SC Online is carrying a story today about University of Michigan researchers who are moving the ball forward on optical quantum computing.
The researchers used short, coherent pulses of light to create light-matter interactions in quantum dots—particles so small that the addition or deletion of electrons changes their properties. They found they could control the frequency and phase shifts in the optical network, which is crucial in powering an optically driven quantum computer, [Duncan Steel, a professor at U Mich.] said.
Everyone is so interested in quantum computers because they multitask so effectively.
“Quantum computers are capable of massive parallel computations,” Steel said. “That’s why these machines are so fast.”
Bonus on this technology: it works with readily available optical telecom technology, and the quantum dots (which replace transistors in the computers of today) take only a few billionths of a watt to power.
The research is covered in depth in the article “Coherent Optical Spectroscopy of a Strongly Driven Quantum Dot,” which appears in the Aug. 17 issue of Science.
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