Recent research has shown that the answer is profoundly connected to quantum theory.
Information is physical and can exist in superpositions , or become entangled .
These are unique quantum features, which make the study of quantum information much more interesting and challenging then classical information. My research interests are primarily in the related field of quantum information processing . Small quantum computers can act as nodes in a perfectly secure quantum communications network. These applications, and many others, have led to an explosive multidisciplinary effort to understand what it would take to build quantum computers. The toughest problem is the process of decoherence .