Wednesday, October 2, 2013

SRP-6 Background Research Rough Draft

Will Using Paradoxes in Diamonds Help Make a Better Quantum Computer?
                Jay Don Scott
8th Grade Science
Mr. Oz’s Class
Sonoran Science Academy                                                                    30th September, 2013


A quantum computer is a computer that exploits the quantum mechanical properties of superposition in order to allow a single operation to act on a large number of pieces of data(Mifflen, 2002).  Quantum Computers were discovered in 1980 by Yuri Manin and in 1892 by Richard Faynman.  Quantum computers are used to quickly crunch numbers that would normally take a person a life time (Warner, 2013).  For example, mapping trillions of amino acids in futuristic drug cures.  Quantum computers get used in places where you are trying to find an a huge number.  Characteristics of a quantum computer is that it uses quibits instead of bits.  A quibit or a quantum bit is a unit of quantum information(The Limits of Quantum).  
The quantum zeno effect was first observed in 1989 in laser-cooled ions trapped by magnetic and electric fields(Reich, 2013).  The person who found out about paradoxes in diamonds was Oliver Benson(Reich, 2013).  A paradox is a statement or proposition that seems self-contradictory or absurd but in reality expresses a possible truth(Reich, 2013).
.The researchers focused on nitrogen–vacancy (NV) centers, imperfections in diamond that arise where an atom of nitrogen and an empty space replace carbon atoms at two neighboring spots in the crystal lattice. The team used microwaves to change the magnetic spin state of an electron located at an NV center, and then used a laser beam to trigger red fluorescence that revealed which of two possible states the electron was in at any given moment. When they measured the NV center in this way, the researchers found that the oscillation between the two states was disrupted — just as would be expected if the quantum Zeno effect were operating(Reich, 2013).
    This concludes my background research rough draft.







Citations:

Articles
Eugenie, R. (2013, August 20). Quantum paradox seen in diamond. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=quantum-paradox-seen-in-diamond
Adam, S. (2002). Doctoring adam smith: The fable of the diamonds and water paradox. Retrieved from http://muse.jhu.edu/login?auth=0&type=summary&url=/journals/history_of_political_economy/v034/34.4white.pdf

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