X-Message-Number: 7703 Date: Tue, 18 Feb 1997 20:48:16 -0800 (PST) From: John K Clark <> Subject: Quantum Computers -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- The possibility that a Quantum Computer might be built in the foreseeable future has even started to seep into the mainstream press, there is an article about them in today's (Feb. 18 1997) New York Times. There are no new facts the article, but it does contain several quotations I have not seen before that express the air of enthusiasm and optimism currently in the field. Dr. Raymond Laflamme at the Los Alamos Laboratory says: "Just a few years ago it was thought that a Quantum Computer was impossible. Now we have passes some big stumbling blocks. The possibilities are very exciting." Dr. Seth Lloyd at MIT says: "Although large hurdles lie ahead, Quantum Computers are coming tantalizingly close to being something that might work". I thought the most interesting quote came from Rolf W Landauer at IBM. Dr. Landauer was probably the most vocal critic of the entire idea of a Quantum Computer, and he makes it clear that he is still not convinced that such a machine will ever be practical. He does admit however that in late 1995 when Dr. Peter Shor of ATT proved that Quantum Error correction was not impossible after all and actually produced such a scheme, and when a few months later Dr. Wojciech Zurek at Los Alamos considerably improved it: "Nobody was more surprised than I was. I had been too pessimistic, it's just that simple". To remind you of the stakes that are involved, a 2000 cubit Quantum Computer would be far more powerful than a Nano computer made with all the matter in the observable universe. John K Clark -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.i iQCzAgUBMwqAgH03wfSpid95AQEuhQTwhnff8YIeJrdnghc+CisVg39lnMdSCtyr 5cGKYjnROuJTlw7ub7RX98ONGdu1HRpHakHQCUx4+vms7nSWNCQshMtK1f9T4c71 1wgN4it9xobd7DEtdKRx88BPl7GNqRXE5fnKsV+OKaTIW/g2jWBT+D5rsqQxzWO6 Pzeo4NJHrkgCvSu4OcgbnDWwZzhj61om3adpIJm4UcSN31SR1SU= =hBKT -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- Rate This Message: http://www.cryonet.org/cgi-bin/rate.cgi?msg=7703