The solution, according to Sven Hoefling of the University of Wuerzburg, Germany, and colleagues is to use what are called quantum dots to create single photons.

BBC: Quantum key distribution with single photons

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

But transmitting single particles or, to be accurate, copying the quantum state of one particle on to another, perhaps of a different kind could one day have less science-fictional uses.

ECONOMIST: Don��t look now, I��m teleporting

Scientists can make quantum computers from light particles known as photons, but they can also use an array of single atoms or even very small electrical circuits.

FORBES: Teeny-Tiny Quantum Computers Take A Step Closer To Reality

Physicists at the University of New South Wales have created a transistor composed of a single atom, which is an amazing feat of nanoengineering, and could provide a better foundation for scalable quantum computing.

FORBES: Scientists Create A One-Atom Transistor