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Quantum Computing Using Traditional Transistors
Ocean Consulting writes "UCLA is reporting progress on the quantum computing front by announcing success in controlling the spin of a single electron using an ordinary transistor." It's been a long road for the researchers involved, and even the project lead, Hong Wen Jiang admits, "...our initial theoretical calculations were very favorable, and gave us confidence to persevere."
They're actually using pulsed microwave bursts to manipulate the electron's spin, not the transistor itself, really.
It is secure and it allows encrypted communications to be spied on. What they don't tell you is that the encrypted comunications are encrypted using standard encryption methods around today. Things that can be cracked by exhaustive search.
Using a quantum computer it can search every possible key simultaneously, cracking the encryption almost instantly. An example to understand this, you are in a building searching for your briefcase. Normal computers would go through every room one by one until they find it. A quantum computer would find the briefcase by existing in every room at the same time, finally settling (existance wise) in the room with the briefcase.
They also mention quantum cryptography being uncrackable, this is true. If someone eaves drops on communication that is encrypted, it inherently destroys the data. The users will recognize intrusion and the eavesdropper cannot decrypt the message because the data has been destroyed.
So yes, quantum computers can decrypt normal encryption that can be broken by exhaustive search and they can be used to provide quantum cryptograph which is a theoretically unbreakable form of communication.