The reason for this recent surge in interest can be traced to the truly strange nature of quantum mechanical ideas. Quantum physics amounts to much more than a theory of atomic and subatomic processes, it represents nothing less than a complete transformation of our world view. "Its [quantum physics] implications for the nature of reality and the relationship between observer and observed are both subtle and profound. (Barenco)"

A description of the world in which an object can apparently be in more

Petru, Zygmunt, Przystawa, Jerzy, and Rapcewicz, Krzysztof. From Quantum Mechanics to Technology New York: Springer, 1996

Milburn, J. Gerard. Schrodinger's Machines : The Quantum Technology Reshaping Everyday Life New York: W.H. Freeman and Company, 1997

Although this broader interest was largely stimulated by the philosophical implications of the subject, the practical applications of quantum mechanics had been going from strength to strength. What the public perceived as primarily a set of revolutionary speculations about the nature of reality, professional physicists and engineers regarded as a means to make new devices and handsome profits.

One of the many obstacles that stand in our way presently is the Shor algorithm. The Shor algorithm involves factorizing very large integers. It's not that our computers can't factor integers, it's because it would take many years for even our best supercomputers to factor these large integers. We've tested how capable our computers are at large integers before:

Quantum computation works on a completely subatomic level, therefore allowing enormous speed without the heat. "Classic computers (the ones we have today) are getting smaller and smaller and soon physics will limit our technological leaps and bounds. (Petru 91)" We simply won't be able to make our current computers too much smaller. Quantum computers will be the answer to this problem. The quantum computer will hardly take up any space at all. Using quantum technology will allow us to maximize computational power and physical space. This is mostly because of the fact that quantum computers would process information using single photons. The crucial problem would be to get it to work with single photons, mostly because this requires large optical non-linearities. Optical non-linearities tend not to stay in a unitary state due to their tendency to absorb light. Even so, there are advantages when processing information with single photons instead of a stream of electrons in a computer. With single photons the chips won't melt and cause a breakdown. The photons will not generate any heat, therefore eliminating the problem that we currently have with our classical computers.

Benjamin, Simon and Ekert, Artur . "Towards Quantum Information Technology" Centre for Quantum Computation http://www.qubit.org/intros/nano/nano.html

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Approximate Word count = 2072
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)