In every modern microcircuit hidden inside a laptop or smartphone, you can see transistors—small semiconductor devices that control the flow of electric current, i.e. the flow of electrons. If we replace electrons with photons (elementary particles of light), then scientists will have the prospect of creating new computing systems that can process massive information flows at a speed close to the…
Tag: quantum computers
Increased control over ions’ motions may help improve quantum computers
Scientists precisely manipulated the ion’s oscillations and energy levels, a key step toward building better quantum computers. Source: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/increased-control-over-ion-motions-improve-quantum-computers4…
The fun way to manipulate atoms
With their potential to perform calculations far beyond the reach of conventional supercomputers, machines harnessing certain quantum physics phenomena are expected to change the way the world solves complex problems. They will help scientists develop more efficient solar cells and more effective drugs, and even have an impact on artificial intelligence. This is because unlike today’s computers that work by manipulating…
Limitation exposed in promising quantum computing material
Quantum computers promise to perform operations of great importance believed to be impossible for our technology today. Current computers process information via transistors carrying one of two units of information, either a 1 or a 0. Quantum computing is based on the quantum mechanical behavior of the logic unit. Each quantum unit, or “qubit,” can exist in a quantum superposition rather…
Solving problems on a quantum chessboard
Physicists at the University of Innsbruck are proposing a new model that could demonstrate the supremacy of quantum computers over classical supercomputers in solving optimization problems. In a recent paper, they demonstrate that just a few quantum particles would be sufficient to solve the mathematically difficult N-queens problem in chess even for large chess boards. …
Building a bridge to the quantum world
Entanglement is one of the main principles of quantum mechanics. Physicists from Professor Johannes Fink’s research group at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) have found a way to use a mechanical oscillator to produce entangled radiation. This method, which the authors published in the current edition of Nature, might prove extremely useful when it comes to connecting…
How To Evaluate Computers That Don’t Quite Exist
sciencehabit writes: To gauge the performance of a supercomputer, computer scientists turn to a standard tool: a set of algorithms called LINPACK that tests how fast the machine solves problems with huge numbers of variables. For quantum computers, which might one day solve certain problems that overwhelm conventional computers, no such benchmarking standard exists. One reason is that the computers, which…
Researchers explore architectural design of quantum computers
A recent study led by Princeton University researchers, in collaboration with University of Maryland and IBM, explored the architectural design of quantum computers (QC). In a paper presented at the 2019 ACM/IEEE International Symposium on Computer Architecture, the researchers performed the largest real-system evaluation of quantum computers to date, using seven quantum computers from IBM, Rigetti and the University of Maryland….
New theory for trapping light particles aims to advance development of quantum computers
Quantum computers, which use light particles (photons) instead of electrons to transmit and process data, hold the promise of a new era of research in which the time needed to realize lifesaving drugs and new technologies will be significantly shortened. Photons are promising candidates for quantum computation because they can propagate across long distances without losing information, but when they are…
How quantum technology could revolutionise the detection and treatment of diseases
When you hear the word ‘quantum,” you may imagine physicists working on a new ground breaking theory. Or perhaps you’ve read about quantum computers and how they might change the world. But one lesser-known field is also starting to reap the benefits of the quantum realm—medicine. …