[From nobody Thu Jul 3 13:43:14 2003 Return-Path: <owner-itinfo@itrain.org> Received: from whale.serverhost.net ([209.150.128.60]) by immta2.bellatlantic.net (InterMail vM.4.01.02.27 201-229-119-110) with ESMTP id <20001222180147.MSNF1323.immta2.bellatlantic.net@whale.serverhost.net>; Fri, 22 Dec 2000 13:01:47 -0500 Received: from localhost (majordomo@localhost) by whale.serverhost.net (8.8.5/8.8.5) with SMTP id NAA07141; Fri, 22 Dec 2000 13:00:30 -0500 Received: by itrain.org (bulk_mailer v1.5); Fri, 22 Dec 2000 12:10:46 -0500 Received: (from majordomo@localhost) by whale.serverhost.net (8.8.5/8.8.5) id MAA29639 for itinfo-out; Fri, 22 Dec 2000 12:10:45 -0500 Date: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 12:10:45 -0500 Message-Id: <200012221710.MAA29639@whale.serverhost.net> From: info@itrain.org (ITrain Information Services) To: itinfo@itrain.org Subject: ITinfo: Quantum Device Unveiled Sender: owner-itinfo@itrain.org Reply-To: info@itrain.org X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 MIME-Version: 1.0 Subscription maintenance instructions at the end of this message. ITINFO Sponsor -------------------- Super-Fast E-Commerce Website Hosting Fast, unlimited hits. Secure SSL servers. 100MB http & ftp storage. 8 Apache SSL-Stronghold webservers. Unlimited email aliasing, redirection, and autoresponders. 4 multi-homed T3 lines on the primary net backbone. 24/7 Monitoring Daily access & marketing reports Free, fast & accurate domain registration. http://itrain.org/sponsors/host.html -------------------- QUANTUM DEVICE UNVEILED by Dave Murphy, member@itrain.org Scientists have unveiled a miniature device that emits light particles, or photons, one at a time, an accomplishment which could pave the way for impregnable coded messages and electronic commerce in coming decades. Reporting in today's issued of Science magazine, scientists at the University of California-Santa Barbara have been able to create a photon "turnstile," by placing "quantum dots"-- crystals containing confined groups of negative- and positive-charged atoms -- onto a mushroom-shaped semiconductor. When pulsed with a laser, the structure releases a single photon. Rather than accepting the current standard of 84 percent efficiency, which was recently attained by a Stanford University team, the UC Santa Barbara team's photon turnstile works at 100 percent efficiency. A single photon, every time. But there's a cool side to this story. Currently the turnstile works at a maximum temperature of minus-321 degrees Fahrenheit. The team hopes to be able to modify the process to work at room temperature by next year. Support for development of the photon turnstile came from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, a Defense Department agency charged with advancing information technology. What's exciting about this process to IT folks is that single-photon emitters are required to build of quantum computers. Acting much like the CPU of the computer, the photons enable literally a quantum leap in the technology of computer capability. In theory, such a single light particle offers benefits to people hoping to create secure communications, including bankers in need of secure pathways for transactions or governments relaying secret diplomatic documents. Writing in Friday's Science, researchers note that such fundamental particles cannot be examined without altering their physical characteristics, part of the physics theory known as quantum mechanics. To create an unbreakable code, physicists plan to send a stream of single photons imprinted with the key to a later coded message. Call for Comments What do you think? Leave your comments on the message center: http://itrain.org/msg/ References Message Center: http://itrain.org/msg/ Related Articles IT Readings For Us All: http://itrain.org/itinfo/2000/it001030.html This article is posted to http://itrain.org/itinfo/2000/it00 Live well, do good, --Dave Murphy -------------------- Do you ever wonder who reads ITinfo? Subscriber demographics: http://itrain.org/itinfo/ad.html Don't forget to complete the ITINFO subscriber's survey at http://itrain.org/itinfo/subscribe.html -------------------- The ITINFO newsletter now accepts sponsors. Each edition is distributed via email and permanently posted on the itrain.org website. Sponsorship details: http://itrain.org/itinfo/ad.html ---------- ITINFO is an electronic publication of ITrain, the International Association of Information Technology Trainers. Comments and submissions to info@itrain.org. 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