Question about Constructing a Simple Quantum Computer

captainhampto
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I was curious if it would be possible to construct an incredibly simple and most likely trivial computer based on an interferometer style setup which could generate random numbers based on the quantum mechanical nature of light. Namely, with a basic laser pointer, some mirrors, and a beam splitter, would it be at all possible to analyze the stream of photons from the laser and generate a random number based on the probability that an arbitrary photon took one of two paths?

If so, are there any good tutorials for performing such a task, specifically on reflecting the outcome to a computer to perform computations with? If not, is there some type of alternative or perhaps similar project to what I am inquiring about? Thanks again all.
 
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Also, as a follow-up to this question, I think David Deutsch touches on this topic in the first 2 videos of his lecture series by http://www.hpl.hp.com/breweb/quiprocone/Protected/DD_lectures.htm" . Really good set of lectures by the way if any of you were interested. Not sure if this helps a bit on the elaboration side, but if not I'd be more than happy to try to explain my ideas. Thanks again.
 
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I read Hanbury Brown and Twiss's experiment is using one beam but split into two to test their correlation. It said the traditional correlation test were using two beams........ This confused me, sorry. All the correlation tests I learnt such as Stern-Gerlash are using one beam? (Sorry if I am wrong) I was also told traditional interferometers are concerning about amplitude but Hanbury Brown and Twiss were concerning about intensity? Isn't the square of amplitude is the intensity? Please...
I am not sure if this belongs in the biology section, but it appears more of a quantum physics question. Mike Wiest, Associate Professor of Neuroscience at Wellesley College in the US. In 2024 he published the results of an experiment on anaesthesia which purported to point to a role of quantum processes in consciousness; here is a popular exposition: https://neurosciencenews.com/quantum-process-consciousness-27624/ As my expertise in neuroscience doesn't reach up to an ant's ear...
Insights auto threads is broken atm, so I'm manually creating these for new Insight articles. Towards the end of the first lecture for the Qiskit Global Summer School 2025, Foundations of Quantum Mechanics, Olivia Lanes (Global Lead, Content and Education IBM) stated... Source: https://www.physicsforums.com/insights/quantum-entanglement-is-a-kinematic-fact-not-a-dynamical-effect/ by @RUTA
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