In the following passage, some words have been deleted. Read the passage carefully and select the most appropriate option to fill in each blank:
Researchers in quantum computing face the twin difficulties of (1) _______ qubit coherence and (2) _____ error rates. While superconducting qubits have shown promise, maintaining coherence beyond microseconds remains (3) _______ due to environmental decoherence. Furthermore, scaling up the number of qubits requires (4) ________ control electronics that themselves introduce noise. To overcome these hurdles, teams are exploring (5) ________ techniques such as surface codes and topological qubits.
What should come in the place of blank 1?
- AOption (a)
to durable
- BOption (b)
ephemeral
- COption (c)
Permanent
- DOption (d)
Perennial
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Correct answer
ephemeral
Why this answer is correct
The correct answer is 'ephemeral'.
Key Points
- In quantum computing, a major challenge is the short-lived nature of qubit states, i.e., their ephemeral coherence.
- “Ephemeral” means short-lived or lasting for a very brief time, which matches the context of qubits losing coherence quickly.
- Other options like “permanent” or “perennial” suggest long-lasting stability, which is the opposite of the actual problem.
- Thus, “ephemeral” correctly highlights the difficulty of maintaining qubit coherence for useful computations.
Therefore, the correct answer is 'Option 2'.
Complete Passage: Researchers in quantum computing face the twin difficulties of ephemeral qubit coherence and (2) _____ error rates. While superconducting qubits have shown promise, maintaining coherence beyond microseconds remains (3) _______ due to environmental decoherence. Furthermore, scaling up the number of qubits requires (4) ________ control electronics that themselves introduce noise. To overcome these hurdles, teams are exploring (5) ________ techniques such as surface codes and topological qubits.
Additional Information
- To durable: Grammatically incorrect phrase and contextually irrelevant.
- Ephemeral: Correct; means short-lived, aligning with fragile qubit coherence.
- Permanent: Opposite of the issue, as qubit coherence is not long-lasting.
- Perennial: Means enduring or lasting indefinitely; again, opposite of the problem described.