Thinking small

Contrary to popular belief, quantum mechanics holds that small physical particles can simultaneously exist in states that are mutually exclusive.As a result, a quantum bit, or qubit, a computational component made from such a particle, could simultaneously represent zero and one.

A single quantum computation is, in some sense, equivalent to carrying out numerous parallel computations if multiple qubits are “entangled,” which indicates that their quantum states are dependent on one another.With most particles, snare is challenging to keep up with, however it’s somewhat simple with photons.

Consequently, optical systems represent a promising strategy for quantum computation.However, any quantum PC — say, one whose qubits are laser-caught particles or nitrogen iotas implanted in precious stone — would in any case profit from utilizing entrapped photons to move quantum data around.