Scientists create the first programmable quantum processor

Scientists create the first programmable quantum processor: "

Scientists have developed a number of quantum computing systems that use ions or electrons as bits of data; mathematical "operations" can be performed on them with beams of light or electrical pulses. Until recently, however, these systems could only perform the specific tasks they were designed to do. But a group of NIST scientists have published a description of a quantum processor that can receive virtually any set of instructions and perform them on a set of inputs—in short, they've made the first programmable quantum processor.

In order to do general calculations, a computer must be able to perform an arbitrary number of unitary transformations, operations that change the state while preserving the structure of the system. Unlike a regular computer, a quantum computer stores information in 'qubits,' or quantum bits. A regular bit may hold only one piece of data (0 or 1), but a qubit can hold a superposition of 0 and 1; it only adopts a definite value when measured.

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