Quantum computing, which harnesses quantum mechanical phenomena to greatly enhance the way in which information is stored and processed, lending itself to performing more efficient algorithms than possible in classical computing, has been an area of ongoing research for more than 30 years. Although physicists and mathematicians were able to theorize three decades ago how a quantum computer could work, scientists and engineers had difficulty building one. In the last five years, we have seen the hardware and software capability move out of university labs and into tangible business products; however, the technology still needs to mature in order for it to become fully enterprise-ready and deliver meaningful, cost-effective business results.
The journal Quantum Information and Computation (QIC) made its debut last month. Most papers published in this field currently appear in the Los Alamos electronic preprint archives, and in a handful of journals in the physics, mathematics, and computer sciences arenas, says Hoi-Kwong Lo, one of the new journal’s managing editors and the chief scientist at MagiQ Technologies Inc in New York City. “It is getting difficult to keep track of all those papers and distinguish the good ones from the bad ones. We hope to bring a diverse community together and broaden the perspectives of researchers.” The first issue of QIC, which will appear every two months, focuses on quantum entanglement.