(Phys.org) West Virginia University physicists Cheng Cen, Lian Li, Yanjun Ma, Ming Yang and Chenhui Yan are looking beyond the limits of classical computing used in our everyday devices and are working toward making quantum device applications widely accessible. The researchers proved that superconductivity, which has a wide range of technological applications including being an integral component of quantum computing, can be manipulated by a weak, continuous ultraviolet light. This discovery has broad fundamental and applicational impacts.
“In the future, if we can understand these phenomena, we can very possibly use this light modulated superconductor commercially for devices,” Cen said. “The whole current fleet of devices was built by using a classic bit,” Cen continued. “Now the question is, ‘How do we move forward?'”
Reimagining Information Processing
