Prof. Luuk Visscher of Theoretical Chemistry at VU Amsterdam and Prof. Wybren Jan Buma of Molecular Photonics at the University of Amsterdam are taking part in research, in which the new Dutch quantum supercomputer will be used for determining molecular mirror images. It is one of the sixteen research projects within the National Growth Fund programme Quantum Technology, organised by the Dutch Research Council (NWO) in collaboration with Quantum Delta NL. A total of 5.3 million euros is being made available.
The mirror image of a molecule looks almost identical to the original, yet there is a crucial difference: imagine putting your right hand in a left-hand glove. For molecules, this may imply the difference between an effective drug and a potentially dangerous substance. Visscher’s and Buma’s team aims to use quantum simulation to develop a method for rapidly and unambiguously determining whether we have the desired molecule and not its mirror image.
Visscher: “You can think of it as a person’s signature, which also differs depending on whether it is written with a left hand or a right hand. Molecules can write signatures with ten hands at once, however, opening up a lot of possibilities. The molecules are first subjected to a thorough experimental characterisation, which produces a unique ‘molecular signature’. The supercomputer is then used to calculate all possible signatures and compare them with the measured signature, to find the best match.”
The Dutch quantum supercomputer is located in Delft and is shared with other researchers in the Quantum Delta. The researchers will also use computers elsewhere in the world.
Key technology
Quantum technology is a key technology that can provide answers to many unsolved societal challenges. The central government is putting 615 million euros into this pioneering technology. Of this, within the Quantum Technology programme, a total of 42 million euros has been set aside for scientific research and innovation, over a seven-year period.