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Bill USA

(6,436 posts)
Thu Jul 24, 2014, 04:58 PM Jul 2014

Quantum leap in lasers brightens future of quantum computing

http://www.spacemart.com/reports/Quantum_leap_in_lasers_at_Dartmouth_brightens_future_for_quantum_computing_999.html


Dartmouth scientists and their colleagues have devised a breakthrough laser that uses a single artificial atom to generate and emit particles of light. The laser may play a crucial role in the development of quantum computers, which are predicted to eventually outperform today's most powerful supercomputers.

The study appears in the journal Physical Review B.

The new laser is the first to rely exclusively on superconducting electron pairs. "The fact that we use only superconducting pairs is what makes our work so significant," says Alex Rimberg, a professor of physics and astronomy at Dartmouth. Superconductivity is a condition that occurs when electricity can travel without any resistance or loss of energy.

"The artificial atom is made of nanoscale pieces of superconductor," says Rimberg.
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