| | Silicon chips set to go atomic TRN 072402 |
 | | Prototype quantum computers, which use atoms or subatomic particles to carry out computations, are laboratory oddities that run gamut from lasers fired into special crystals to test tubes of liquid placed in the same type of machine that produces medical MRIs. |
 | | Quantum computers could be fantastically fast at solving large problems like cracking secret codes, but they remain largely theoretical, which is why researchers are trying different approaches to see if it's possible to make large, practical computers that use the states of subatomic particles to store and process information. |
 | | Researchers generally agree that liquid NMR quantum computers, however, cannot be made larger than 10 qubits because the strength of the radio signals from the qubits decreases exponentially compared to the noise with each additional qubit. |
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