Skip to content

October 25, 2015

Scientists confirm a cornerstone of quantum computing

by John_A

Cornell students study quantum physics in the Ultracold Lab

Quantum physics theory has an odd but fundamental quirk: atoms in a quantum state aren’t supposed to move as long as you’re measuring them. It sounds preposterous, but Cornell University researchers have just demonstrated that it’s real. The team noticed that the atoms in an extremely cold cloud of Rubidium gas wouldn’t move around as long as they were under observation. The more often scientists used a laser to measure the behavior, the less movement they saw. They had to either tone the laser down or turn it off entirely for the atoms to shuffle around freely.

Via: Slashdot

Source: Cornell University, Physical Review Letters

Read more from News

Leave a comment

Note: HTML is allowed. Your email address will never be published.

Subscribe to comments