World's Smallest Wire May Usher in Age of Quantum Computers

[Gahars]

Most of you know that the wires used in computers need to be pretty small so more parts can be squeezed in, right? Well, scientists in Sydney, Australia have just created a wire that is only 4 atoms high.

You did not misread that.

The team announced the finding on Thursday, saying they have created a wire just four atoms high, with the ability to conduct electricity similar to that seen in copper wires. The wires are 20 times smaller than the smallest wires now available and measure just four atoms wide by one phosphorus atom tall.

The finding could lead to advances in the field of quantum computing, where such devices would rely on nanoscale technology. The wires would allow for the creation of powerful computers that could sift through massive amounts of data faster than current digital computers which use binary code...

At the level of four atoms, scientists said they expected electricity to defy convention physics and instead adhere to the laws of quantum mechanics. Instead, researchers say the wire displayed the same electrical properties as ordinary electrical interconnects, leading to speculation that the wires may have the ability to improve the possibility of quantum computing.​

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Source: The State Column


Quantum computing would no doubt have a big effect on our day to day lives. Everything, from home computers to phones to gaming devices, could (eventually) be affected significantly by this huge leap forward.

However, before you get your hopes up that Nintendo, Sony, or Microsoft will find a way to utilize this in their upcoming consoles, take note: researchers have noted that "the age of quantum computers" is at least 10 years away. It would also probably take a good amount of time before it would find itself in affordable consumer devices.

But hey, baby steps; we're getting there.

 

[Deleted User]

I just

'd.

 

[DiscostewSM]

Yeah, it'll be a while before such technology actually gets used, but nice to know advancements are there. Now, if they could just work on memory technology that could scale exponentially like CPUs have instead of linearly.

 

[Hop2089]

Think of the military applications, we could have the beginnings of mecha alongside tanks and aircraft with drastically improved sensors and FCS thanks to this technology. However it's still about 10 years away (maybe 5-8 because the military is what I'm mentioned, they test stuff first).

 

[SifJar]

Think of the military applications, we could have the beginnings of mecha alongside tanks and aircraft with drastically improved sensors and FCS thanks to this technology. However it's still about 10 years away (maybe 5-8 because the military is what I'm mentioned, they test stuff first).

The military get it LONG before it hits consumers. They'll probably have it within a couple of years if it'll be available in consumer technology in 10.

But this is pretty impressive. It's incredible that something as small as 4 atoms wide can be used to transfer electricity.

 

[Gahars]

Think of the military applications, we could have the beginnings of mecha alongside tanks and aircraft with drastically improved sensors and FCS thanks to this technology. However it's still about 10 years away (maybe 5-8 because the military is what I'm mentioned, they test stuff first).

The military get it LONG before it hits consumers. They'll probably have it within a couple of years if it'll be available in consumer technology in 10.

I think they meant that it is 10 years away period, not just for consumers.

If the military meets that deadline, then consumers would likely have it in 5 years or more. Even then, costs will likely be a problem at the beginning; once they come down to reasonable levels, though, it's going to take off like hot cakes.

 

[chyyran]

>~10 Years later

I think I just swallowed my PC.. My brother dropped it in my Pepsi.. He's gonna get it..


One can dream

 

[Hadrian]

Pics or gtfo.

 

[DiscostewSM]

>~10 Years later

I think I just swallowed my PC.. My brother dropped it in my Pepsi.. He's gonna get it..


One can dream

[yt]P3GLc6ruVF4[/yt]

 

[Deleted member 473940]

Could be very handy in the future !

 

[The Catboy]

I just

'd.

What he said!

 

[Skelletonike]

Hum... Luckly I'm still young, so I still have 80 more years to live and watch the improvements of technology. ='D
(well, with the evolution of technology, people also tend to live longer) >.>

Edit: I wonder what impact this wire will have in most technology.. =S

 

[Prophet]

Hum... Luckly I'm still young, so I still have 80 more years to live and watch the improvements of technology. ='D

"Youth is wasted on the young."

You just brought new meaning to that phrase for me.

 

[Skelletonike]

Hum... Luckly I'm still young, so I still have 80 more years to live and watch the improvements of technology. ='D

"Youth is wasted on the young."

You just brought new meaning to that phrase for me.

What's that supposed to mean?

 

[Prophet]

Hum... Luckly I'm still young, so I still have 80 more years to live and watch the improvements of technology. ='D

"Youth is wasted on the young."

You just brought new meaning to that phrase for me.

What's that supposed to mean?

I meant no disrespect. I just found it a little sad that you might only value your youth because it will afford you the opportunity to live long enough to see the latest and greatest technological advancements. Time is the most precious of resources and there are many reasons to cherish your youth, I just don't think the aforementioned one ranks very high on the list.

 

[NES SNES V.B. N64 G.C. Wii WiiU]

4 ATOMS?! Wow, that's teeny. (But, what I wonder is how easy it would be to destroy all your computer's wires because your finger slipped.)

 

[Skelletonike]

Hum... Luckly I'm still young, so I still have 80 more years to live and watch the improvements of technology. ='D

"Youth is wasted on the young."

You just brought new meaning to that phrase for me.

What's that supposed to mean?

I meant no disrespect. I just found it a little sad that you might only value your youth because it will afford you the opportunity to live long enough to see the latest and greatest technological advancements. Time is the most precious of resources and there are many reasons to cherish your youth, I just don't think the aforementioned one ranks very high on the list.

I know how precious time is, and I make the most out of my youth, I'm 20 atm, but that doesn't mean I can't apreciate that fact that I'll be able to witness amazing things with the improvement of technology, the first computer I used was an IBM with windows 3.1 when I was around 3, comparing that computer (which I still own) to today's computers or comparing my old tv from the late 80s I have somewhere in my garage to the LCD's I currently have, it's a friggin huge difference in technology, not to mention it hasn't been that long since those came out. Just because I wanna see what will become of the future, doesn't mean I don't live or enjoy my youth, quite the contrary. Because I know things will change, I enjoy it all the more.

 

[Gahars]

4 ATOMS?! Wow, that's teeny. (But, what I wonder is how easy it would be to destroy all your computer's wires because your finger slipped.)

Well, the smaller the material is , the stronger it becomes (Couldn't find the original article I was thinking of, but someone reposted it there), so that wouldn't be an issue.

 

[NES SNES V.B. N64 G.C. Wii WiiU]

@[member='Gahars'] But you could still pull them out of where they're supposed to be connected to?

 

[Gahars]

@[member='Gahars'] But you could still pull them out of where they're supposed to be connected to?

I figure that they would be kept in place pretty well. The wires we use today are also small (There is a wire that's 20 times larger than this, which is still very tiny) and they generally don't have that problem, so I don't see that being a huge issue.