http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/quantum_computing/ Quantum Computing News. Read the latest about the development of quantum computers. Full-text, images, free. en-us Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:05:01 EDT Thu, 24 Jul 2008 07:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/quantum_computing/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080720223712.htm Experimental physicists have described how circularly polarized light can be used to measure events in the attosecond range. A measurement of this kind could perhaps soon give an experimental answer to the question of whether a measurable tunneling time of electrons as a result of the tunneling effect really exists -- one of the big unsolved riddles of physics. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080720223712.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714111413.htm Cymbals don't clash of their own accord -- in our world, anyway. But the quantum world is bizarrely different. Two metal plates, placed almost infinitesimally close together, spontaneously attract each other. Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714111413.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080702103327.htm Researchers have found that quantum dot nanoparticles can penetrate the skin if there is an abrasion, providing insight into potential workplace concerns for healthcare workers or individuals involved in the manufacturing of quantum dots or doing research on potential biomedical applications of the tiny nanoparticles. Thu, 03 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080702103327.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701142504.htm More than a century ago, at the dawn of modern quantum mechanics, the Nobel Prize-winning physicist Neils Bohr predicted so-called "quantum jumps." More recently, it has been possible to observe similar jumps in individual molecules. Experimentally, these quantum jumps translate to discrete interruptions of the continuous emission from single molecules, revealing a phenomenon known as florescent intermittency or "blinking." Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080701142504.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630173921.htm Nearly a century after Danish physicist Niels Bohr offered his planet-like model of the hydrogen atom, physicists have created giant, millimeter-sized atoms that resemble it more closely than any other experimental realization yet achieved. The scientists used lasers and electric fields to coax potassium atoms into a precise configuration with one point-like, "localized" electron orbiting far from the nucleus. Tue, 01 Jul 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630173921.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080627163255.htm The odd behavior of a molecule in an experimental silicon computer chip has led to a discovery that opens the door to quantum computing in semiconductors. Researchers describe how they have created a new, hybrid molecule in which its quantum state can be intentionally manipulated -- a required step in the building of quantum computers. Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080627163255.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080623175355.htm Fluorescent nanoparticles, called quantum dots, are dramatically better than existing methods for delivering a gene-silencing tool into cells. The quantum-dot chaperones help impede the cell's production of a given protein. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080623175355.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080625092700.htm Scientists have come an important step closer to the quantum computer. "Our results give us, for the first time, the possibility to understand the interaction between just two electrons placed next to each other in a carbon nanotube. A groundbreaking discovery, which is fundamental for the creation of a quantum mechanical bit, a so-called quantum bit -- the cornerstone of a quantum computer," explains Henrik Jørgensen, who is one of the many researchers competing on an international level to be the first to make a quantum bit in a carbon nanotube. Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080625092700.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080623133533.htm Researchers have developed a technique that controls the number of electrons on the surface of high-temperature superconductors, a procedure considered impossible for the past two decades. Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080623133533.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619111138.htm Particles called excitons that emit a flash of light as they decay could be used for a new form of computing better suited to fast communication, physicists at UC San Diego have demonstrated. Sat, 21 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080619111138.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080612095523.htm Materials researchers have developed a simplified, low-cost process for producing high-quality, water-soluble 'quantum dots' for biological research. Thu, 19 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080612095523.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080616144859.htm Physicists have developed a model to explain the mechanism behind computing's elusive Holy Grail, the single molecular switch. If born out experimentally, his work could help explode Moore’s Law and could revolutionize computing technology. Tue, 17 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080616144859.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080611135106.htm Scientists have, for the first time, synthesized and characterized the elusive parent molecule of an important class of chemical compounds. Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080611135106.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080611093854.htm Quantum computing has been hailed as the next leap forward for computers, promising to catapult memory capacity and processing speeds well beyond current limits. Several challenging problems need to be cracked, however, before the dream can be fully realized. Two researchers have proposed a solution to one of the most controversial of these conundrums and, in the process, may have taken a significant step toward realizing a quantum computing future. Sun, 15 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080611093854.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080612141344.htm Using a convenient and flexible method for creating twin light beams, researchers have produced "quantum images," pairs of information-rich visual patterns whose features are "entangled," or inextricably linked by the laws of quantum physics. Fri, 13 Jun 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080612141344.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603102743.htm After seven years of work, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology have built a system that relies on the "noise" of jiggling electrons as a basis for measuring temperatures with extreme precision. The system is nearly precise enough now to help update some of the crucial underpinnings of science, including the 54-year-old definition of the Kelvin, the international unit of temperature. Mon, 09 Jun 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080603102743.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080605095631.htm The long cherished goal of applying the strange properties of quantum mechanics to the macroscopic world we inhabit has been brought closer by a series of recent developments. The exciting progress was made in the important field of quantum optics and discussed recently at a high level conference. Fri, 06 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080605095631.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080602103355.htm Scientists have demonstrated, for the first time, the existence of "quasiparticles" with the one quarter the charge of an electron. While charges with odd denominators have been seen, the new, quarter-charge quasiparticle is significant because it might form the basis of a novel type of quantum computer. Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080602103355.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080602103359.htm Scientists have shown how quantum systems might disobey a hard and fast rule of physics: While an ensemble of small systems in a larger heat bath should eventually reach thermal equilibrium, repeated measuring of quantum systems could interfere with the process, causing them to heat further or lose energy to the heat bath. Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080602103359.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080530174732.htm New research shows that while engineered nanomaterials can be transferred up the lowest levels of the food chain from single celled organisms to higher multicelled ones, the amount transferred was relatively low and there was no evidence of the nanomaterials concentrating in the higher level organisms. Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080530174732.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080528095919.htm Scientists have demonstrated for the first time a high-performance infrared imager, based on a Type II superlattice, which looks at wavelengths 20 times longer than visible light. The technology has the potential for broad applications in the detection of terrorist activities, such as use in night vision, target identification, and missile tracking. Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080528095919.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080528095901.htm Researchers trying to flip the spin of electrons with laser bursts lasting picoseconds (a trillionth of a second) instead found a way to manipulate and control the spin -- knowledge that may prove useful in a variety of new materials and technologies. Sun, 01 Jun 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080528095901.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080529124827.htm Researchers have demonstrated a simpler and potentially lower-cost method for distributing cryptographic keys using quantum cryptography, the most secure method of transmitting data. The new method minimizes the required number of detectors, by far the most costly components in quantum cryptography. Fri, 30 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080529124827.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080523075105.htm Physicists have used a semiconductor material to create superimposed quantum dots that "trap" single electrons. Not only can these dots be studied with lasers, their energy can be influenced as well. Another point: the state of one of the dots governs that of the other above it. This has taken the researchers another step closer to quantum computers. Tue, 27 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080523075105.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080523074709.htm "Classical" laser light has become part of everyday life. There is a laser in every CD player, lecturers point to their slides with laser pointers and surgeons carry out medical operations with laser beams. Nevertheless there are numerous unusual kinds of laser light that are still largely unexplored, one of them being Diffusive Random Lasers. Tue, 27 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080523074709.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080522102436.htm A Dutch researcher has investigated the influence of light on the behavior of small molecules, and has calculated the effect of light for several types of molecules. His theoretical research into light-induced processes in the hydroxyl radical (OH), the hydrogen molecule (H2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) has directly contributed to a better understanding of chemical processes taking place on Earth as well as in the universe. Sun, 25 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080522102436.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080519165935.htm Researchers have recently doubled the efficiency of infrared lasers under the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's Efficient Mid-wave Infrared Lasers program. As these types of lasers become more efficient, they could be used in next-generation laser-based defense systems to fool incoming missile attacks or detect explosives or toxins in the atmosphere. Such lasers could also be used in commercial applications like trace chemical analysis, pollution monitoring, and free space communication. Tue, 20 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080519165935.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515145358.htm Experiments by physicists end a long-lasting dispute with an answer that apparently satisfies everyone. When atoms form molecules, they share their outer electrons and this creates a negatively charged cloud. Here, electrons buzz around between the two positively charged nuclei, making it impossible to tell which nucleus they belong to. They are delocalized. But is this also true for the electrons located closer to the nucleus? Mon, 19 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515145358.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515092615.htm Physicists have provided a mechanism by which information can be recovered from black holes -- and the first plausible mechanism for how information might escape from black holes, those regions of space where gravity is so strong that, according to Einstein's theory of general relativity, not even light can escape. The team's findings pave the way toward ending a decades-long debate sparked by renowned physicist Steven Hawking. Thu, 15 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515092615.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/2008/04/080428203354.htm It was hard to understand how a graphene sheet -- a featureless, flat sheet of carbon atoms -- lying on an equally featureless iridium surface, somehow converted itself into a kind of muffin tin that formed "muffins" made from newly arrived iridium atoms. The muffins were equally spaced and of equal size. Graphene flakes are notoriously difficult to work with. Still, they are stronger than diamond, better heat-shedders and conductors than silicon, and thought to have great potential in the worlds of microelectronics and sensors. If only they could be tamed. Thu, 01 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080428203354.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/2008/04/080422155058.htm Early miners used to carry canaries into coal mines because the birds were sensitive to certain gasses. Modern chemical analysis does the same thing, though much more powerfully. For instance, infrared spectroscopy can detect even trace amounts of a wide range of chemicals, including toxic components of hazardous waste or chemical weapons, because many chemicals absorb light in the mid-infrared band. Fri, 25 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080422155058.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/2008/03/080328101532.htm For the first time, physicists have been able to identify individual returning photons after firing and reflecting them off of a space satellite in orbit almost 1,500 kilometers above the earth. The experiment has proven the possibility of constructing a quantum channel between Space and Earth. Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328101532.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328110040.htm New research has turned the heat up on terahertz technology, bringing a handheld terahertz device a step closer to reality. Scientists have recorded the highest operating temperature for a terahertz quantum cascade laser -- a technology that scientists believe may unlock the potential of the terahertz frequency range. Sat, 29 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080328110040.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/2008/03/080319160050.htm Chemists have created "designer enzymes" -- a major milestone in computational chemistry and protein engineering. Designer enzymes will have applications for biological warfare defense by deactivating pathogenic biological agents, and for creating more effective medications. Thu, 20 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319160050.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/2008/03/080313203209.htm Learning how to control the movement of electrons on the molecular and nanometer scales could help scientists devise small-scale circuits for many applications, including more efficient ways of storing and using solar energy. A theoretical chemist has been researching theoretical techniques used to understand the factors affecting electron movement. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080313203209.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080313143055.htm Physicists report a series of experiments in Science that mark an important step toward understanding a longstanding fundamental physics problem of quantum mechanics. The problem the physicists addressed is how a fundamental particle in matter loses track of its quantum mechanical properties through interactions with its environment. Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080313143055.htm