The mystery of quantum computers

said braka 6:20 AM
What is a  computer? An ordinary computer

works with bits with a single binary value, either zero or one. By contrast, a quantum bit, or qubit, can store a zero, a one, both zero and one, or an infinite number of values in between. That increases enormously the capacities of calculations.
We are still at the beginning of this new era of computing, and there are many ways to use this  that have yet to be discovered. For example, the factorisation of very large prime numbers, a task which is closely related to cryptography and security of passwords, could be one of the many possible uses of quantum computers.
According to Professor Sabrina Maniscalco, who heads the Turku Quantum Technology group in Finland, "The most famous quantum algorithm is Shor's algorithm. This algorithm, if running on a quantum computer, factorises integer numbers into prime factors faster than any known classical algorithm. This is remarkable, as the slowness of prime factorisation is the basis of currently used methods to decipher messages."
But there are many other possible uses of this new technology. According to recent study reported in the peer-reviewed journal Science Advances, "The availability of a universal quantum computer may have a fundamental impact on a vast number of research fields and on society as a whole. An increasingly large scientific and industrial community is working toward the realization of such a device." Computing giants Google and Microsoft are investing a lot of money in this research field.
By using  in computers, scientists could also simulate chemical reactions in order to facilitate drug design and improve machine learning.


Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-05-mystery-quantum.html#jCp