The transistor ushered the modern world of gadgets that we all love, and now optical transistors could help to bring us to the proper next generation of the internet. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics have demonstrated successful electromagnetically induced transparency, or EIT, which is effectively a way of enabling one beam of light to control another. In their experiments, researchers used a rubidium atom to indicate state, blocking a beam of light in one direction but, when a laser hit it at a perpendicular angle, turning it transparent to allow the first beam through. The idea is that this could serve as a sort of optical gate for
quantum computers; the building block of a next-gen internet for next-gen devices. There's reason for excitement about the potential here, but researchers have a long, long way to go before anything like this is ready for reality, so don't give up those handlinks just yet.
posted May 17th 2010 10:28AM
Amazing photo!! Nice work Engadget.
@crimson400
I laughed so hard, omg, so funny.
@crimson400
ah ha, so thats what the abominable snowman looks like in the summer time...thanks engadget
cool optical transistors too
@crimson400
Sssoooo when can we use this to make lightsabers?
@crimson400
The photo itself is win quality.
It's an Archon from Starcraft.
SHOOP DA WOOP!
Is that photo from a Lady GaGa concert?
@Professor Hubert J Farnsworth
The song's probably called Quantum Romance...
That photo O.O
I can't... I um.. I don't even
@Mmmm Donuts
Burn it with fire!
I'm quantuming mah lazor
It's Dr. Manhattan here to give us next gen internet!
@ Prof.
If it's no a joke: it's the opening of the pilot of Quantum Leap. See wiki.
They hit a single atom with a laser? Wow, that's called fine tuning.
@SeeKo
Technically making it one of the most unlucky atoms in the history of the universe.
@TC While I can't be sure, I'd toss some random, uneducated number out there like 5.0 x 10^4343 atoms have been hit by lasers :)
@juanvaldez
LOL, true. But this was probably the first that was hit intentionally. Poor little thing.
i want a computer made of lasers... now.
@DooMskis
I want a laser made of computers, it seems we should make some sort of deal.
Truly, this is why we cant have nice things...
God dammit.
That image...
/facepalm
mass effect is that much closer to reality now.
Thank you science.
@BrianH Reality is now that much closer to mass effect
Science thanks you
I don't really see the connection between this and quantum computing. Quantum computing involves the superposition of states of a qubit...this sounds more like the binary method we use in current electronics.
@ChaosCon
From what I've read: The "quantum side" is where all the processing and data manipulation is handled, while the EIT would be used as some sort of superfast connection between components. Sort of like fibre-optic broadband but on your motherboard (which makes sense to me as quantum processing >>> than what conventional busses can handle).
@ChaosCon
I think the quantum idea here is that they are able to control the state of an other light beam without physical contact. Probably has something to do with quantum entanglement.
so what happened to memristors
@holysocks they are still in development i presume
Blah blah blah, can it be put into mass production, yes or no?
Your email went into the quantum leap accelerator.....and then vanished.
Another benefit of these Philadelphia class processors will be their ability to be used in multiple location simultaneously.
Looks likes someones 'chargin thier lazar- SHOOP DAA WOOP'
I call this pic shooped. I can tell by the pixels. I've seen many pixels in my day.
Oh Boy...
Is it just me, or does it look like Scott Bakula has had some work done?
LMAO!
The next generation in transistors, among memristors. Could lead us on to much greater processing speeds - similar to that of a supercomputer! With USB 3.0 and the Racetrack algorithm for organising these-istors our future is looking bright!!
can't believe no one said it yet..
IMMA FIRE MA LAZER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSVNbxjdvv8
Aw man, now people have to stick with that new iphone 4G ; )
GIVE MEH MAH LAZORS!
Jesus that picture made me laugh.
lol
I'm not impressed until the laser has been mounted on a sharks head.
Nikola Tesla said this was perfectly possible using electromagnetism and the resonance of the object. And he did work on the Philadelphia experiment.
If you do just a little research, you'll find that he invented the x-ray, incandescent lighting (fluorescent too), AC current, radio (with that remote control), wireless power with 95% efficiency (witch MIT how now duplicated), the concept for microwave, AC motor (alternator), magnetic coil... and some 700+ patents all of witch important.
Slow down there little feller! Tesla was a genius, no doubt. But you shouldnt believe or misinterpret everything you read on the intarwebs.
He did not "invent" x-rays. They were produced by many in the same timeframe but none of them really knew what they were dealing with. Discovering the properties of x-rays is attributed to Mr. Roentgen.
He did not invent AC current. He invented a (!) 2-phase generator that could actually be commercially deployed. Faraday laid the groudwork, men like Siemens discovered the dynamoelectric principle on which Tesla built his famous generator.
Last but not least, he did not invent the "magnetic coil". He invented certain types of electrmoagnetic coils. Did you perhaps mean the Tesla Coil, a high voltage generator?
@Bahumbug Im sorry, your right about the high voltage/frequency coil i said the wrong thing. And i have no idea why i put AC currant LOL, it was way to early in the morning ;) my mind was on other things.
But he was the first to produce an x-ray picture and properly explain it property's so far as to say that it could harm. This was 7 years prior to Wilhelm Röntgen's discovery and explanation of X.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X-ray#Discovery
This might seem a "funny" or slightly irrelevant news-item but it stands a high chance of being considered one of the major developments in quantum computing in the future . I'm curious what is known with regard to Quantum computer prototypes ( which companies or organisations have one -if any at all - and what are they used for ? ) although I'm pretty sure we'd find one at NSA .
Dr.Manhattan is that you??? WHY did you do that to Rarshak???
I do recall about 5 years ago.. I think it was in popular science magazine (not sure just guessing ) the military has Quantum Computers. It should be released to the public by 2020-30. Something like a 1000 gig processor or equivalent. Guess we'll see!