Quantum computer: Turn if off to turn it on

Even for the crazy world of quantum mechanics, this one is twisted. A quantum computer program has produced an answer without actually running.

The idea behind the feat, first proposed in 1998, is to put a quantum computer into a “superposition”, a state in which it is both running and not running. ...

With the right set-up, the theory suggested, the computer would sometimes get an answer out of the computer even though the program did not run. And now researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have improved on the original design and built a non-running quantum computer that really works.

This is too much to believe, the computer works best when it's off, too.

This scheme could have an advantage over straightforward quantum computing. "A non-running computer produces fewer errors," says Hosten.

Quantum computers, quantum physics, it's too surreal to believe.