Entangled light-emitting diode (ELED)

An entangled LED is a light-emitting diode containing a quantum dot that enables the
production of entangled photons (light particles) on demand. According to researchers
at Toshiba labs, where the device was developed, ELEDs could be used to create an
optical quantum computer capable of performing in seconds tasks that would take a
high-end conventional computer years to complete.

An LED is a semiconductor device that emits visible light when an electric current
passes through it. The ELED is similar to a semiconductor LED but, with the
application of an electrical charge, emits entangled photons. Although entangled
LEDs have previously been created with lasers, the equipment required is too bulky
and complex to be practical for quantum computing applications. The compact and
simple nature of entangled LEDs make it possible to include large numbers of
electronically addressable entangled light emitters on a single chip.

Entanglement is a phenomenon of quantum mechanics in which particles can become

correlated to predictably interact with each other regardless of how far apart they are
separated. If one entangled particle's spin state (the direction of its spin) is measured,
we know that the spin of its mate is in the opposite direction. Harnessing that capacity
could yield the enormous increase in processing power expected from quantum
computing.

Other potential applications for entangled LEDs include quantum cryptography.

quantum dot
A quantum dot is a particle of matter so small that the addition or removal of an
electron changes its properties in some useful way. All atom s are, of course, quantum
dots, but multi-molecular combinations can have this characteristic. In biochemistry,
quantum dots are called redox groups. In nanotechnology , they are called quantum
bits or qubit s. Quantum dots typically have dimensions measured in nanometers,
where one nanometer is 10 -9 meter or a millionth of a millimeter.

The fields of biology, chemistry, computer science, and electronics are all of interest
to researchers in nanotechnology. An example of the overlapping of these disciplines
is a hypothetical biochip , which might contain a sophisticated computer and be
grown in a manner similar to the way a tree evolves from a seed. In this scenario, the
terms redox group and qubit are equally applicable; it is hard to classify such a chip as
either animate or inanimate. The quantum dots in a biochip would each account for at
least one data bit, and possibly several.

In the extreme, the position of a single electron in a quantum dot might attain several
states, so that a quantum dot could represent a byte of data. Alternatively, a quantum
dot might be used in more than one computational instruction at a time. Other
applications of quantum dots include nanomachines , neural networks, and high-
density memory or storage media.

quantum cryptography
- Quantum cryptography uses our current knowledge of physics to develop a
cryptosystem that is not able to be defeated - that is, one that is completely secure
against being compromised without knowledge of the sender or the receiver of the
messages. The word quantum itself refers to the most fundamental behavior of the
smallest particles of matter and energy: quantum theory explains everything that
exists and nothing can be in violation of it.

Quantum cryptography is different from traditional cryptographic systems in that it

relies more on physics, rather than mathematics, as a key aspect of its security model.

Essentially, quantum cryptography is based on the usage of individual particles/waves

of light (photon) and their intrinsic quantum properties to develop an unbreakable
cryptosystem - essentially because it is impossible to measure the quantum state of
any system without disturbing that system. It is theoretically possible that other
particles could be used, but photons offer all the necessary qualities needed, their
behavior is comparatively well-understood, and they are the information carriers in
optical fiber cables, the most promising medium for extremely high-bandwidth
communications

semiconductor
- A semiconductor is a substance, usually a solid chemical element or
compound, that can conduct electricity under some conditions but not others, making
it a good medium for the control of electrical current. Its conductance varies
depending on the current or voltage applied to a control electrode, or on the intensity
of irradiation by infrared (IR), visible light, ultraviolet (UV), or X rays.

The specific properties of a semiconductor depend on the impurities, or dopants,

added to it. An N-type semiconductor carries current mainly in the form of negatively-
charged electrons, in a manner similar to the conduction of current in a wire. A P-type
semiconductor carries current predominantly as electron deficiencies called holes. A
hole has a positive electric charge, equal and opposite to the charge on an electron. In
a semiconductor material, the flow of holes occurs in a direction opposite to the flow
of electrons.

Elemental semiconductors include antimony, arsenic, boron, carbon, germanium,

selenium, silicon, sulfur, and tellurium. silicon is the best-known of these, forming the
basis of most integrated circuits (ICs). Common semiconductor compounds include
gallium arsenide, indium antimonide, and the oxides of most metals. Of these, gallium
arsenide (GaAs) is widely used in low-noise, high-gain, weak-signal amplifying
devices.
A semiconductor device can perform the function of a vacuum tube having hundreds
of times its volume. A single integrated circuit (IC), such as a microprocessor chip,
can do the work of a set of vacuum tubes that would fill a large building and require
its own electric generating plant.