http://www.sciencealert.com/scienti...nd-they-could-radically-speed-up-electronics?

 

Wouldn't hold my breath waiting for a Weyltronics computer.

 

Very interesting article. I wonder what the manufacturing challenges will be to make a commercially available device anytime soon.

 

Well, you know, the universe doesn't know it is dead yet! Entropy dontcha know. But as soon as someone finds out that protons only have a billion year half life then the whole simulation will blue screen and God will reboot us...

 

as soon as someone finds out that protons only have a billion year half life

I'm under the impression that that theory has not been verified through direct observation yet, although it's predicted under certain variants of the standard model, if I'm not mistaken

 

Like the article said this a materials science quasiparticle much like a 'hole' is a quasiparticle that helps to explain and design semiconductors not a fundamental particle discovery. If we can actually use this interesting new material in a device that would be great but being able to revolutionize electronics sounds a bit like hype.

 

I'm under the impression that that theory has not been verified through direct observation yet, although it's predicted under certain variants of the standard model, if I'm not mistaken

Yebut... the lower limit on the half-life is currently about 10^33 years.

If it were a billion years, then about 99.997% of the protons would have already decayed and we would be seeing it all around us (we have many radioisotopes with half lives well in excess of that and are very easily characterizable).

 

http://www.sciencealert.com/scienti...nd-they-could-radically-speed-up-electronics?

Super! Let me know when I can buy Weyltronics transistors at Radio Shack. So far it just sounds like one of those press releases that come out just as funding time comes around. They are always "right on the very edge" of something profound that never actually come to reality in their life time.

 

I couldn't help but think of the superman movies and the slender crystal pieces they inserted into a panel that "read" them in some fashion. The claims of increased performance seem like a logical step if they can cobble together a way make them function inside silicon crystal.

 

I couldn't help but think of the superman movies and the slender crystal pieces they inserted into a panel that "read" them in some fashion. The claims of increased performance seem like a logical step if they can cobble together a way make them function inside silicon crystal.

Just be very careful when handling those crystals and don't get them wet!

 

the lower limit on the half-life is currently about 10^33 years.

What's in a number?... let's see...
A billion years is written as 10^9 years... mmhhh it seems that Kermit's fear is off at least by only 24 orders of magnitude!