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Arrays of Atoms Emerge As Dark Horse Candidate To Power Quantum Computers (sciencemag.org)
Sophia Chen reporting for Science Magazine: In a small basement laboratory, Harry Levine, a Harvard University graduate student in physics, can assemble a rudimentary computer in a fraction of a second. There isn't a processor chip in sight; his computer is powered by 51 rubidium atoms that reside in a glass cell the size of a matchbox. To create his computer, he lines up the atoms in single file, using a laser split into 51 beams. More lasers -- six beams per atom -- slow the atoms until they are nearly motionless. Then, with yet another set of lasers, he coaxes the atoms to interact with each other, and, in principle, perform calculations.
It's a quantum computer, which manipulates "qubits" that can encode zeroes and ones simultaneously in what's called a superposition state. If scaled up, it might vastly outperform conventional computers at certain tasks. But in the world of quantum computing, Levine's device is somewhat unusual. In the race to build a practical quantum device, investment has largely gone to qubits that can be built on silicon, such as tiny circuits of superconducting wire and small semiconductors structures known as quantum dots. Now, two recent studies have demonstrated the promise of the qubits Levine works with: neutral atoms. In one study, a group including Levine showed a quantum logic gate made of two neutral atoms could work with far fewer errors than ever before. And in another, researchers built 3D structures of carefully arranged atoms, showing that more qubits can be packed into a small space by taking advantage of the third dimension. Chen goes on report on the startups -- ColdQuanta and Atom Computing -- that are working to build fully programmable quantum computers. ColdQuanta has received $6.75 million in venture funding while Atom Computer has raised $5 million.
It's a quantum computer, which manipulates "qubits" that can encode zeroes and ones simultaneously in what's called a superposition state. If scaled up, it might vastly outperform conventional computers at certain tasks. But in the world of quantum computing, Levine's device is somewhat unusual. In the race to build a practical quantum device, investment has largely gone to qubits that can be built on silicon, such as tiny circuits of superconducting wire and small semiconductors structures known as quantum dots. Now, two recent studies have demonstrated the promise of the qubits Levine works with: neutral atoms. In one study, a group including Levine showed a quantum logic gate made of two neutral atoms could work with far fewer errors than ever before. And in another, researchers built 3D structures of carefully arranged atoms, showing that more qubits can be packed into a small space by taking advantage of the third dimension. Chen goes on report on the startups -- ColdQuanta and Atom Computing -- that are working to build fully programmable quantum computers. ColdQuanta has received $6.75 million in venture funding while Atom Computer has raised $5 million.
The new gold. Or bullshit. Either way, time will tell.
This is more on the level of a few single transistors, although actual transistors can be combined for the whole to scale. This cannot.
The more of these "breakthroughs" I see, the more I am convinced this stuff will never be of any use. They are making slower and slower process and still cannot solve even computing tasks a pocket calculator could solve 50 years ago. And they have been at it for like 30 years now.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
There doesn't seem to be any evidence that quantum computers actually work the way they say. I would want to see that before anybody building quantum computers got another dime.
captcha: baseless
"No no, up and atom!"
No problem, then! All the hard work has already been done! You have a barely functional preliminary version roughly based on an abstract theoretical approach and all the long-term thinking ("we have just to scale it up"). The only missing detail now is estimating how long it will most likely take. I am personally a big fan of the within-the-next-5-years technique. (This is part of the speech which I am expecting to give in my hopefully-never-happening MBA graduation ceremony). LOL
Custom Solvers 2.0 = Alvaro Carballo Garcia = varocarbas.
Just because you put 51 Rubidium atoms into superposition does not mean that you can program them. Now that you have 51 qubits, how do you then dynamically configure them into gates to perform calculations? This process is missing, unless it's lasers. Sharks with lasers.
https://www.lawyers.com/legal-...
As an incentive for businesses to keep investing in R&D, the tax law provides favorable tax treatment for research and experimental costs. In most cases, you can currently deduct these costs or deduct them over five or ten years.
Government is funding research and development through tax incentives.
It's basically giving companies money to spend on playing around with LEGOs, trying to make a better mousetrap.
Why? Cause some of them work AND you get to keep and train a lot of experienced LEGO builders and other eggheads.
The kind of people who come up with better medicines and bigger bombs.
It's not the most efficient way of going about it, but the successful results get pumped straight into the economy and you save a lot on administration and planning costs.
Cause someone somewhere is probably developing something you don't even know you'll absolutely need in ten years.
Unlike monkeys on typewriters, scientists and engineers DO come up with useful things by just playing around with stuff all day.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
At least pretty much all matter ...
Remember when "ATOM" was used to make things sound cool, just like "QUANTUM" is today?
how many megawatts to cool the atoms???
Just in time to be powered by breakthrough miracle batteries charged by 99% efficient solar cells which cost mere pennies per killowatt to mass produce. What a time we live in!
Where can I get mine?
I find it amazing that they can do this, but I don't see how it relates to building a Quantum Computer worth it's cooling.
The issue is scale and the ability to program with the flexibility expected of a general purpose computer.
Classic computers have reached a limit in this due to the requirement that all the pieces be closely connected together.
Quantum computing seems to be heading down the same path, but this seems like playing the game with one hand behind your back.
An alternative path might be to embrace the spooky quantum property of entanglement at a distance.
What if you built a machine with the following major parts:
1) A collection of logic boxes, each of which take a collection of photons and constrains them to a logic truth table.
2) A generator of entangled photon pairs which can provide photons for the above boxes to constrain
3) A programmable routing system which can route each individual photon to a desired place for constrait in the logic boxes.
4) A software program to take a logical description of the logic problem to be solved and compile it into a set of routing instructions.
5) Something to watch over and read out the state once the wave functions collapse to a single solution.
It seems to me that this architecture provides a framework which can grow as the physicists make more and more amazing gadgets for entangling photons.
In theory, it should allow the size of the machine to increase at will.
Eventually it might be worth it's cooling.
Seems too good to be true.
Aside form having no clue how to actually make it, is there something we know about physics that makes this not possible?
I never believe atoms, they make up everything.