A professor at Northern Arizona University will lead a $5 million project to develop faster computing with quantum mechanics.
The funding comes from the National Science Foundation, which is investing nearly $40 million in 23 projects in breaking new ground with quantum studies.
Ryan Behunin is an associate professor at NAU’s Applied Physics and Material Science Department and is the lead investigator in one of the projects studying quantum physics.
"In a nutshell, the physics of tiny stuff," he said.
Like, the movement of an atom, versus, say, that of the moon.
And if you can build a computer that uses those quantum properties, that’ll lead to "exponential increases in speed," he said.
The team will also look for new ways to store data on that quantum level which has plagued scientists. Behunin and the team will research using sapphire to store memory and build faster computer processors.
"I’m so thrilled. I’m just so happy. It will really help us build something great here at NAU," he said.
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