http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/computers_math/quantum_computers/ Quantum Computer Research. Read the latest news in developing quantum computers. Full-text, images, free. en-us Fri, 16 May 2008 20:05:01 EDT Fri, 16 May 2008 20:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/computers_math/quantum_computers/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508143107.htm Quantum cryptography has been regarded as 100-percent protection against attacks on sensitive data traffic. But now a research team in Sweden has found a hole in this advanced technology. The risk of illegal accessing of information, for example in money transactions, is necessitating more and more advanced cryptographic techniques. Sun, 11 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508143107.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505072755.htm For the first time, physicists have come up with a scheme that would allow a quantum mechanical expert to win every time in a con game with a victim who only knows about classical physics. Prior quantum cons have typically been vulnerable to simple countermeasures. Tue, 06 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505072755.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501155234.htm Researchers from HP Labs have proven the existence of what had previously been only theorized as the fourth fundamental circuit element in electrical engineering. This scientific advancement could make it possible to develop computer systems that have memories that do not forget, do not need to be booted up, consume far less power and associate information in a manner similar to that of the human brain. Thu, 01 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501155234.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428123555.htm Quantum cryptography may be essentially solved, but getting the funky physics to work on disciplined computer networks is a whole new headache. Cryptography is an arms race, but the finish line may be fast approaching. Up to now, each time the codemakers made a better mousetrap, codebreakers breed a better mouse. But quantum cryptography theoretically could outpace the codebreakers and win the race. Forever. Tue, 29 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428123555.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424130707.htm Scientists from Princeton University have found that one of the most intriguing phenomena in condensed-matter physics -- known as the quantum Hall effect -- can occur in nature in a way that no one has ever before seen. The 'quantum Hall-like effect' was found in a bulk material without an applied magnetic field. The work, while significant in a fundamental way, could also lead to advances in new kinds of fast quantum or "spintronic" computing devices, of potential use in future electronic technologies. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424130707.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422160001.htm The exchange of information between distant sources is the basis of all communications, but quantum mechanics may open up this distant exchange as never before. Quantum key distribution, for instance, would allow for absolutely secure encryption of information exchange by encoding information keys on single photons. Wed, 23 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422160001.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417155913.htm When a tiny, quantum-scale, hypothetical balloon is popped in a vacuum, do the particles inside spread out all over the place as predicted by classical mechanics? A Nature paper answers the question, which is deceptively complex and bears on quantum computing and information theory. Sun, 20 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080417155913.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408144820.htm Computer scientists are one step closer to realizing distributed quantum computing. They recently demonstrated one of the basic building blocks for distributed quantum computing using entangled photons generated in optical fibers. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408144820.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402100014.htm Scientists have succeeded in cooling atoms of a rare-earth element, erbium, to within two millionths of a degree of absolute zero using a novel trapping and laser cooling technique. Potential applications range from nanoscale sensors to quantum computing. Sat, 05 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402100014.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328070113.htm As steady increases in computing capability continue, some new technology will have to take over from silicon. Carbon nanotubes and superconductors may be the answer. The silicon chip, which has supplied several decades' worth of remarkable increases in computing power and speed, looks unlikely to be capable of sustaining this pace for more than another decade -- in fact, some say, the conventional silicon chip has no longer than four years left to run. Sun, 30 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328070113.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172255.htm A team of physicists and engineers has demonstrated exquisite control of single particles of light -- photons -- on a silicon chip to make a major advance towards the long sought after goal of a super-powerful quantum computer. Fri, 28 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172255.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080324112847.htm The record for the most amount of information sent by a single photon has been broken. Using the direction of "wiggling" and "twisting" of a pair of hyper-entangled photons, they have beaten a fundamental limit on the channel capacity for dense coding with linear optics. Tue, 25 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080324112847.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320173602.htm Researchers have made significant advancements in understanding a fundamental problem of quantum mechanics -- one that is blocking efforts to develop practical quantum computers with processing speeds far superior to conventional computers. Theoretical and experimental studies are investigating how microscopic objects lose their quantum-mechanical properties through interactions with the environment. Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320173602.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318174941.htm Researchers have developed a new method for creating pairs of entangled photons, particles of light whose properties are interlinked in a very unusual way dictated by the rules of quantum physics. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080318174941.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080313095629.htm Researchers have created a road map that brings academia and the semiconductor industry one step closer to realizing carbon nanotube interconnects, and alleviating the current bottleneck of information flow that is limiting the potential of computer chips in everything from personal computers to portable music players. The scientists have created robust quantum models to compare key characteristics of copper and CNTs. Mon, 17 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080313095629.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305104847.htm Physicists have made a discovery that may revolutionize encryption technology while bringing quantum computing one step closer. Consumers, credit card companies and high-tech firms rely on cryptography to protect the transmission of sensitive information. The basis for current encryption systems is that computers would need thousands of years to factor a large number, making it very difficult to do. However, if new observations can be fully understood and applied, scientists may have the basis to create quantum computers -- which could easily break the most complicated encryption in a matter of hours. Thu, 06 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305104847.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080221101910.htm Digital logic, or bits, is the only paradigm for the IT world, and up to now researchers used it almost exclusively to study quantum information processing. But European scientists have proved that an analogue approach is far easier in the quantum world. Modern computing is digital, a series of 1s and 0s that, once combined, create powerful information processing systems. The system is so simple -- on or off, yes or no -- that it almost seems dumb. It is that very simplicity that gives digital computing its power. It works very well. But we have a problem. Silicon circuits are getting so small that they will soon be bumping up against a fundamental physical limit. Tue, 26 Feb 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080221101910.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080216095718.htm The strange world of quantum mechanics can provide a way to surpass limits in speed, efficiency and accuracy of computing, communications and measurement, according to new research. Quantum mechanics is the set of physical theories that explain the behavior of matter and energy at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It includes a number of strange properties that differ significantly from the way things work at sizes that people can observe directly, which are governed by classical physics. Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080216095718.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080208080532.htm Forty years ago, mathematician Mark Kac asked the theoretical question, "Can one hear the shape of a drum?" If drums of different shapes always produce their own unique sound spectrum, then it should be possible to identify the shape of a specific drum merely by studying its spectrum, thus "hearing" the drum's shape (a procedure analogous to spectroscopy, the way scientists detect the composition of a faraway star by studying its light spectrum). But what if two drums of different shapes could emit exactly the same sound? If so, it would be impossible to work backward from the spectrum and uniquely surmise the physical structure of the drum, because there would be more than one correct answer to the question. The drum research is important to the world of quantum mechanics. Sat, 09 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080208080532.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071221214400.htm Quantum cryptography, or quantum key distribution, enables two communicating parties to produce a shared random bit string know only to them, which can be used as a key to crypt and decrypt messages. An important and unique feature of quantum cryptography is the ability of the two communicating parties to quickly detect the presence of any third party trying to gain access to the key. This third party, the eavesdropper if you like, is commonly known as Eve among cryptographers. Quantum cryptography then is essentially all about cutting Eve out of the equation. Sun, 23 Dec 2007 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071221214400.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071212201158.htm Physicists have combined an atom-chiller with a molecule trap, creating for the first time a device that can generate and trap huge numbers of elusive-yet-valuable ultracold polar molecules. Scientists believe ultracold polar molecules will allow them to create exotic artificial crystals and stable quantum computers. Mon, 17 Dec 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071212201158.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071206124847.htm Important advances have recently been made in high-performance single-photon sources that bring such possibilities closer to reality. In particular, single photons can be used to implement absolutely secure optical communication, also known as quantum cryptography. With this new source, recording a single-photon signature that took eight hours five years back can now be achieved on a millisecond time scale. This remarkable progress was achieved by developing a novel type of microcavity structure which strongly enhances the light extraction from the optically active material. Fri, 07 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071206124847.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203111254.htm Engineers have demonstrated a highly versatile, compact and portable Quantum Cascade Laser sensor for the fast detection of a large number of chemicals, ranging from infinitesimal traces of gases to liquids, by broad tuning of the emission wavelength. The potential range of applications is huge, including homeland security, medical diagnostics such as breadth analysis, pollution monitoring, and environmental sensing of the greenhouse gases responsible for global warming. Thu, 06 Dec 2007 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071203111254.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071128113025.htm A technique for controlling the magnetic properties of a commonly used blue dye could revolutionize computer processing power, according to new research. Scientists have demonstrated that they can control the properties in a dye known as Metal Phthalocyanine, or MPc, with the use of magnetism. Thu, 29 Nov 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071128113025.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071115164316.htm Scientists are closer to developing novel devices for optics-based quantum computing and quantum information processing, as a result of a breakthrough in understanding how to make all the spins in an ensemble of quantum dots identical. Sun, 18 Nov 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071115164316.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071115164358.htm An international research team reproduces Young's experiment in a hydrogen molecule. The experiment illustrates the transition between the quantum and the macroscopic worlds and could be of great importance to future quantum computing. Sat, 17 Nov 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071115164358.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071109090639.htm Where do the realms of quantum mechanics and classical physics begin to overlap? It's a long-argued question of philosophical interest and practical importance. Now the world's smallest double slit experiment, performed at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Advanced Light Source and using as "slits" the two proton nuclei of a hydrogen molecule, has shown that quantum particles start behaving in a classical way on a scale as small as a single hydrogen molecule. Mon, 12 Nov 2007 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071109090639.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071106102646.htm Researchers have discovered crucial information about the protein transporter of oxygen, which opens up the possibility to optimize its function by introducing modifications. The transport of oxygen in blood is undertaken by hemoglobin, the largest component of red blood cells. Mon, 12 Nov 2007 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071106102646.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071101144942.htm Researchers have succeeded in controlling the spin of a single electron merely by using electric fields. This clears the way for a much simpler realization of the building blocks of a (future) super-fast quantum computer. Mon, 05 Nov 2007 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071101144942.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071011180823.htm Researchers have designed and demonstrated a transistor containing quantum dots that can count individual photons. The semiconductor device could be integrated easily into electronics for applications such as quantum key distribution for 'unbreakable' encryption using single photons. Mon, 15 Oct 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071011180823.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071008103647.htm A newly developed material could be to computers of the future what silicon is to the computers of today. The material -- a compound made from the elements potassium, niobium and oxygen, along with chromium ions -- could provide a technological breakthrough that leads to the development of new quantum computing technologies. Tue, 09 Oct 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071008103647.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070928104257.htm According to a new article, technological and security issues will stall maximum transmission rates at levels comparable to that of a single broadband connection, such as a cable modem, unless researchers reduce 'dead times' in the detectors that receive quantum-encrypted messages. Tue, 02 Oct 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070928104257.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070927135543.htm Engineers have made a novel device that simply and conveniently traps, detects and manipulates the single spin of an electron, overcoming some major obstacles that have prevented progress toward spintronics and spin-based quantum computing. Fri, 28 Sep 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070927135543.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070926172232.htm Physicists have transferred information between two 'artificial atoms' by way of electronic vibrations on a micro-fabricated aluminum cable, demonstrating a new component for potential ultra-powerful quantum computers of the future. The setup resembles a miniature version of a cable television transmission line, but with some powerful added features, including superconducting circuits with zero electrical resistance, and multitasking data bits that obey the unusual rules of quantum physics. Thu, 27 Sep 2007 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070926172232.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070926172350.htm Two major steps toward putting quantum computers into real practice -- sending a photon signal on demand from a qubit onto wires and transmitting the signal to a second, distant qubit -- have been achieved. Over the past several years, the scientists explored basic building blocks in the design of a quantum computer. Now, for the first time, they report that superconducting qubits, or artificial atoms, have been able to communicate information not only to their nearest neighbor, but also to a distant qubit on the chip. Thu, 27 Sep 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070926172350.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070921112416.htm Scientists have demonstrated the dramatic effects of quantum mechanics in a simple magnet. The importance of the work lies in establishing how a conventional tool of material science -- neutron beams produced at particle accelerators and nuclear reactors -- can be used to produce images of the ghostly entangled states of the quantum world. Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070921112416.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070912170108.htm Physicists have successfully measured the atomic spin of an isolated atom, one of the necessary steps on the road to quantum computers and spintronics devices. Using a scanning tunneling microscope with a spin-polarized tip, they mapped the surface topography and the surface energy levels to determine the spin of adatoms, the first time this has been measured directly. Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070912170108.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070905133621.htm Physicists have coaxed two separate atoms to communicate with a sort of quantum intuition that Albert Einstein called "spooky." In doing so, the researchers have made an advance toward super-fast quantum computing. The research could also be a building block for a quantum internet. Fri, 07 Sep 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070905133621.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070826162731.htm Scientist have worked out a new theory which describe how the necessary transistors for the quantum computers of the future may be created. Researchers dream of quantum computers. Incredibly fast super computers which can solve such extremely complicated tasks that it will revolutionise the application possibilities. But there are some serious difficulties. One of them is the transistors, which are the systems that process the signals. Today the signal is an electrical current. For a quantum computer the signal can be an optical one, and it works using a single photon which is the smallest component of light. Wed, 29 Aug 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070826162731.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070824102057.htm Scientists have made another breakthrough in the technology that will drive next generation computers and teleportation. The researchers have successfully superposed light beams, which produces a state that appears to be both on and off at once. Light beams that are simultaneously on and off are vital for the next-generation super computers which should be faster than current computers based on bits, that are either on or off. Mon, 27 Aug 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070824102057.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070816143801.htm By using pulses of light to dramatically accelerate the development of quantum computers, researchers have made strides in technology that could foil national and personal security threats. Fri, 17 Aug 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070816143801.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070807095935.htm Like navigating spacecraft through the solar system by means of gravity and small propulsive bursts, researchers can guide atoms, molecules and chemical reactions by utilizing the forces that bind nuclei and electrons into molecules (analogous to gravity) and by using light for propulsion. But, knowing the minimal amount of light required, and how that amount changes with the complexity of the molecule, has been a problem. By creating a quantum mechanical analog of Ulam's conjecture, researchers have expanded the flexibility and controllability of quantum mechanical systems. Tue, 14 Aug 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070807095935.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070803143053.htm It was always thought to be restricted to everyday types, with no magnetic sorts allowed in the door. But the quantum dance party's guest list just got bigger. In a paper that appeared Friday in the online edition of Physical Review Letters, University of Florida physicists report that -- contrary to expectations -- electrons in magnetic metals exhibit the same quantum tendencies as their counterparts in ordinary metals at extremely low temperatures. Rather than acting like particles that move independently of each other, they behave as waves, influencing each other's paths and trajectories. Sat, 04 Aug 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070803143053.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070725161144.htm Researchers have shown that a new and important effect called multiple exciton generation (MEG) occurs efficiently in silicon nanocrystals. MEG results in the formation of more than one electron per absorbed photon. Fri, 27 Jul 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070725161144.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070726142010.htm Scientists have detected a hidden magnetic "quantum order" that extends over chains of 100 atoms in a ceramic without classical magnetism. The findings, published in Science, have implications for the design of devices and materials for quantum information processing. Fri, 27 Jul 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070726142010.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070726085905.htm Scientists have shown that even though two electron particles have come from completely different sources and never interact with each other, the action of one is inextricably tied to the action of the other, showing once again the success of quantum theory. Fri, 27 Jul 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070726085905.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070725143630.htm Physicists have induced thousands of atoms trapped by laser beams to swap "spins" with partners simultaneously. The repeated exchanges, like a quantum version of swinging your partner in a square dance but lasting a total of just 10 milliseconds, might someday carry out logic operations in quantum computers, which theoretically could quickly solve certain problems that today's best supercomputers could not solve in years. Thu, 26 Jul 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070725143630.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070702084231.htm New discoveries have been made about another universe whose collapse appears to have given birth to the one we have today. The research introduces a new mathematical model that gives new details about the beginning of our universe, which now appears to have been a Big Bounce, according to a new theory of quantum gravity, and not a Big Bang, as described by Einstein's Theory of General Relativity. Tue, 03 Jul 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070702084231.htm