For physicists and information scientists, the quantum computer can safely be called the Holy Grail. Such a computer would be capable of performing specific calculations, with capabilities that far exceed the most advanced modern supercomputers. This computer could be used for breaking computer security codes, as well as for incredibly detailed, data-heavy simulations of quantum systems.
However, such a computer exists only in theory. This is because it would have to operate with circuitry at the scale of single atoms, which is still a daunting challenge, even to state-of-the-art experimental quantum science.
To build a quantum computer, one needs to create and precisely control individual quantum memory units, or qubits, for information processing.
Qubits are similar to regular memory 'bits' in current digital computers. They are microscopic constituents of matter, extremely difficult to separate from their environment. The challenge is to increase the number of qubits to a practical-size quantum register.
