Anyone seen the 'quantum cryptanalysis' thread on sci.crypt?

[Sherry Mayo <scmayo@rschp2.anu.edu.au>]

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Hi all,

Sorry if this has already been brought up (I've been skimming through c'punx
lately and may have missed it) but does anyone have any comment on this
thread (see title).

I first read about this in New Scientist (Sept 24th, No 1944). To summarize:
Shor came up with an algorithm that could use quantum effects to rapidly
factorise large primes. To build such a quantum computer requires manufacturing
techniques not yet available, although two other researchers (one is called
Eckart) streamlined Shor's algorithm and proposed a design for a "factorization
engine" using quantum dot technology. You'd need to put a lot more quantum
dots on a chip than is currently possible to build such a device, but the
suggestion could be possible in a few years time. the article hinted that
Hitachi were already hard at work on the problem.

Detractors of the proposed technique say problems of noise and sensitivity
to mechanical defects are insurmountable and the technique could never work.

I was wondering if anyone here has any comment. After reading the New Scientist
article I immediately checked it out in sci.crypt and saw a few articles there
(but they weren't on the whole any more enlightening that the New Scientist
article). 

I was wondering if anyone here had any views (informed or otherwise :-)

I suppose cypherpunks should keep up with the latest developments (or even
possibilities), and where there's quantum cryptanalysis presumably there's 
also quantum cryptography :-)

Sherry

ps if anyone is interested I'll try and dig out the references.


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