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- Exoplanets are difficult to detect<\/strong> and even harder to take images of. Is there a better way to do it?<\/li>\n
- Quantum computers can be used to improve those images,<\/strong> scientists at Harvard University say. They also might even distinguish various molecules on the planets.<\/li>\n
- The system would use two quantum computers,<\/strong> one made of diamonds and the other composed of extremely cold atoms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
EarthSky\u2019s 2026 lunar calendar is available now. Get yours today! Makes a great gift.<\/p>\n
Quantum computers and exoplanets<\/h3>\n
Exoplanets \u2013 worlds orbiting distant stars \u2013 are difficult to detect, and they are even harder to take images of. But quantum computers might be able to improve those images. <\/p>\n
Researchers from Harvard University said on January 12, 2026, that by combining two kinds of quantum computers \u2013 one made of diamonds and the other extremely cold atoms \u2013 astronomers could obtain clearer images of exoplanets.<\/p>\n
Quantum computers use quantum mechanics for unprecedented processing power. Quantum mechanics is a bizarre yet fundamental physical theory that describes the behavior of matter and light.<\/p>\n
Karmela Padavic-Callaghan wrote about the intriguing idea in New Scientist<\/em> on January 12, 2026.<\/p>\n
The new paper was accepted for publication in the journal PRX Quantum<\/em> on December 12, 2025.<\/p>\n
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Quantum computers could help sharpen our images of exoplanets. The light emanating from alien worlds carries quantum information that can help produce better images of the planets.<\/p>\n
\u2014 New Scientist (@newscientist.com) 2026-01-17T16:13:09.232Z<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Faint signals from distant planets<\/h3>\n
Even the largest exoplanets are not easy to detect. Because they are so far away, their light is extremely faint, obscured by the much brighter light of their stars. The light from other stars can help hide them as well.<\/p>\n
Directly imaging exoplanets is even more difficult. Out of the over 6,000 exoplanets found so far, only a small number have been photographed. And even then they still just look like dots of light. But that could soon change.<\/p>\n
![\"Glassy](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2026\/01\/Quantum-System-One-quantum-computer-IBM-2019.jpg\")
This is Quantum System One, a quantum computer from IBM in 2019. It has 20 superconducting qubits. Image via IBM\/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Using quantum methods to see exoplanets<\/h3>\n
This is where quantum computers come in. In the new study, Johannes Borregaard and his colleagues at Harvard University say that using quantum computers could significantly improve the resolution of the images.<\/p>\n
With most other methods, it is difficult to process the weak signals \u2013 the photons in the light \u2013 coming from the planets. But quantum computers could have a huge advantage.<\/p>\n
They would only require hundredths or even thousandths of the number of photons needed to create an image. As Cosmo Lupo at the Polytechnic University of Bari in Italy explained:<\/p>\n
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Photons obey the rules of quantum mechanics. Therefore, it is natural and it makes sense to investigate quantum methods to detect and process light coming, for example, from exoplanets.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
It might even be possible to distinguish the \u201cfingerprints\u201d of various molecules on the planet.<\/p>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/earthsky.org\/upl\/2025\/09\/e1-6000-exoplanets-artists-concept-web.width-1320-e1758196912716.jpg\")
View larger. | Here are multiple artist\u2019s concepts of exoplanets, based on what scientists have gleaned from the over 6,000 exoplanets discovered throughout the galaxy so far. We still can\u2019t see any details on any of them in images, but quantum computers might help change that. Image via NASA\/ Goddard Space Flight Center.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Diamonds and extremely cold atoms<\/h3>\n
A quantum computer could store the quantum states of the incoming photons. Then, it would leverage their quantum properties to extract information about the exoplanet. This quantum computer would use specially engineered diamonds. Precisely constructed defects in these diamonds would be used to store and process these fragile quantum states of light. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s bafflingly advanced technology, and scientists are already using it for other purposes.<\/p>\n
This first computer would then communicate the quantum states to the second quantum computer. This one is more sophisticated and would actually produce the images. Rather than diamonds, this computer would be composed of extremely cold atoms.<\/p>\n
This concept for imaging exoplanets is still quite new. Astronomers have already used it, however, to image a star in the constellation Canis Minor. Lupo said:<\/p>\n
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I am thrilled to see how quantum computing will impact the field of imaging and astronomy in the future. The new work is an important first step in this direction.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Bottom line: Distant planets around other stars are difficult to image. But quantum computers could help astronomers see them better.<\/p>\n
Source: Enhancing optical imaging via quantum computation<\/p>\n
Via New Scientist<\/p>\n
Read more: See colorful giant exoplanets in astonishing new Webb images<\/p>\n
Read more: Young Jupiter-like exoplanet revealed in new images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\n - Quantum computers can be used to improve those images,<\/strong> scientists at Harvard University say. They also might even distinguish various molecules on the planets.<\/li>\n