Unfortunately, it involved building an artificially intelligent observer and, even more problematically, that observer had to be a quantum computer, a device that exploits quantum mechanics to do huge numbers of calculations in parallel.

ECONOMIST: The universe, it appears, may not be alone

Between them, they have developed computational methods to crunch the numbers involved in quantum theory in ways that allow chemists to make sense of the behaviour of atoms as they bond together to form molecules.

ECONOMIST: The 1998 Nobel prizes

This allows a quantum computer to perform a single mathematical function on many numbers at once, answering many different versions of one question at the same time.

FORBES: Atoms Offer Giant Leap In Computing Power

Under the laws of quantum mechanics, the nuclei of atoms have shell-like structures analogous to the spheres in which given numbers of electrons exist in certain orbits around the nucleus.

ECONOMIST: Nuclear physics