ACM TechNews

Innovative Research Brings Quantum Computers One Step Closer

University of Surrey (08/06/08) La, Peter

Atomic quantum waves have been suspended in a silicon crystal using the free electron laser FELIX in the Netherlands. The project headed by the University of Surrey kept the quantum waves oscillating long enough for a computer operation, which marks a breakthrough in the effort to develop a workable quantum computer. Until now, researchers only have been able to fix a limited number of atoms in a vacuum for a short period of time, and they have not suspended enough atoms to make a whole computer. The quantum wave is capable of holding more information than a regular computer bit, which means computer logic and programs will need to be more powerful and much faster to crack a code. The researchers involved in the Surrey project now plan to produce a higher number of computer bits. "We hope that this work will open up a new field of physics, where quantum coherence can be explored in solid crystals, but at the same time we have brought a scalable silicon quantum computer a step nearer," says team leader Ben Murdin.

http://portal.surrey.ac.uk/portal/
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