What Are Quantum Gates and How Do They Relate to Nuclear Spin?

[quasinerd]

After reading Seth Lloyd's book “Programming the Universe”(only once) I came up with a few questions. The way I understand it... He describes the fabric of space-time as consisting of an endless array of casual space (wires) and matter(quantum gates). The wires tell information where to go and meet at gates. One of these gates is the controlled-NOT op gate. This gate can be created by coiling two photons into a small tube with an atom in it and causing the photons to interact strongly with the atom. This type of quantum gate, along with the AND, COPY, and OR gates make up the matter that process information. After the interaction between the qbits(nuclear spins) and the quantum gate, space is told how to curve.

The first question I have is basic... “Is this correct?” Next I would like to understand nuclear spin. Is everything made up of nuclear spins? What is spinning? Elementary particles? How is a sideways spin(registering 1 and 0 simultaneously) created? Then there is the idea of curved space. Could this complex subject be made any more simple for me? I am dizzy.

 

[vpoko]

The "Universe as a computer" thing has fascinated me for a while (since around when I read The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy - and no, I don't recommend it as source). The first thing to say is that the theory is very speculative. Nobody knows if it's right or wrong. Looking at certain models of computation, like cellular automata, one can certainly get the impression that the universe is in the business of information processing. That would lead to all sorts of interesting possibilities arising from the universe being Church-Turing complete. But right now the field is as much philosophy as science, so we'll have to wait and see :)