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Quantum computing

Logic gateway

Nature volume 422, pages 387–388 (2003)Cite this article

Two groups have created logic gates using pairs of trapped ions. As components of a quantum computer, these gates have the potential to form part of a scaled-up, workable system.

Quantum computing often features in these pages, owing to the lively pace of research in this area. The main aim is to build a large working quantum computer, but the path towards that goal promises to reveal some wonderful physics; subtle and surprising effects are confidently expected, such as quantum error correction. Also, the rich nature and behaviour of quantum entanglement — the special correlation that causes composite quantum systems to defy description in terms of their constituent parts — is not fully understood, even for systems of only a few particles, and experimentation is essential to understand larger systems. The techniques and language of quantum computing are very powerful. They will almost certainly give birth to a new generation of ultra-precise experimental methods based on the interference properties of entangled systems, whether or not efficient quantum computers are eventually realized.

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  1. the Centre for Quantum Computation, Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3PU, UK

    Andrew Steane

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  1. Andrew Steane
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Correspondence to Andrew Steane.

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Steane, A. Logic gateway. Nature 422, 387–388 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1038/422387a

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