• Physicists Demonstrate Working Quantum Router, a Step Toward a Quantum Internet
    35 replies, posted
[QUOTE]As much as we love our silicon semiconductors, quantum computers are very much a technology of the future. Instead of the usual string of 1s and 0s, they'll be able to send both types of information at the same time, dwarfing their traditional counterparts. But one major problem is that they can only move through one optical fibre. To push more information through, they need a router, and Chinese physicists have unveiled the first one. In a quantum computer, photons ferry information to other sources. It's possible to send the photons directly through one fibre, but routing comes in when another fibre is needed. Like the router you probably own, a control signal reads the data then sends it to its destination. But dealing with unruly quantum particles is a little more complicated; when a signal is read it's also destroyed. So even though the data can be transferred with traditional methods, that doesn't offer the kind of data-transferring power quantum computing offers. This new quantum router proves it's possible to truly guide a quantum signal. The information used is encoded in two different types of polarized photons (like 1s and 0s). Scientists then create a single photon that acts as both (the combined 1s and 0s). That photon is then broken down into two photons that share the combined state. The router picks up one to determine the route, then the other photon is used to transfer the information. A simple series of half mirrors guides the photons along the correct route. Does this mean we're now well on our way to a globally connected, super-fast stream of information? No. The scientists say it's just a proof of concept--we know it's at least theoretically possible to send quantum information through a router, but it's still a limited way of doing it. In other words, when this sort of technology is usable (and it will be), it won't look like this. [img]http://www.popsci.com/files/imagecache/article_image_large/articles/DWave_128chip.jpeg[/img] [B]Quantum Computer Chip[/B][/quote] [url]http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-08/researchers-test-router-thats-step-toward-quantum-computing-internet[/url]
Science! [editline]4th August 2012[/editline] This is awesome.
[QUOTE=matrix_1995;37079645]Science! [editline]4th August 2012[/editline] This is awesome.[/QUOTE] That's just what the Matrix would want us to think.
This kind of stuff just blows my mind, it's amazing humanity is learning to bend such complicated things to our will.
The best part of this, is that companies know that the first to accept and push use of quantum computers when the day they go commercial arrives, they will be the first to lead a new era of technology, so we'll see a lot of companies funding this stuff as more and more of it is proven to be feasible.
I dont really understand it but it sounds kicking rad
Psychist Demons... Eh. I thought this would be about demonic physicists for a second. But this is actually better!
The whole notion of a particle existing in two states at the same time blows my mind to begin with. I have zero chance of ever understanding any of these articles. Still awesome though.
[QUOTE=SweetSwifter;37080066]The whole notion of a particle existing in two states at the same time blows my mind to begin with. I have zero chance of ever understanding any of these articles. Still awesome though.[/QUOTE] And soon we will have ultra-advanced technology processing at speeds the human mind can't comprehend, sending quantum information through optical fiber networks at upload speeds way surpassing today's standards Only to see an image of a cat playing with a toy load 10% faster
I have no idea what any of that means but it says "Quantum" so it must be awesome.
[QUOTE=NotMeh;37080334]I have no idea what any of that means but it says "Quantum" so it must be awesome.[/QUOTE] you can make any idea sound plausible just by winking and saying "quantum mechanics". flying pigs? quantum mechanics! [editline]August 4th[/editline] it also helps if you nod knowingly
[QUOTE=NotMeh;37080334]I have no idea what any of that means but it says "Quantum" so it must be awesome.[/QUOTE] [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyX8E4KUkWw&feature=player_detailpage[/media]
How about making pairs of quantum entangled switches for super low ping
[QUOTE=Murkrow;37080414]How about making pairs of quantum entangled switches for super low ping[/QUOTE] the disappointing thing about quantum entanglement is that you cannot influence the atom to take on a 1 or 0, it's completely probabilistic
"get better internet" "I got quantum internet noob" "oh..."
[QUOTE=Murkrow;37080414]How about making pairs of quantum entangled switches for super low ping[/QUOTE] That would violate causality, and it's been shown that it cannot be used to actually send information.
[QUOTE=NotMeh;37080334]I have no idea what any of that means but it says "Quantum" so it must be awesome.[/QUOTE] You just discovered why I posted this article :v:
[quote]Instead of the usual string of 1s and 0s, they'll be able to send both types of information at the same time, dwarfing their traditional counterparts.[/quote] This so retarded and wrong statement that I think several billion particles in my brain spontaneously changed their quantum state.
[QUOTE=Awesomecaek;37080888]This so retarded and wrong statement that I think several billion particles in my brain spontaneously changed their quantum state.[/QUOTE] It's popular science and quantum computing is a field with no real engineering work being done in it. This is the scientific equivalent of Kotaku reporting on a tweet about what Episode 3 might be like.
[QUOTE=Xenocidebot;37080925]It's popular science and quantum computing is a field with no real engineering work being done in it. This is the scientific equivalent of Kotaku reporting on a tweet about what Episode 3 might be like.[/QUOTE] And both are intended for a large group of people, their job isn't to be super accurate and they know it. Hence the wrong and super simplified reporting.
[QUOTE=CakeMaster7;37080955]And both are intended for a large group of people, their job isn't to be super accurate and they know it. Hence the wrong and super simplified reporting.[/QUOTE] There's difference between simplified and downright misleading.
i generally dislike pop science because while I can tell from my limited knowledge of physics that "reality surely cannot really work this way", but i don't know enough to work out where in particular I'm being lied to
If there's going to be a HUGE leap in computational and data-transferring power, I think it's going to be relatively soon once people master this quantum technology. So I wonder if any "Singularity" is actually going to be sooner rather than later. A point where computer graphics/simulations et cet are powered up with pretty much infinite power, in about 200-400 years? I mean, people have come a long way from grabbing a rock and.. making quantum circuit boards.
but can i download quantum porn on it?
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;37081137]i generally dislike pop science because while I can tell from my limited knowledge of physics that "reality surely cannot really work this way", but i don't know enough to work out where in particular I'm being lied to[/QUOTE] That's why Facepunch is here to help explain
I'm surprised nobody asked if it can run Crysis yet. I'm proud of you, facepunch.
[QUOTE=Ardosos;37085051]I'm surprised nobody asked if it can run Crysis yet. I'm proud of you, facepunch.[/QUOTE] Quantum Router has... [sp]NO GAEMS[/sp]
[QUOTE=DainBramageStudios;37081137]i generally dislike pop science because while I can tell from my limited knowledge of physics that "reality surely cannot really work this way", but i don't know enough to work out where in particular I'm being lied to[/QUOTE] [url]http://www.smbc-comics.com/?db=comics&id=1452#comic[/url]
[B]D-Wave's 16-qubit quantum computer:[/B] [IMG]http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/quantum-computer-1.jpg[/IMG] (30-qubit = 10 teraflops) [quote]If functional quantum computers can be built, they will be valuable in factoring large numbers, and therefore extremely useful for decoding and encoding secret information.[B] If one were to be built today, no information on the Internet would be safe. Our current methods of encryption are simple compared to the complicated methods possible in quantum computers. Quantum computers could also be used to search large databases in a fraction of the time that it would take a conventional computer.[/B] Other applications could include using quantum computers to study quantum mechanics, or even to design other quantum computers.[/quote] Source : [URL]http://computer.howstuffworks.com/quantum-computer2.htm[/URL] [editline]5th August 2012[/editline] I'd love to see a quantum GPU, imagine how real the graphics would be like. Matrix like probably.
[QUOTE]First Demonstration of A Quantum Router Chinese physicists unveil a router that uses a quantum control signal to determine the path of a quantum data signal Physicists have exploited the quantum nature of photons to transmit information for some time now. And in doing so they've discovered just how powerful quantum communication can be compared to the classical kind. Instead of sending the 0s and 1s of digital code, quantum communicators can send information in a superposition of states that represent both 0s and 1s at the same time. What's more, separate quantum objects such as a pair of photons can be entangled, which means they share the same existence even if they are widely separated. That leads to a form of quantum information that has no classical counterpart. Quantum information is the enabling factor behind a number of emerging technologies that many physicists expect to have a huge impact on society in future: powerful quantum computers, (almost) perfectly secure quantum cryptography and the quantum internet that will distribute these capabilities round the planet. But there's a problem with this vision of the quantum future. At the moment, physicists can only send photons carrying quantum information over the length of a single optical fibre. Guiding the photons into another fibre is a process called routing, which uses a control signal to determine the destination and route of a data signal. A classical router simply reads the data in the control signal and routes the data signal accordingly. But in the quantum world, reading a control signal also destroys it. So it's only been possible to route quantum data signals using classical control signals. And although that's handy, it doesn't allow the routing process to exploit the full power of quantum information. Today, Xiuying Chang and a few buddies at Tsinghau University in China announce that they have built and tested the first quantum router to use a quantum control signal to determine the route of a quantum data signal. "We...realize the first proof-of-principle demonstration of a genuine quantum router," they say. In this new device, the information is encoded in the polarisation of photons, either horizontal or vertical. The Chinese group begin by creating a single photon that is in a superposition of both horizontal and vertical polarisation states. They then convert this single photon into a pair of lower energy photons that are entangled, a process called parametric down conversion. Both of these photons are also in a superposition of polarisation states. The router works by using the polarisation of one of these photons as the control signal to determine the route of the other, the data signal. The device is simple, little more than a collection of half mirrors for guiding photons and waveplates for rotating their polarisation. First, let's follow the route of the data photon which is determined by a set of half mirrors that send it one way or the other, depending on its polarisation. The trick is to set up the router so that the polarisation of the control photon influences this route. The Chinese group do this by rotating the polarisation of the control photon using half and quarter wave plates as the data photon reaches the half mirrors. The quantum phenomenon of entanglement then ensures that the data photon is routed accordingly. In effect, the router works like a logic gate. Of course, the routing success is a probabilistic like all other quantum phenomena. Chang and co finish their experiment by verifying logic-gate like characteristics of the router and ensuring that both photons are still entangled after passing through it. That's an interesting step forward but the new router has significant limitations. The most significant of these is that it can handle only one quantum bit or qubit at a time. And because the process of parametric down conversion cannot handle more qubits, it cannot be scaled to more qubits. That's a significant drawback. It means that this is a proof-of-principle device but not one that will ever form the basis of a future quantum internet. In a sense, it's a little like the first quantum computers which relied on nuclear magnetic resonance to manipulate the spins of the molecules in a tub of acetone. These performed trivial calculations using a handful of qubits but couldn't be scaled up to do anything interesting. That's not to say that we'll never have scalable quantum routers. Various groups are working on different approaches that have the potential to scale. Progress is steady but slow. A quantum internet is coming. The problem is that nobody knows when. First Demonstration of A Quantum Router - Technology Review [url]http://www.technologyreview.com/view/428706/first-demonstration-of-a-quantum-router/[/url][/QUOTE] For people who like a bit more detail.
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