Tech News

Quantum computers may someday revolutionize the information world. But in order for quantum computers at distant locations to communicate with one another, they have to be linked together in a network. While several building blocks for a quantum computer have already been successfully tested in the laboratory, a network requires one additonal component: A reliable interface between computers and information channels. Austrian physicists now report the construction of an efficient and tunable interface for quantum networks.

Ion bombardment of metal surfaces is an important, but poorly understood, nanomanufacturing technique. New research using sophisticated supercomputer simulations has shown what goes on in trillionths of a second. The advance could lead to better ways to predict the phenomenon and more uses of the technique to make new nanoscale products.

The "experts" are at it again and I feel that it's my duty to set 'em straight.

The weekly roundup of Generation-Y and student news & resources you may have missed.

Apple's boss, Tim Cook, turns down a payout worth about $75m (£48m) that he was due from the technology giant's upcoming dividend.

Scientists are awaiting the announcement of a decision on where the world's biggest and most powerful radio telescope will be built.

The only truly secure system is one that is powered off, cast in a block of concrete and sealed in a lead-lined room with armed guards. - Gene Spafford

Treat your password like your toothbrush. Don't let anybody else use it, and get a new one every six months. - Clifford Stoll