The quantum future of clinical laboratory IT solutions

Clinical laboratory IT solutions could have a future on the microscopic scale that much clinical research is concerned with.

Studies into the potential building blocks for quantum computers have taken a step forward with the news that the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics has examined the optical properties of a single rubidium atom.

When trapped in a high-finesse optical cavity and subjected to a transverse high-intensity laser, the atom can act as a quantum optical transistor, modulating the passage of laser light through a process called electromagnetically induced transparency or EIT.

This makes rubidium a candidate for the construction of quantum computers in the future - a key step in the process towards more miniaturised clinical laboratory IT solutions and other computer systems.

Miniaturisation is also crucial to upholding Moore's Law, which dictates that the processing power of a microchip will double on average every 1.5 to two years, without the chip increasing in size.