Error-Check Breakthrough in Quantum Computing

by Tom Simonite NewScientist.com, 8 Jun 2006 Quantum computers process information in the form of quantum bits, or qubits. These act like the bits in conventional computers but, instead of existing in one of two states, a qubit can exist in both states simultaneously. This means a quantum computer can perform multiple calculations simultaneously. So far, only a handful of qubits have been used at a time to perform calculations in the laboratory. But if quantum computers can be scaled up, they should be able to perform incredibly tricky calculations in an instant. Physicists at the University of California in Santa Barbra have discovered a new way to check the quantum state of information stored inside a qubit. Knowing exactly what's going on inside makes designing error-checking for quantum computers possible. This is necessary because information encoded as a qubit degrades over time. Read more