The "spinning bit" is the original logo of the quantum groups at the University of Oxford. For us, it represents more than an artistic depiction of quantum coherence, wherein a qubit attains the classically forbidden superposition of both logical value zero and logical value one, concurrently. The logo was made in 1998 using early ray tracing software and remains the active symbol used as a link to QUBIT.ORG tutorials across the internet.
The University and the Laboratory have a long history in quantum physics. We have a more detailed list of important historical events, but have included here the following prehistory. This prehistory lists some important events which helped foster the creation of this early quantum information webpage, as well our logo, the retro spinning bit.
Clarendon Instants in Time (sparse snapshots before 2000)
- 1985 - David Deutsch described the first universal quantum computer.
- 1991 - Artur Ekert invents entanglement based secure communication.
- 1995 - Andrew Steane proposed the first schemes for quantum error correction.
- 1998 - Jonathan A Jones and Michele Mosca conducted the first experimental demonstration of a working quantum algorithm. A 2-qubit NMR quantum computer used to solve Deutsch's problem.
- 1998 - The spinning bit goes live on QUBIT.ORG