Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site watdaisy.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!watdaisy!gjerawlins
From: gjerawlins@watdaisy.UUCP (Greg Rawlins)
Newsgroups: net.physics
Subject: new directions in physics/cs
Message-ID: <6751@watdaisy.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 21-Nov-84 12:06:39 EST
Article-I.D.: watdaisy.6751
Posted: Wed Nov 21 12:06:39 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 22-Nov-84 05:25:49 EST
Organization: U of Waterloo, Ontario
Lines: 33


["I don't want millions,I want answers to my questions."]

	I have a question for the net: in Gribbin's
"Schrodinger's Cat" book(*) he claims that Terry Clark at the
University of Sussex has created a "quantumatom" in a ring
of superconducting material roughly 1/2 cm across. This
object is supposed to mimic the behaviour of true quantum
particles in that a change in state is *instantaneous* over
the entire ring. The obvious use for this is as the next
generation after Josephson junction computers, since
(theoretically) there will be *zero* time spent in between
one state and the next. A good example bringing this home to
the non-architecture people out there is the possibility of
putting information on a bus (say) and having zero time
elapse before this information causes some action!
	Does anyone know whether this is an ongoing project?
Also, if it is what does it mean for us in computer
science/physics? For example what kind of protocols would be
necessary (/sufficient) to make use of such a machine?

-----
(*) yet-another-book-on-quantum-mech-for-laypersons.
-- 
/-----------------------------------------------------\
|Mail :Greg Rawlins :Department of Computer Science   |
|      allegra\      U.of Waterloo,Waterloo,Ont.N2L3G1|
|      clyde \  \                                     |
|UUCP :decvax ---- watmath --- watdaisy --- gjerawlins|
|      ihnp4 /  /                                     |
|      linus  /                                       |
|CSNET:gjerawlins%watdaisy%watmath@waterloo.csnet     |
\-----------------------------------------------------/