Neutral Atom captured, photographed - Quantum computing much closer than ever before

[Tefal]

The tech was developed about 20 years ago but you don't see them in your everyday transactions almost anywhere (due to costs etc)..

That and they're completely needless.

 

[ntg]

That and they're completely needless.

Couldn't be more wrong. Where do you base that?

I'll give you an example of a potential benefit: You go to the supermarket, load your trolley full of stuff and just walk out past the till. The till automatically scans all your stuff from their RFID tags and charges your credit card (you just type in your pin number or something - or just pay), and out you go.

Of course there are many other potential uses in everyday life but it's just not cheap enough.

 

[Malt_Vinegar]

I wonder if you could use a quantum computer to decode a numbers station?

 

[Participant]

"You need a set of 30 atoms if you want to build a quantum computer that is capable of performing certain tasks better than existing computers, so this is a big step towards successfully doing that," he says.
...
The next step is to try and generate a "state of entanglement" between the atoms, a kind of atomic romance which lasts the distance, he says.

It's exciting, but surely this last bit is what's really going to take the time?

 

[mrk]

Quantum teleportation through entanglement has already been done recently by some researchers elsewhere:

http://arstechnica.com/science/news...les-of-free-space.ars?comments=1#comments-bar

I think the two need to work together!

 

[gillywibble]

Interesting.

 

[franco_22]

Yeah some old farts here probably won't see it but I bet I will

 

[Efour]

Finish Quantum dishwasher tablets have been around for years and it gets stuff clean at the atomic level.

* Amazing shine
* Removes even tough stains like baked-on and dried-on food
* No need to unwrap
* Recommended by leading dishwasher manufacturers

 

[ChrisJSY]

I wonder if you could use a quantum computer to decode a numbers station?

I thought the whole point in them was to be a one use code so you couldn't crack it, unless you were part of that "meeting".

Unless they vary.

 

[RedDanDoc]

I came into this thread wanting to see a Photograph of an Atom in all its glory.

 

[Masterdog]

Easily-cracked decryption would be bad. But will quantum computing, as well as being able to crack today's encryption, give us encryption orders of magnitude stronger than what we currently have? So that the problem essentially solves itself.

 

[BunnyKillBot]

http://www.webelements.com/rubidium/
It ignites spontaneously in air and reacts violently with water,

Keep coffee well away

I think the main problem with quantum computing at the moment is the name, and abuse of the word 'quantum' to make it sound cooler. Right i'm off for some quantum of solace, see ya.

 

[mrk]

Encryption created using a quantum computed algorithm!


Hmm.

 

[DJMK4]

Looks like something made in MS Paint with a spraycan tool

 

[Tefal]

Couldn't be more wrong. Where do you base that?

I'll give you an example of a potential benefit: You go to the supermarket, load your trolley full of stuff and just walk out past the till. The till automatically scans all your stuff from their RFID tags and charges your credit card (you just type in your pin number or something - or just pay), and out you go.

Of course there are many other potential uses in everyday life but it's just not cheap enough.

But that's not necessary is it?

Does it save them anything?

How do you combat people people just taking tags off things putting them in with other shopping and only paying for some of it?

what about security taged items which require a member of staff to take them off?

loose fuit and veg with no tags?

You either end up with a self service style till he have now with scales built in to detect what's bought, but the barcode reader replaced by a rifd reader at more cost to do exactly the same job and be less reliable.

Or you end up with a till where a staff member scans a weighs everything but agian the bar code reader is replaced by a RFID reader at increased cost per tag and less reliability.

What exactly is the benefit?

 

[SubFocus]

Finish Quantum dishwasher tablets have been around for years and it gets stuff clean at the atomic level.

* Amazing shine
* Removes even tough stains like baked-on and dried-on food
* No need to unwrap
* Recommended by leading dishwasher manufacturers

Haha, Classic

 

[Spektor]

The current trend is to make things faster and smaller, and it's not a trend that looks set to slow down and the only way to continue it is to go forward with this kind of new computing surely!

The researchers who photographed this atom say currently 10 Atoms put together can be done and that 30 is what is needed for a quantum computer - seems like steady progress no?

I don't think the 30 atoms will make a computer, the quote using the word 'certain' makes me think those 30 atoms will only replace very specific parts of a CPU, still impressive replacing many thousands if not tens of thousands of transistors with a mere 30 atoms. But I doubt being able to build a completely functional CPU which will no doubt require a great deal more atoms is something we're going to be seeing hitting the shelves in our relative youths

 

[Tefal]

I don't think the 30 atoms will make a computer, the quote using the word 'certain' makes me think those 30 atoms will only replace very specific parts of a CPU, still impressive replacing many thousands if not tens of thousands of transistors with a mere 30 atoms. But I doubt being able to build a completely functional CPU which will no doubt require a great deal more atoms is something we're going to be seeing hitting the shelves in our relative youths

I'd imagine it would be built into current computer technology to do specific tasks supported by the normal computer. (but obviously in the incredibly expensive government/research etc category not home computing )