Modern computers work with zeros and ones.The approach has proven itself well.
The group is led by Thomas Monz from the Department of Experimental Physics at the University of Innsbruck.
Storing information in zeros and ones is not the most efficient way to perform calculations, but it is the easiest.For example, in the Innsbruck quantum computer, information is stored in individually captured calcium atoms.Each of these atoms naturally has eight different states, of which only two are usually used to store information.Indeed, almost all existing quantum computers have access to more quantum states than they actually usefor calculations.
Now, physicists in Innsbruck have developed a quantum computer that can harness the full potential of these atoms by computing with qubits."Quantum systems naturally have more than two states, and we've shown that we can manipulate them equally well," he saysThomas Montz.