Researchers at Stanford 's School of Arts and Sciences have developed a quantum microphone capable of producing phonons , the smallest - known form of sound . The team used minuscule resonators to measure the frequency of phonons , according to an article in Nature . The breakthrough could lead to the development of a phonon quantum computer , which would be smaller and store more information than a light particle - based , photon quantum computer .
Researchers at Stanford's School of Humanities and Sciences have developed a quantum microphone capable of registering phonons, the smallest-known units of sound. The team used minuscule resonators to measure the energy of phonons, according to an article in Nature. The breakthrough could lead to the development of a phonon quantum computer, which would be smaller and store more information than a light particle-based, photon quantum computer.