Clipmarks | taksmaster's 'quantum' clips

China succeds in quantum cryptography network test

Wed, 04 Apr 2007 23:42:11 GMT

clipped by: taksmaster

BEIJING, April 2 (Xinhua) -- China's first quantum cryptography network has been successfully tested in Beijing, the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced on Monday.

The commercial communication network of the Chinese Network Company (CNC) was used to test the quantum network.

The testing was carried out by the Key Lab of Quantum Information under the University of Science and Technology. Leading scientist Guo Guangcan said that current cryptography faces challenges from quantum computers, because theoretically all codes can be deciphered.

But quantum information cannot be copied and any interception of quantum information is easily discovered, Guo said, adding that the new quantum cryptography is therefore "absolutely safe" and proof against decoding.

The research group successfully completed a 125-km fiber point-to-point quantum key distribution (QKD) experiment between Beijing and Tianjin in 2004, which solved the problem of stability in quantum cryptography systems.

Tags: science, technology, quantum, computers

Human 2.0 - Creating Gods

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 17:12:29 GMT

clipped by: taksmaster
clipper's remarks: Documentary about the upcoming technological singularity.

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

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Tags: science, technology, future, neuroscience, transhumanism, artificial intelligence, singularity, quantum mechanics

Scientists Dubious of Quantum Claims

Thu, 15 Feb 2007 01:35:11 GMT

clipped by: taksmaster

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

Quantum computing is such an elusive goal that even the company claiming to have the "world's first commercial quantum computer" acknowledged it isn't entirely sure the machine is performing true quantum calculations.

And independent quantum computing researchers said they are dubious of some of the claims made by D-Wave Systems Inc. because the privately held Canadian company has not yet submitted its findings for peer review, a standard step for gaining acceptance in scientific circles.

Many scientists believe that true quantum computing - which is based on the unusual properties of quantum physics - promises to solve certain factoring, simulation and other intensive problems faster than today's machines that rely on classical physics. Most say it's likely still years or decades away.

"Until we see more actual measurements, it's hard to know whether they succeeded or not," said Phil Kuekes, a computer architect in the Quantum Science Research Group at Hewlett-Packard Co.'s HP Labs.

D-Wave held its first public demonstration Tuesday of a machine it claims uses quantum mechanics to solve a certain type of problems, such as searching a database for matching molecular structures.

Tags: computer, computers, computing, quantum, science, technology

Quantum Computer Demonstrated

Wed, 14 Feb 2007 04:00:54 GMT

clipped by: taksmaster

Clip Source: www.dwavesys.com

VANCOUVER, B.C. or MT. VIEW, CA – February 13, 2007 – The world’s first commercially viable quantum computer was unveiled and demonstrated today in Silicon Valley by D-Wave Systems, Inc., a privately-held Canadian firm headquartered near Vancouver.

Quantum computing offers the potential to create value in areas where problems or requirements exceed the capability of digital computing, the company said. But D-Wave explains that its new device is intended as a complement to conventional computers, to augment existing machines and their market, not as a replacement for them.

Company officials formally announced the technology at the Computer History Museum, in the heart of Silicon Valley, in a demonstration intended to show how the machine can run commercial applications and is better suited to the types of problems that have stymied conventional (digital) computers.

Tags: science, technology, quantum, computer

Quantum computer to debut next week

Thu, 08 Feb 2007 21:13:07 GMT

clipped by: taksmaster
clipper's remarks: Welcome to the future.

Clip Source: www.techworld.com

Twenty years before most scientists expected it, a commercial company has announceda quantum computer that promises to massively speed up searches and optimisation calculations.

D-Wave of British Columbia has promised to demonstrate a quantum computer next Tuesday, that can carry out 64,000 calculations simultaneously (in parallel "universes"), thanks to a new technique which rethinks the already-uncanny world of quantum computing. But the academic world is taking a wait-and-see approach.

Tags: technology, science, computers, quantum, singularity

Guiding an Atom Laser

Fri, 24 Nov 2006 19:11:35 GMT

clipped by: taksmaster

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

One of the biggest differences between photons and atoms is that the latter are massive particles, making gravity is a huge factor. It can be seen as an advantage when designing new high accuracy atom interferometers based inertial sensors, but can be a major drawback when controlling atom laser beams. “Gravity makes for higher velocity,” William Guerin explains to PhysOrg.com, “and that means wavelengths become small.”

According to Guerin, a scientist at the Institute d'Optique Graduate School in Palaiseau (south of Paris), in order for an atom laser to be practicable for many applications, a method for creating longer wavelengths needs to be found. And, with his colleagues from Aspect's Atom Optics Group of the Laboratoire Charles Fabry, he has. An article published in Physical Review Letters by Guerin and his coworkers Riou and Gaebler from the team led by Josse and Bouyer, is titled “Guided Quasicontinuous Atom Laser”; it demonstrates how this longer wavelength can be achieved.

“By making our atom laser into a wave carrier, we can get rid of the acceleration of gravity,” says Guerin. “We can create an atom laser with a constant.” The French team’s Letter describes how such a laser works with trapped Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC):

But rather than getting too carried away with the future, Guerin sticks with the basics. “There are two main points that we have realized because of this work,” he says. “First, we have a well-defined and large wavelength. This is new.” He continues his explanation: “And, second, we can control the amounts of interaction. It is great that we can control the flux of the atom laser, by controlling the flux, we control the density inside the beam.” And it is great for the world of atomic science as well.

Tags: quantum, physics, science, nanotechnology

A Quantum (Computer) Step

Mon, 20 Nov 2006 09:04:02 GMT

clipped by: taksmaster

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

University of Utah physicist Christoph Boehme works with equipment that he uses to show it it feasible for a superfast qunatum computer of the future to read data that is stored in the form of magnetic "spins" of phosphorus atoms. Photo by John Lupton, UU

A University of Utah physicist took a step toward developing a superfast computer based on the weird reality of quantum physics by showing it is feasible to read data stored in the form of the magnetic "spins" of phosphorus atoms.

"We have resolved a major obstacle for building a particular kind of quantum computer, the phosphorus-and-silicon quantum computer," says Boehme. "For this concept, data readout is the biggest issue, and we have shown a new way to read data."

Quantum computers, which have not been built yet, would be based on the strange principles of quantum mechanics, in which the smallest particles of light and matter can be in different places at the same time.

In a quantum computer, one "qubit" - quantum bit - could be both 0 and 1 at the same time. So with three qubits of data, a quantum computer could store all eight combinations of 0 and 1 simultaneously. That means a three-qubit quantum computer could calculate eight times faster than a three-bit digital computer.

"We discovered a mechanism that will allow us to measure the spins of the nuclei of individual phosphorus atoms in a piece of silicon when the phosphorus is close [within about 50 atoms] to the surface," Boehme says. With improved design, it should be possible to build a much smaller device that "lets us read a single phosphorus nucleus."

While Boehme is excited by this advance, numerous obstacles remain before quantum computing becomes a reality.

Tags: computers, science, technology, quantum