Quantum Computing

Introduction

You would have probably wondered if it’s possible to transmit a message from one person to another instantly with no delay. Sometimes the slow internet speed can be quite annoying and ends up making us want better technologies that are faster. Even if we have satisfying internet speed still we worry about our data security, don’t we? But overcoming these problems are now possible with the futuristic devices called quantum computers.

According to Moore’s Law, the number of transistors on a microchip doubles every 18 months; meaning: we will encounter circuits on microchips on an atomic level in the near future. This literally opens the door to quantum computing.

Quantum is a branch of physics which can and will be the potential solution to almost all of the issues we come across today.

Quantum computers vs. Classical computers

Quantum bit or Qubit, analogous to bit in classical computing is the fundamental unit of information in Quantum computing. A bit can store either one out of the two possible states. On the contrary, a Qbit can contain any proportion of both the states simultaneously. I.e. it can stay in a superposition of both the states.

Usually it is transistors which are used to store bits in mundane computers, but it’s a photon when it comes to quantum terms. It’s because photons can effectively express the features in quantum theories. In the section of light in physics, we clearly identify the fact that a photon can be a wave and a particle at the same time (it can possess wave and particle properties simultaneously). This feature is called wave-particle duality. This behavior is interpreted by the famous riddle of Schrodinger's cat in which a hypothetical cat is said to be dead and alive at the same time.

Let’s move on to quantum teleportation. Did you know that the scientists have already successfully teleported photons? This could be considered as a major milestone of the field. The teleportation of information occurs as a result of quantum entanglement of particles. This phenomenon can make the particles transfer information instantly irrespective of how far they are from each other.

In classical computers we can’t actually expect multiple processes to run inside the processor simultaneously unless we use a multi-core processor. But this kind of a processor can be implemented using quantum mechanics which is far beyond the reach of classical physics.

Current state of the field of quantum systems

IBM, Google, and D-Wave Systems are the leading companies which currently develop quantum machines. Superconducting electronic circuits are being used to create these machines cause of their special change in the resistance and the behavior of electrons when they reach their critical temperatures. 

- Osumali Liyanage -