Two-Photon Walk a Giant Leap For Quantum Computing 112
ElectricSteve writes "Research conducted at the University of Bristol means a number of quantum computing algorithms may soon be able to execute calculations of a complexity far beyond what today's computers allow us to do. The breakthrough involves the use of a specially designed optical chip to perform what's known as a 'quantum walk' with two particles ... and it suggests the era of quantum computing may be approaching faster than the scientific establishment had predicted. A random walk – a mathematical concept with useful applications in computer science – is the trajectory of an object taking successive steps in a random direction, be it over a line (with only two possible directions) or over a multi-dimensional space. A quantum walk is the same concept, but translated to the world of quantum computing, a field in which randomness plays a central role. Quantum walks form an essential part of many of the algorithms that make this new kind of computation so promising, including search algorithms that will perform exponentially faster than the ones we use today."
Re:I just want to know... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:does this mean (Score:1, Insightful)
how would quantum logic creating randomness help you predict randomness?
Re:Pre-emptive Explanation of Quantum Computing (Score:3, Insightful)
Quantum computers can do some cool things, but mostly solve problems no one cares much about (except a few of us mathematicians)
That is until some practical application is found that uses the solution. From what I've heard, Boolean algebra was thought to have no utility for a very long time after it was discovered, but nowadays...