ytterbium
noun
yt·ter·bi·um
i-ˈtər-bē-əm 
: a soft metallic element of the rare-earth group that occurs especially with other rare earth elements in minerals and that has few commercial uses see Chemical Elements Table
Examples of ytterbium in a Sentence
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This system uses an isotope of ytterbium for qubits and barium ions for cooling.
—
Paul Smith-Goodson, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
Its newest quantum computer uses ytterbium atoms capable of scaling to upwards of 1,200 qubits.
—Paul Smith-Goodson, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
In plain English, that means ytterbium has only two quantum levels that can be accessed in its lowest state.
—Paul Smith-Goodson, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
Much of the work so far uses rubidium and cesium atoms, but the physicist Jeff Thompson at Princeton University prefers encoding the information in the nuclear spin states of metal atoms such as strontium and ytterbium, which have even longer coherence times.
—Philip Ball, Quanta Magazine, 25 Mar. 2024
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Paul Smith-Goodson, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
Its newest quantum computer uses ytterbium atoms capable of scaling to upwards of 1,200 qubits.
—Paul Smith-Goodson, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
In plain English, that means ytterbium has only two quantum levels that can be accessed in its lowest state.
—Paul Smith-Goodson, Forbes, 2 Oct. 2024
Much of the work so far uses rubidium and cesium atoms, but the physicist Jeff Thompson at Princeton University prefers encoding the information in the nuclear spin states of metal atoms such as strontium and ytterbium, which have even longer coherence times.
—Philip Ball, Quanta Magazine, 25 Mar. 2024
See all Example Sentences for ytterbium
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Cite this Entry
“Ytterbium.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ytterbium. Accessed 16 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
ytterbium
noun
yt·ter·bi·um
i-ˈtər-bē-əm
: a metallic element that occurs in several minerals see element
Medical Definition
ytterbium
noun
yt·ter·bi·um
i-ˈtər-bē-əm
: a bivalent or trivalent metallic element of the rare-earth group that resembles yttrium and occurs with it and related elements in several minerals
—symbol Yb
see Chemical Elements Table
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