“Scientists have taken the next major step toward quantum computing, which will use quantum mechanics to revolutionize the way information is processed. Quantum computers will capitalize on the mind-bending properties of quantum particles to perform complex calculations that are impossible for today’s traditional computers. Using high magnetic fields, Susumu Takahashi, assistant professor in the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and his colleagues managed to suppress decoherence, which is one of the key stumbling blocks in quantum computing.”
Sounds awesome!!! I think… But maybe some of the brighter minds can enlighten me on the difference between “decoherence”, and a qubit state probability collapse into a definite state, which as far as I can remember, can happen by the mere act of observation of the said qubit…
I guess this is why I am not – and never will be – a quantum physicist… *sigh*…
From the article itself: Think of decoherence as a form of noise or interference, knocking a quantum particle out of superposition ^aEUR” robbing it of that special property that makes it so useful. If a quantum computer relies on a quantum particle’s ability to be both here and there, then decoherence is the frustrating phenomenon that causes a quantum particle to be either here or there.
As the above reply rightly quoted, decoherence is as good as unwanted observation. The article is not saying much other than “we have finally gotten rid of much of the noise. We can finally start doing something with the peace and quiet.”
I don’t think you are too far off quantum if you could catch that.
I won’t hold my breath until they find something interesting/important. This is an important preliminary step, but not yet anywhere, really.
Interesting that you can actually base some reallife innovation on this. I`ve read a bit about quantum consciousness, and it`s interesting. Not that the worlds religions haven`t known already for eons that consciousness is God. (But I think one should be careful about mixing that up with pantheism).
– We are all God and do as we wish.
But we rather agree that rules and regulations, can be good, and so we have them. The idiocy comes when you make rules, to suit idols. Therefore religion bans idolatry.
Well, there’s an inflation of “breakthroughs” in the media. Regular readers of the – excellent – PhysOrg site know that there is at least one article per month dealing with a “major step” or a “breakthrough” in quantum computing. In June they even reported about a commercial quantum computer (“D-Wave sells first commercial quantum computer”).
xiaokj is right. There was some success with noise reduction.
I prefer to stay sceptical though, because “decoherence does not provide a mechanism for the actual wave function collapse; rather it provides a mechanism for the appearance of wavefunction collapse.” [Wikipedia]
This means that decoherence – the phenomenon of transiting from the quantum realm into the non-quantum classical realm of physics – is not yet really understood.
Edited 2011-07-22 07:37 UTC