Schrodinger's Killer App

Written by a renowned quantum physicist closely involved in the U.S. government''s development of quantum information science, this book presents an inside look at the government''s quest to build a quantum computer capable of solving complex mathematical problems and hacking the public-key encryption codes used to secure the Internet. The "killer app" refers to Shor''s quantum factoring algorithm, which would unveil the encrypted communications of the entire Internet if a quantum computer could be built to run the algorithm. Schrodinger''s notion of quantum entanglement-and his infamous cat-is at the heart of it all.