If the bits of computers are someday scaled down to the size of individual atoms, quantum
mechanical effects may profoundly change the nature of computation itself. The wave …

Recent theoretical results confirm that quantum theory provides the possibility of new ways
of performing efficient calculations. The most striking example is the factoring problem. It has …

Quantum computation is the extension of classical computation to the processing of
quantum information, using quantum systems such as individual atoms, molecules, or …

The race is on to build a computer that exploits quantum mechanics. Such a machine could
solve problems in physics, mathematics and cryptography that were once thought …

After a brief introduction to the principles and promise of quantum information processing,
the requirements for the physical implementation of quantum computation are discussed …

MANY milestones in the history of technology have involved the discovery of new ways to
harness nature, exploiting physical resources such as materials, forces and sources of …

HYDROGEN ATOMS could be used to store bits of information in a quantum computer. An
atom in its ground state, with its electron in its lowest possible energy level (blue), can …

In the last few years, theoretical study of quantum systems serving as computational devices
has achieved tremendous progress. We now have strong theoretical evidence that quantum …

Practical realization of quantum computers will require overcoming decoherence and
operational errors, which lead to problems that are more severe than in classical …

T hpheoretical computer scientists, like their counterparts in physics, suffer and benefit from
a high level of intellectual machismo. They believe they have some of the biggest brains …