Computers

Computers

Silicon Carbide May Make Quantum Computers A Reality!

November 11, 2011

Physicists at UC Santa Barbara have discovered a quality of silicon carbide — a material commonly used in the manufacture of semiconductors — that can be used to perform quantum computing. Silicon carbide is a compound that has some 250 crystalline forms, but its 4H polytype (pictured below right) has an imperfection that traps electrons. The spin of these electrons can then be manipulated and measured (addressed) with optical wavelengths. In short, silicon carbide...

First Quantum Computer With Quantum CPU And Separate Quantum RAM

September 21, 2011

By Michael Muracco

Back in 1946, the world’s first general purpose electronic computer was switched on at the University of Pennsylvania. The huge processing power of ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator And Computer) stunned the world, or at least the few dozen people who had any idea what it was for and why it was important. But ENIAC had an important flaw. It could only be programmed by resetting a myriad switches and dials, a task that could...