As futuristic as quantum computers seem, what with all those qubits and entangled atoms, here is an idea that promises to make atom-based quantum computers look passe even before anyone has built a full-sized version. It seems that bubbles of electrons lined up in ultracold liquid helium could be used to build a quantum computer capable of carrying out a staggering 10~(30) simultaneous calculations. To carry out these simultaneous calculations, quantum computers normally exploit entities such as atoms and molecules, which can be in several quantum states at once, to encode bits in those quantum states - the famous qubits. But Weijun Yao of Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, wants to replace atoms with curious . things called electron bubbles.
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