The first measurable quantum system

Quantum computers promise almost unimaginable computational speeds, but creating such futuristic computers has proven to be very difficult. “Normally, every contact with the outer world changes information in a quantum system in a completely uncontrolled manner,” explains Professor Mario Ruben from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany, who has created the world’s first stable interface capable of reading the quantum state of an atom. Ruben explains the...