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| Science & Technology |
| Quantum computer works best switched off |
| 2006-02-24 |
| Posted for its weirdness and potential interest for computer geeks. Even for the crazy world of quantum mechanics, this one is twisted. A quantum computer program has produced an answer without actually running. The idea behind the feat, first proposed in 1998, is to put a quantum computer into a “superposition”, a state in which it is both running and not running. It is as if you asked Schrödinger's cat to hit "Run". With the right set-up, the theory suggested, the computer would sometimes get an answer out of the computer even though the program did not run. And now researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have improved on the original design and built a non-running quantum computer that really works. They send a photon into a system of mirrors and other optical devices, which included a set of components that run a simple database search by changing the properties of the photon. The new design includes a quantum trick called the Zeno effect. Repeated measurements stop the photon from entering the actual program, but allow its quantum nature to flirt with the program's components - so it can become gradually altered even though it never actually passes through. "It is very bizarre that you know your computer has not run but you also know what the answer is," says team member Onur Hosten. This scheme could have an advantage over straightforward quantum computing. "A non-running computer produces fewer errors," says Hosten. That sentiment should have technophobes nodding enthusiastically. |
| Posted by:phil_b |
| #8 I can feel my mind going. - HAL the computer, 2001 : A Space Odyssey |
| Posted by: BigEd 2006-02-24 15:08 |
| #7 A watch that has stopped will show the correct time twice a day... |
| Posted by: Scooter McGruder 2006-02-24 12:36 |
| #6 Like the Arab mind, work best switched off. |
| Posted by: SR-71 2006-02-24 11:26 |
| #5 The new design includes a quantum trick called the Zeno effect. Repeated measurements stop the photon from entering the actual program, but allow its quantum nature to flirt with the program's components - so it can become gradually altered even though it never actually passes through. Tantric computing. |
| Posted by: .com 2006-02-24 11:16 |
| #4 Send this to Kerry. He will not run in 2008 AND he will say he has won. |
| Posted by: Poitiers-Lepanto 2006-02-24 10:20 |
| #3 "A non-running computer produces fewer errors," Having just tried to figure out my taxes (on a computer), I can believe that. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2006-02-24 09:50 |
| #2 Obviously a federal study grant worth several million dollars earmarked by an Illini congressman. |
| Posted by: Whating Flager4285 2006-02-24 09:22 |
| #1 Get an answer when it's not plugged in and I'll believe it. Has to have electricity? False reporting. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2006-02-24 08:41 |