from the putting-the-multiverse-to-work dept.
David Coutts writes "David Deutsch, founder of the quantum computer field, believes that quantum computers will work by drawing upon the processing power of the multiverse. His book "The Fabric Of Reality" is a great read. Deutsch is working on a theoretical framework to prove whether or not quantum computers can be built. He calls this the 'quantum constructor theory'." Deutsch also hopes that his theory would answer questions about nanotechnology. In this interview, "It's a much bigger thing than it looks," posted last November on the Third Culture section of The Edge, he explains some of his ideas.
…"a big technological question in my field at the moment is, can useful quantum computers actually be built? The basic laws of physics seem to permit them. We can design them in theory. We know what physical operations they would have to perform. But there is still room for doubt about whether one can build them out of actual atoms and make them work in a useful way. Some people are still pessimistic about that, but either way, that debate is not really a scientific one at the moment, because there is no scientific theory about what can and can't be built. Similar questions are raised by the whole range of nanotechnology that has been proposed in principle. So that's where a quantum constructor theory is needed."
