This was inspired by the other guys post about the speed of light.

So the new thing is using light waves to do computing =)

Of course it isnt really working yet but I thought it was really cool so i figured i would post something here.

The basic working thing is that you supercool atoms to within a few degrees of absolute zero. Then you send a beam of light through them - and - viola, a baby can crawl faster than light.

What happens is that as the light wave passes through the frozen atoms its speed is dramitcally reduced. So much so that the speed of light goes from 186,000 miles per second to 1 mile per hour!

Scientists are able to control how long the light wave is held at the speeds the determine and which direction it goes in afterwards. So imagine your hardrive or something being a mini-freezer that slows light down - does computations - and send its along on its merry little way. Talk about super-computing.

They have been able to control a light pulse so much that it seems to fade and then stop, then starts up again whenever its called. The process doesnt involve stopping the actual photons. What happens is that the information about the light wave is rapidly stored in special atoms that are trapped with a glass tube. Then when the light needs to be manipulated the photon information is turned into a replica of the original wave and sent where it needs to go.

It taps into the heart of Quantum Mechanics to create the ultimate computer.

Einstein argued that light speed was the absolute limit of speed in the universe. So technically if you used a computer that operated at light speed it would be the fastest computer in the universe =)

You could play World of Warcraft 24/7 and never have a single stich of lag in IronForge!! WOOT That right there is a reason to get a light-speed compy.

What do you guys think?

That's insane.
It's mind boggling how much technology has advanced through out the decades, and how interconnected it has become with our lives. For example, I can't live without my cell phone!

Still the thought of light speed connections seems like an impossible feat.
But that kind of attitude doesn't get idea far!

If you find this interesting, what about all of the humanoids, and 3D television holograms being tested in Japan? That's also a topic to get in touch with!

Well actually...Fiber Optic networks are "Light speed networks" because they use the light for all transmitions...Of course you have the very slight lag when it transforms data into light beeps and transforms it back again, but that's barely anything.

Whenever I ping someone on my network (Fiber Optic) I get back "0" ping. I'd think there's an error. But there's an error there because it's really fast

And...According to my book in physics class, which we just read like a week ago...You can transmit 500mbps on one fiber opic chord. Which does beat those blue 100mbps ethernet cables

The only disadvantage...Is that you need a transformer that turns all of the light into data. Maybe in the future you can just plug in a fiber optic cable, and that process would be done inside of your computer? So it's all light speed until it reaches your computer...Because they usually just put like a transformer for one neighborhood (Or big apartment or something, for me) So you have to share it....Plus you have the lag where it get's transmitted "normally" from the transmitter to you.

Anyway...

When it comes to transmitting data through fibre optics it's not so much about how fast you can get data from A to B, it's more about how fast can the light be converted back into signals that can be used by the computer. That is currently our barrier when we are dealing with transmitting speeds.

Isn't there also the problem of the signal fading if it has to travel long distances? I'm sure I remember learning that not all of the light in a fibre optic cable isn't totally internally reflected, but some of it does escape. Although it's probably so minute it's negligable.
And the original post about computers working at the speed of light, or at least that's what I understood from the post, seems a bit far fetched. Freezing atoms to nearly absolute zero? That's -273 degrees celcius. I doub't that's very cheap to do so a computer that has a freezer that can go that cold will cost shitloads.
It does seem pretty cool though how they've managed to slow light right down. Got a link for where you read this?

NB EVE>WoW

awesome, i read something about this in Discover magazine, if no one has read that its an awesome magazine. soon as Intel or whoever makes first marketed photon CPU, ill sell my house for this baby. well i dont have a house, but ill work slave labor for a year for it, seriously. no more gigahertz anymore, we're talking like exohertz. imagine how fast Word would open up...

Yes, and I bet that all this technology is the reason why computers havent steppedo out of the technology they are in right now, cause as soon as they come up with something almost instantaneously there is another huge advancement that could work better for it with different technology. I wonder how much more time will pass until we have a new generation of computers in the commercial sector. Maybe they will combine everything, (nano, light, those new paper thin screens, etc.) When it does its gonna be really cool though.

I don't think this is probable within 20 years, its just so much different than todays CPUs. however, with the rate technology is expanding and progressing, you never know.

That's some great looking stuff. Too bad we have the problem Arigato stated otherwise we would be flying through things. I would like to see light slow down to 1 mph. lol I could race light and whoop it's little butt. Imagine if light did travel at 1mph. When the sun goes behind a cloud you would all of a sudden see a the light getting closer and closer. lol Nifty.