Researchers at the UK's Edinburgh and Manchester universities have recently created a non-silicon based molecular device which could serve as the foundation for very powerful and practical quantum computers.
The highly parallel concept of quantum computing has been
around for quite some time. It basically idealizes itself around the use of quantum
binary digits, or qubits, which are far more complex than typical 1 or 0
("on" or "off") bits as they are capable of representing a
range of values simultaneously. However, one of the major challenges presented
to researchers has been the search for a practical medium in which this new
form of computing can be implemented.
According to Professor David Leigh, of Edinburgh
University's school of chemistry, "the major challenges we face now are to
bring many of these qubits together to build a device that could perform
calculations, and to discover how to communicate between them." Moreover,
the complexity of the qubit will enable quantum computers to perform more
quickly than conventional machines in a process known as quantum parallelism.
"This development brings super-fast, non-silicon based computing a step
closer," he added.
The molecular device discovered was found by combining tiny
magnets with molecular machines that can transport between two locations
without the use of external force. In effect, these maneuverable magnets may
one day be used as the basic component of quantum computing.
On another note, the
study was funded by the European Commission and published in Nature, a weekly international science
journal.