By Nikita Chanda
In 1899, an intriguing science problem caught German physicist Max Planck's eye. Hypothetically, a “black body,” something that perfectly absorbs all energy falling on it, should radiate all frequencies of light– but this theory never matched up with the predictions of classical physics.1 After multiple renowned physicists’ failure to come up with equations explaining this phenomenon, Planck decided to address this problem with a fresh start. What if energy wasn’t a continuous wave, contrary to the rules of classical physics? Planck proposed that energy came in discrete packets called “quanta”.1 Although not accepted at the time, this was the basis of quantum mechanics.1 Groundbreaking work from famous scientists like Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr wouldn’t have been possible without this discovery. Quantum mechanics emerged as a new subfield of modern physics that helped scientists view the world from a subatomic point of view.
How is this particularly relevant, one may ask? Well, without quantum mechanics, the chips that run our computers would not exist. Now, what if there was a quantum nature to the computer chip itself? This is the basis of quantum computing.
Quantum computers implement the principles of quantum mechanics to solve problems too advanced for classical computers, computers that perform binary computing, to calculate. You may have heard of the famous Schrödinger’s Cat thought experiment: a cat and radioactive material– which could decay at any time, or never– are placed into a box, concealing them from any person’s view.2 Without opening the box, Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger stated, since the cat’s fate is linked to an event with an unknowable outcome, the cat would be considered both dead and alive.2 In quantum mechanics, this paradox is known as quantum superposition; in the quantum realm, every entity is in superposition as both a particle and a wave. This is known as wave-particle duality. Similarly, while a regular computer uses bits that can be set to 0 or 1, quantum computers use “quantum bits,” or qubits, that can be set to 0, 1, or both 0 and 1 at the same time. This way, it can represent every potential answer as an abstract quantum wave, where the waves will interfere and cancel each other out inside the core of the machine, revealing the correct solution.3
Because of this, quantum computers can execute tasks exponentially faster than classical computers. Exponentially faster. One may call this a superiority over conventional machinery, or a “quantum advantage”.4 To quantify the weight of this supremacy: a quantum computer can do what would take the best supercomputer around 9000 years.4
As is usually the case, with great power comes great responsibility. Granted with the exceptional ability to decode public-key encryption schemes, quantum computers can do things influential to the development of science and technology today– but are already a looming threat to society.
In theory, these computers can “exploit quantum rules to provide ultra-secure communication across channels” that are “immune to hacking”.5 However, this comes hand-in-hand with the biggest concern regarding the development of the quantum computer: hacking. Due to the very real possibility of attack by a quantum computer, cryptographers and mathematicians are already working on new algorithms to prevent quantum hacking.3 This May 2022, the White House created a new national security memorandum, stating that despite quantum computers’ “potential to drive innovations across the American economy,” it is also a great challenge to the United States’ national and economic security.6 For instance, in addition to its threat to the public-key encryption system, it also has the potential to “jeopardize civilian and military communications, undermine supervisory and control systems for critical infrastructure, and defeat security protocols for most Internet-based financial transactions”.6
The bottom line: quantum computing is astronomically more powerful than classical computing, opening up a wide array of possibilities for completing complex tasks to the world’s benefit. New methods of climate prediction, for example, can be revolutionary because of the quantum computer's ability to “analyze all available data at once,” allowing us to prepare for dangerous weather much in advance as well as anticipate how the environment is changing over long periods of time by developing better climate models.7 While there may be dangers to quantum computing, advancement in technology is inevitable, and it is up to our generation to make sure the future of technology isn’t in the wrong hands.
References
1“A Science Odyssey: People and Discoveries: Planck Discovers the Quantum Nature of Energy.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/databank/entries/dp0 0qu.html#:~:text=Planck%20found%20that%20the%20energy,higher%20energy%20will%20be%20radiated.
2Howgego, Joshua. “Schrödinger's Cat.” New Scientist, https://www.newscientist.com/definition/ schrodingers-cat/.
3Cho, Adrian. “Worried That Quantum Computers Will Supercharge Hacking, White House Calls for Encryption Shift.” Science, 5 May 2022, https://www.science.org/content/article/worried- quantum-computers-will-supercharge-hacking-white-house-calls-encryption-shift.
4Wilkins, Alex. “Quantum Computers Proved to Have 'Quantum Advantage' on Some Tasks.” New Scientist, New Scientist, 15 June 2022, https://www.newscientist.com/article/2323540- quantum-computers-proved-to-have-quantum-advantage-on-some-tasks/.
5Institute, Foundational Questions. “New Connection Discovered between Two Weird Quantum Phenomena – Superposition and Entanglement.” SciTechDaily, 3 May 2022, https://scitechdaily. com/new-connection-discovered-between-two-weird-quantum-phenomena-superposition-and-entanglement/.
6“National Security Memorandum on Promoting United States Leadership in Quantum Computing While Mitigating Risks to Vulnerable Cryptographic Systems.” The White House, The United States Government, 4 May 2022, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements- releases/2022/05/04/national-security-memorandum-on-promoting-united-states-leadership-in-quantum-computing-while-mitigating-risks-to-vulnerable-cryptographic-systems/.
7Taylor-Smith, Kerry. “Using Quantum Computing to Tell the Weather.” AZoQuantum.com, 19 Dec. 2018, https://www.azoquantum.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=98.
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