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U.S. physicists have coaxed tiny artificial atoms into communicating in an advance that may lead to super-fast quantum computers, the researchers said on Wednesday.
Quantum computers hold the promise of being enormously powerful, capable of solving in seconds problems that take today's fastest machines years to crack.
Quantum cryptography guarantees secure communications by harnessing the quantum quirks of photons sent between users. Any attempt to intercept the photons will disturb their quantum state and raise the alarm.
But Elliott points out that even quantum cryptography "does not give you 100 per cent security". Although quantum keys are theoretically impossible to intercept without detection, implementing them in the real world presents hackers with several potential ways to listen in unobserved.