TINY TRANSISTOR

In a remarkable feat of micro-engineering, UNSW physicists have created a working transistor consisting of a single atom placed precisely in a silicon crystal.
Hindi version:
http://youtu.be/ZXFJ-12zsI8
German version:
http://youtu.be/vuwHbaqAFHI

• Category

  Science & Technology

[Gary Goldstein]

I read in the NYT: "In contrast to conventional computers that are based on transistors with distinct “on” and “off” or “1” and “0” states, quantum computers are built from devices called qubits that exploit the quirky properties of quantum mechanics. Unlike a transistor, a qubit can represent a multiplicity of values simultaneously." Could someone please explain this "multiplicity of values simultaneously"?

[UNSW]

You might find some answers in our related video Defining Quantum Computing.

[ArielX9]

@UNSW Congratulations! You have achieved a great advance for the science, also for your own pride and prestige. How many years will pass until we have this discovery working in our desktops or laptops?

[UNSW]

Hard to say but at least a decade seems to be the prediction. Then again, this innovation occurred earlier than expected.

[antonpictures]

nice one

[nsahler]

A good visual representation of a qubit is an orb with an arrow pointing outward. The direction of that arrow is the data value of the qubit.

Directly up or down represent absolute 1 or 0, but everything inbetween (i'm not a professional so don't quote me on it) has some extremely high (infinite?) level of precision.

[Simon Vale]

Do you get annoyed by all of the ads on Youtube? They want to hear what you think, tell them here bit.ly/SpRpBm?=tfwsei

They are giving away Apple iPhones to the first 1,000 that finish the 5 easy questions!

[Pr0GgreSsuVe]

Can You tell us in simple words( so we can understand ) what is left to be solved for it to become a reality?

[madamerotten]

They taste like chicken.

[cr4zyu]

How soon do you think before it can be sold offshore? Australian universities are really clever at spending lots of tax-payer dollars to create technological breakthroughs only to sell them off to non-Australian 3rd parties - clever idiots really. When is the sale likely? Either the Chinese or an Arab country would be fools to miss this bargain like these numbskulls are traditionally good at 'giving away'. Can't wait to see how much the imported finished products will cost to prove the point.

[jhaggy88]

It means that a qubit can be a 0 or 1 at once. A transistor is like a light switch, it goes between on or off. The way qubits work is it rotates like a sphere to rotations spinning vertically can be a 1 and rotations spinning horizontally can be a 0. If you do this in real time qubits can be both 0 and 1.

[MumblingMickey]

Still this is a first step, the first of many first steps into this field before we understand enough to be competent in the field. As Feynman said... "if you think you understand quantum mechanics then you don't understand quantum mechanics."

Its also a breathtaking discovery, when I was a student I would have laughed my head off at someone if they told me single atom transistors were on the cards by 2012.

It'd be like me telling you your kids will be able to retire to Mars.