Published in Nature, 23 Dec 2010
A type of quantum bit that hinges on the innate link between an electron’s spin and its orbit round the nucleus has been developed by physicists in the Netherlands. The system, which should easily integrate with other electronics, is a strong contender for use in future quantum computing or cryptography, according to research published today in Nature.
Quantum computing relies on the inherent uncertainties of quantum mechanics to process information much faster than any conventional machine. Whereas normal bits of information take only the values zero or one, quantum bits, or ‘qubits’, exist in a fuzzy superposition of both. This ambiguity allows several qubits to be processed in parallel, so that many calculations can be performed at once. […]
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