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Orbital Computing Offers Faster Computing Based on the Spin of Electrons

TMCnet Feature

March 12, 2014

Orbital Computing Offers Faster Computing Based on the Spin of Electrons

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By Rory Lidstone
TMCnet Contributing Writer

When it comes to alternative computing, it seems quantum computing is best known, but it doesn’t stop there. Indeed, there are a number of alternatives to the silicon chips we’ve grown so familiar with and more are developed over time. Most recently, a physicist at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory introduced the concept of orbital computing.


Thought up by Joshua Turner and proposed to the world at SXSW (News - Alert), this new method of computing uses the orbits of electrons around the nucleus of an atom as a means to generate the binary states that make up the basis of computing. Of course, this isn’t just an alternative computing method, but a potentially better one as orbital computing is capable of switching the state of an electron’s orbit 10,000 times faster than that of the transistors used in computing today.

Put simply, this means orbital computing offers the same features of computing today as it still uses binary programming, but it can compute more in less time.

Interestingly, Turner’s discovery of orbital computing is directly related to his work with x-rays, his area of focus at SLAC. His work with x-rays involves experiments in the Linear accelerator to take pictures of subatomic particles. It was these experiments that led to the discovery of new materials and visualizations that could change the fundamentals of computing. Of most note is the discovery of a material that allows electrons to switch states very quickly, which could improve magnetic random access memory speeds a thousand fold.

Another critical element is the ability to see what spin electrons have taken in a magnetic field, which should make it easier for engineers to make new chip breakthroughs. Finally, the use of a lower-power terahertz laser can help prompt a shift in the state of a magnetic spin of electrons, which should switch the state of an electron faster.

It may seem that the fundamentals are all there, but orbital computing has a long way to go until it is widely accepted, if it ever is at all. Still, Turner seems less concerned about this and more excited about the discovery itself, stating “There is so much we don’t understand and there are tons of experiments that we can use to get at the fundamental nature of quantum mechanics.”




Edited by Cassandra Tucker


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