I think in general the goal is not to stuff more information into fewer qubits, but to stabilize more qubits so you can hold more information. The problem is in the physics of stabilizing that many qubits for long enough to run a meaningful calculation.
Argh it’s been a while. The question is whether an n-qbit system actually can contain arbitrary (k <= 2n) amounts of n-bit states for arbitrary values of n and k: Such a system might work up to a certain number, but then lose coherence once you try to exceed what the universe can actually compute. As far as I know we simply don’t know because noone has yet built a system that actually pushes boundaries in earnest. The limiting factor is more n than k I think but then I’m not a quantum physicist.
It would still mean ludicrously miniaturised computing, in fact, minimised to a maximum extent, but it would not give the asymptotic speedup cryptologists are having nightmares about.
I think in general the goal is not to stuff more information into fewer qubits, but to stabilize more qubits so you can hold more information. The problem is in the physics of stabilizing that many qubits for long enough to run a meaningful calculation.
Argh it’s been a while. The question is whether an n-qbit system actually can contain arbitrary (k <= 2n) amounts of n-bit states for arbitrary values of n and k: Such a system might work up to a certain number, but then lose coherence once you try to exceed what the universe can actually compute. As far as I know we simply don’t know because noone has yet built a system that actually pushes boundaries in earnest. The limiting factor is more n than k I think but then I’m not a quantum physicist.
It would still mean ludicrously miniaturised computing, in fact, minimised to a maximum extent, but it would not give the asymptotic speedup cryptologists are having nightmares about.