A revolution is underway in the construction of ‘artificial atoms’ out of superconducting electrical circuits. These macroscopic ‘atoms’ have quantized energy levels and can emit and absorb quanta of light (in this case microwave photons), just like ordinary atoms. Unlike ordinary atoms, the properties of these artificial atoms can be engineered to suit various particular applications, and they can be connected together by wires to form quantum ‘computer chips.’ This so-called ‘circuit QED’ architecture has given us the ability to test quantum mechanics in a new regime using electrical circuits and to construct rudimentary quantum computers which can perform certain tasks that are impossible on ordinary classical computers.

[1] ‘Wiring up quantum systems,’ R.J. Schoelkopf and S.M. Girvin, Nature 451, 664 (2008)