Science Focus
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Computers, cell phones, and any other device being used to read this article rely on a three-century-old approach to computation that represents data with a binary system. However, it’s possible that some computations will shift to a different system entirely thanks to developments in the field of quantum computing.
Classical computing uses logic gates with a 1 or 0 value. Quantum bits, or qubits, can represent a 1, 0, or any state achieved by a mixture of these two through their quantum superposition. Single qubits can be linked to create a single computer that can perform parallel calculations that are out of the reach of today’s hardware.
Studies conducted at the Max-Planck-Institut in Germany may help enable these sorts of parallel computations. In their studies, published in Nature, researchers have used the two spin orientations of an atom, along with two polarization states of a photon, to represent a 0 or 1.
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original post: http://feeds.arstechnica.com/~r/arstechnica/science/~3/uRR6CR20oKI/
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