IBM (NYSE: IBM) announced that its quantum computer successfully simulated real magnetic materials with results matching neutron scattering experiments conducted at national laboratories. The research was conducted by scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy-funded Quantum Science Center at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Purdue University, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Los Alamos National Laboratory, the University of Tennessee and IBM.

The team focused on the magnetic crystal KCuF₃ and directly compared neutron scattering measurements with quantum computer simulations. The study demonstrated agreement between experimental data and quantum processor simulations in capturing dynamical properties of materials.

"This is the most impressive match I've seen between experimental data and qubit simulation, and it definitely raises the bar for what can be expected from quantum computers," said Allen Scheie, condensed matter physicist at Los Alamos National Laboratory.

The research utilized quantum-centric supercomputing workflows that combine quantum hardware with classical computing. According to IBM principal research scientist Abhinav Kandala, the results were enabled by improved two-qubit error rates on IBM's quantum processors.

Scientists have traditionally used neutron sources to reveal quantum properties of materials by measuring how neutrons exchange energy and momentum with spins in materials. The quantum computer simulation approach addresses challenges that classical methods face in modeling quantum behavior in materials.

The team has extended the approach beyond KCuF₃ to simulate material classes with more complex interactions. The work was published as a pre-print and represents part of broader quantum computing applications in scientific problems, following previous IBM quantum simulations including a half-Möbius molecule and protein simulations with Cleveland Clinic.