cool the inside of the fridge and then passes through a compressor that turns it back into a liquid, raising its temperature as it is radiated through the back of the fridge.

Related: 'World's purest silicon' could lead to 1st million-qubit quantum computing chips