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Innovative Ion Trap on a Semiconductor
Denix writes "MIT's TechnologyReview has an interesting article on a silicon-based "ion trap" in order to host a "qubit." The Ion Trap technology 'uses electric and magnetic fields to isolate a charged particle from its environment -- a prerequisite for exploiting the temperamental quantum properties of electrons."
Now we have to hope that quantum computing comes out in time for Windows Vista.
I wonder what sort of programming language would be needed to manipulate such esoteric devices.
Jesus saved me from my past. He can save you as well.
Ion traps aren't particularly clever in themselves, but making them small- and mass-producing them- is important for quantum computing, which is where the research in the article is pointing.
No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
Read up on Ion traps at: http://www.ionsource.com/links/iontrap.htm
Also, Wikipedia has quite a bit of useful information, especially regarding Paul traps: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion_trap
SIG: TAKE OFF EVERY 'CAPTAIN'!!
You know I've read lots of interesting application for quantum PC-s, but they are all esoteric, like hacking encryption keys or in scientific supercomputers for .. well simulating quantum level events :)
.. well odd).
The progress is certainly interesting, but I everything shows this won't be the future of the mass computing, where running multimedia and office application are more practical usage of technology, and not especially suited for quantum computers (cuz most of you know quantum computers aren't just super fast computers.. they're just
For personal computing we gotta be looking into nano-technology, which also would be compatible with today's PC architecture (i.e. nano RAM in a laptop or nano HDD with SCSI interface for example).
For the obligatory 'but will it run Linux?' question, here's an answer I heard:
Being a Quantum computer, it can both run Linux, and NOT run Linux at the same time.
Serving time in Aristotelean prison for violating laws of physics
So, the reporter doesn't know his periodic table? I bet he's red-hot at quantum physics, though. Really brilliant and highly trained minds sometimes skip over the basic stuff, yerknow.
Bah.
Quantum computers can factor a number in polynomial time. That's not because they're really fast (they're not doing it in exponential time very fast, but in polynomial), it's because they have quantum properties. To factor a number, they convert the problem into a problem of finding the periodicity of a function, and then exploit the computer's ability to be in all states at the same time, and thus find the period very fast.
They have the potential to do stuff that we do slowly now much faster, but I don't think they will be that unbelievably faster (3,000,000x).
Send email from the afterlife! Write your e-will at Dead Man's Switch.
The chip is placed in a vacuum, which then gets injected with a vapor of cadmium ions. When the appropriate voltages are applied to the electrodes, a cadmium ion with a free electron becomes trapped, floating between the cantilevers above the etched hole. In order to actually use the atom's free electron for computation, Monroe explains, the ion must be probed by a laser beam that reads the electron's spin state.
n d.htm
http://science.msfc.nasa.gov/ssl/pad/solar/sun_wi
Is it possible for solar wind to affect the ions and electrons making these calculations?
He who knows best knows how little he knows. - Thomas Jefferson
Why hasn't quantum computing gone further? Well, first you need to know that it requires your qubit to be tied to nearby qubits. When done with electrons, this is difficult because decoherence sets in very quickly.
In the end, they can "compute" with this string of qubits by bathing it in a certain frequency wavelength. What comes back are the multiple waves with the frequencies of all the prime factorizations of the initial frequency. The initial frequency cannot be greater than 2^(# of qubits).
The information I am relaying to you is from George Johnson's book, A Shortcut Through Time. Which is quite good.
I would also like to point out that the United States Government Lab in Los Alamos has done considerable research regarding this.
As a citizen of the U.S., you are funding this project so you have paid for and are entitled to read about their discoveries and I encourage you to do so if you have the time.
The reason for all this research? ~ From the Wiki Talk on Shor's Algorithm
My work here is dung.
I was wondering how people could work anti-MS comments into an article about ion traps.. but I'm new here and I should have known it could be done easily. Just add the word innovative and we're done.
Riiight.
... zwo-pah ... zwo-pah
What's a qubit?
Zwo-pah
(apologies to Bill Cosby)
Instead of addressing mass-production issues, maybe it would be time to put up a working quantum computer and see if it turns out useful. I doubt the goal of "10'000 qubits before it is useful" is impossible with today's technology.
Anyone remembers those computers that filled a whole room, and cost the price of a small country?
C.