Quantum memory hits 4 microseconds in Russian materials

Researchers from the Federal Research Center for Problems of Chemical Physics and Medicinal Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Solid State Physics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Kyoto University have synthesized molecular materials that could be useful in future quantum processors. In experiments, two of the three resulting complexes maintained quantum coherence for up to 4 microseconds.

For systems like these, that is already a meaningful benchmark: the coherence time was hundreds of times longer than a standard control pulse.

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The work is based on phthalocyanines — flat organic molecules that can hold a metal atom at their center, changing their electronic and magnetic properties. The team built three versions of these complexes, using vanadium, copper, and tin.

Tin served as a control sample because it has no intrinsic magnetic moment. Vanadium and copper do: each has one unpaired electron, and the spins of those electrons behaved as quantum objects in the experiments.

The standout result was that the vanadium and copper complexes preserved coherence long enough to be considered for quantum information transfer and processing. In engineering terms, that makes them candidates for:

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• qubits
• quantum memory elements
• ultrasensitive sensors

Project lead Maksim Faraonov also pointed to more applied possibilities, including ultra-dense data storage, magnetic labels, and ultra-miniaturized devices.

Molecular qubits have one obvious advantage. Unlike superconducting circuits, which require complex cryogenic infrastructure and take up noticeable chip area, molecular systems are easier to integrate into miniature designs and can be tuned chemically with much finer control.

That helps explain why interest is growing beyond academia. While IBM and Google continue to develop superconducting platforms, universities and national labs are also searching for more compact spin-based and molecular systems. McKinsey estimates the quantum technology market could reach tens of billions of dollars by 2035 if the industry can solve the problem of stable, scalable qubits.

The next step for the authors is straightforward: adjust the composition and preparation methods of the samples to extend coherence further. That matters not just for spin “memory,” but also for repeatability in mass production. If coherence time can be significantly increased in the same vanadium system, the work could move from an academic result toward materials for real quantum components.