Timeline - Michael Crichton [55]
Gordon sat and smiled. He was looking at Stern, waiting.
“The only possible way to do that much processing,” Stern said, “would be to use the quantum characteristics of individual electrons. But then you’d be talking about a quantum computer. And no one’s ever made one.”
Gordon just smiled.
“Have they?” Stern said.
:
“Let me explain what David is talking about,” Gordon said to the others. “Ordinary computers make calculations using two electron states, which are designated one and zero. That’s how all computers work, by pushing around ones and zeros. But twenty years ago, Richard Feynman suggested it might be possible to make an extremely powerful computer using all thirty-two quantum states of an electron. Many laboratories are now trying to build these quantum computers. Their advantage is unimaginably great power—so great that you can indeed describe and compress a three-dimensional living object into an electron stream. Exactly like a fax. You can then transmit the electron stream through a quantum foam wormhole and reconstruct it in another universe. And that’s what we do. It’s not quantum teleportation. It’s not particle entanglement. It’s direct transmission to another universe.”
:
The group was silent, staring at him. The Land Cruiser came into a clearing. They saw a number of two-story buildings, brick and glass. They looked surprisingly ordinary. This could be any one of those small industrial parks found on the outskirts of many American cities. Marek said, “This is ITC?”
“We like to keep a low profile,” Gordon said. “Actually, we chose this spot because there is an old mine here. Good mines are getting hard to find now. So many physics projects require them.”
Off to one side, working in the glare of floodlights, several men were getting ready to launch a weather balloon. The balloon was six feet in diameter, pale white. As they watched, it moved swiftly up into the sky, a small instrument bundle hanging beneath. Marek said, “What’s that about?”
“We monitor the cloud cover every hour, especially when it’s stormy. It’s an ongoing research project, to see if the weather is the cause of any interference.”
“Interference with what?” Marek asked.
The car pulled up in front of the largest building. A security guard opened the door. “Welcome to ITC,” he said with a big smile. “Mr. Doniger is waiting for you.”
Doniger walked quickly down the hallway with Gordon. Kramer followed behind. As he walked, Doniger scanned a sheet of paper that listed everybody’s names and backgrounds. “How do they look, John?”
“Better than I expected. They’re in good physical shape. They know the area. They know the time period.”
“And how much persuading will they need?”
“I think they’re ready. You just have to be careful talking about the risks.”
“Are you suggesting I should be less than entirely honest?” Doniger said.
“Just be careful how you put it,” Gordon said. “They’re very bright.”
“Are they? Well, let’s have a look.”
And he threw the door open.
:
Kate and the others had been left alone in a plain, bare conference room—scratched Formica table, folding chairs all around. On one side was a large markerboard with formulas scrawled on it. The formulas were so long that they ran the entire width of the board. It was completely mysterious to her. She was about to ask Stern what the formulas were for, when Robert Doniger swept into the room.
Kate was surprised by how young he was. He didn’t look much older than they were, especially dressed in sneakers, jeans and a Quicksilver T-shirt. Even late at night, he seemed full of energy, going around the table quickly, shaking hands with each of them, addressing them by name. “Kate,” he said, smiling at her. “Good to meet you. I’ve read your preliminary study on the chapel. It’s very impressive.”
Surprised, she managed