Multi-purpose photonic chip paves the way to programmable quantum processors
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[h2]Multi-purpose photonic chip paves the way to programmable quantum processors[/h2][B]The fundamental resource that drives a quantum computer is entanglement—the connection between two distant particles which Einstein famously called 'spooky action at a distance'. The Bristol researchers have, for the first time, shown that this remarkable phenomenon can be generated, manipulated and measured entirely on a tiny silica chip. They have also used the same chip to measure mixture—an often unwanted effect from the environment, but a phenomenon which can now be controlled and used to characterize quantum circuits, as well as being of fundamental interest to physicists.[/B]
"In order to build a quantum computer, we not only need to be able to control complex phenomena such as entanglement and mixture, but we need to be able to do this on a chip, so that we can scalably and practically duplicate many such miniature circuits—in much the same way as the modern computers we have today," says Professor Jeremy O'Brien, Director of the Centre for Quantum Photonics. "Our device enables this and we believe it is a major step forward towards optical quantum computing."
The chip, which performs several experiments that would each ordinarily be carried out on an optical bench the size of a large dining table, is 70 mm by 3 mm. It consists of a network of tiny channels which guide, manipulate and interact single photons—particles of light. Using eight reconfigurable electrodes embedded in the circuit, photon pairs can be manipulated and entangled, producing any possible entangled state of two photons or any mixed state of one photon.
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"It isn't ideal if your quantum computer can only perform a single specific task", explains Peter Shadbolt, lead author of the study, which is published in the journal Nature Photonics. "We would prefer to have a reconfigurable device which can perform a broad variety of tasks, much like our desktop PCs today—this reconfigurable ability is what we have now demonstrated. This device is approximately ten times more complex than previous experiments using this technology. It's exciting because we can perform many different experiments in a very straightforward way, using a single reconfigurable chip."
The researchers, who have been developing quantum photonic chips for the past six years, are now working on scaling up the complexity of this device, and see this technology as the building block for the quantum computers of the future.
Dr Terry Rudolph from Imperial College in London, UK, believes this work is a significant advance. He said: "Being able to generate, manipulate and measure entanglement on a chip is an awesome achievement. Not only is it a key step towards the many quantum technologies— such as optical quantum computing—which are going to revolutionize our lives, it gives us much more opportunity to explore and play with some of the very weird quantum phenomena we still struggle to wrap our minds around. They have made it so easy to dial up in seconds an experiment that used to take us months, that I'm wondering if even I can run my own experiment now!"
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[URL="http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-12-multi-purpose-photonic-chip-paves-programmable.html"]Source[/URL]
Photonic you say?
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This is amazing stuff. If the processors are as fast and awesome as everyone keeps telling me, we may well be in for a golden age of computing!
Please become reality and not just a lost cool discovery/experiment. Please.
title sounds nice futuristic and complex so I'll rate it winner without reading the article anyways.
[QUOTE=Laferio;33677044]title sounds nice futuristic and complex so I'll rate it winner without reading the article anyways.[/QUOTE]
it's the first steps in creating a chip that uses light rather than electricity to process and transport data
InB4 it's forgotten
Okay great still doesn't solve decoherence.
[quote]it's the first steps in creating a chip that uses light rather than electricity to process and transport data[/quote]
We use fiber optics a lot already (well to transport data, the problem with fiber optics is the fact that you have to convert the signal to electrons at both ends so the computer can read it). If you replaced everything in a computer that uses electrons with photons it would be an optical computer not a quantum computer, and the only speed up from that is the speed up from the speed of the photons.
[QUOTE=thrawn2787;33677720]and the only speed up from that is the speed up from the speed of the photons.[/QUOTE]
Which isn't all that great.
[QUOTE=One Ear Ninja;33677427]InB4 it's forgotten[/QUOTE]
This stuff is rarely forgotten, instead they're adapted into new technologies which, while they may seem different, are based on the same research.
[QUOTE=thrawn2787;33677720]Okay great still doesn't solve decoherence.[/QUOTE]
It's a step forward, jesus christ get off your entitlement high horse
Isn't there a concept in quantum computing that one is never sure that the answer received is the correct answer, but there is a very high probably of the correct answer?
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;33678154]It's a step forward, jesus christ get off your entitlement high horse[/QUOTE]
I'm just saying it helps a little but decoherence seems to be the major hurdle to cover to get working, viable quantum computers.
Sounds pretty amazing, and extremely useful.
Something that I find curious about scientific advancements is that they happen, all is good, but it seems nothing changes. It's extremely, extremely gradual, similar to the slope of Olympus Mon's on Mars.
[QUOTE=StarWarsMan;33678194]Isn't there a concept in quantum computing that one is never sure that the answer received is the correct answer, but there is a very high probably of the correct answer?[/QUOTE]
Sounds confusing.
"1 + 1 = 2...?"
[QUOTE=ChaosUnleash;33676876]we may well be in for a golden age of computing![/QUOTE]
I'm sitting here at my desk using an 8 core 2.6GHz CPU watching videos of things happening across the world and typing to you.
THIS IS THE GOLDEN AGE
[QUOTE=Coridan;33676904]Please become reality and not just a lost cool discovery/experiment. Please.[/QUOTE]
Its going to have to be a reality eventually no matter what.
[editline]11th December 2011[/editline]
[QUOTE=Jookia;33681058]I'm sitting here at my desk using an 8 core 2.6GHz CPU watching videos of things happening across the world and typing to you.
THIS IS THE GOLDEN AGE[/QUOTE]
You're using an AMD? ew
[QUOTE=Zero-Point;33681006]Sounds confusing.
"1 + 1 = 2...?"[/QUOTE]
Well the whole theory behind quantum computing being faster has to deal with quantum super position. So basically in a modern computer you might have n number of bits (a bit is a 0 or a 1, a singular binary digit). So if you have n bits those bits can be in any [B]one [/B]2^n possible configurations. IE for 2 bits (2^2 = 4):
00
01
10
11
But thanks to quantum superposition you have things called quibits. With n quibits they can be in all 2^n combinations [I]at the same time[/I]. Although measuring the quibits forces them to one of the combinations. Fucking quantum mechanics is confusing. If you understand all of it all the more power to you.
[QUOTE=thrawn2787;33681166]Well the whole theory behind quantum computing being faster has to deal with quantum super position. So basically in a modern computer you might have n number of bits (a bit is a 0 or a 1, a singular binary digit). So if you have n bits those bits can be in any [B]one [/B]2^n possible configurations. IE for 2 bits (2^2 = 4):
00
01
10
11
But thanks to quantum superposition you have things called quibits. With n quibits they can be in all 2^n combinations [I]at the same time[/I]. Although measuring the quibits forces them to one of the combinations. Fucking quantum mechanics is confusing. If you understand all of it all the more power to you.[/QUOTE]
I knew the premise of it (not in detail), I just think it's funny that we're working from computers with definite answers to computers capable of "maybe".
[QUOTE=Zero-Point;33681254]I knew the premise of it (not in detail), I just think it's funny that we're working from computers with definite answers to computers capable of "maybe".[/QUOTE]
I'm not entirely sure that's the case. But again I'm not an expert on this subject at all.
[QUOTE=thrawn2787;33677720]Okay great still doesn't solve decoherence.
[/QUOTE]
Oh wow.
'You cured herpes? Pffft, doesn't cure cancer.'
[QUOTE=thrawn2787;33681448]I'm not entirely sure that's the case. But again I'm not an expert on this subject at all.[/QUOTE]
Every time I hear it explained that's pretty much how it comes across so you're not alone.
I dont think this will fade away into nothing likr alot of scientific breaktroughs. Entanglement has been here for a while, and seeing this it seems to be here to stay.
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