New technologies that exploit quantum behavior for computing and other applications are closer than ever to being realized due to recent advances. These advances could enable the creation of immensely powerful computers as well as other applications, such as highly sensitive detectors capable of probing biological systems.
“We are really excited about the possibilities of new semiconductor materials and new experimental systems that have become available in the last decade,” said Jason Petta, a quantum information scientist and an associate professor of physics at Princeton, who collaborated with Andrew Houck, an associate professor of electrical engineering, on a study published in Nature in October 2012 describing a method for quick and reliable transfer of quantum information throughout a computing device.
Support for the research was provided by the National Science Foundation, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Packard Foundation, the Army Research Office, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency Quantum Entanglement Science and Technology Program.
–By Catherine Zandonella