We live in a world of information. But physics tells us that deep down the world is quantum mechanical. To be honest, the meaning of quantum mechanics still evades me to this day. Something about sub-atomic particles and waves. What I know is that the promise of discovering a way to harness its capabilities could result in huge advancements in every field. The most practical way to do so is through quantum computing.
Essentially quantum computing takes advantage of quantum physics phenomena to grow in computing power exponentially. While the power of traditional computers can only grow linearly as more bits are added, quantum computers utilise qubits. Essentially, a qubit can exist in a multidimensional state in contrast to a standard computer bit, which can only be either 0 or 1. With additional qubits, quantum computers’ power increases exponentially. This is a very simplistic explanation of quantum computing (Frankenfield, 2022).
The Breakthrough Prize Foundation, funded by Sergey Brin, Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg, Julia and Yuri Milner, and Anne Wojcicki, bestows $3 million annual prizes for each of a number of distinct categories for groundbreaking discoveries in their respective fields. Charles H. Bennett, Gilles Brassard, David Deutsch, and Peter W. Shor received the 2023 prize in the fundamental physics category for their pioneering work in the area of quantum information. These men have made some of the most important discoveries in the field of quantum mechanics. The BB84 protocol, developed by Charles Bennett and Gilles Brassard, launched the discipline of quantum cryptography. The first quantum algorithm that outperforms the best comparable classical algorithm was created by David Deutsch, who also described the quantum equivalent of a Turing machine. Peter Shor created the Shor’s algorithm, which was the first method to show how quantum computing may one day be beneficial, to factor big numbers exponentially faster than any classical technique (Winners of the 2023 breakthrough prizes in life sciences, Mathematics and fundamental physics announced).
These discoveries are nothing short of revolutionary in the field. After watching several videos on these discoveries, they still are elusive to me. However, the sense of importance that these technologies incite are matched only by very few technologies. I believe it is thanks to these gentlemen and other researchers in this field that humanity will prosper in the future.
Citations
Frankenfield, J. (2022, September 21). Quantum Computing: Definition, how it’s used, and example. Investopedia. Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/q/quantum-computing.asp#:~:text=Quantum%20computing%20uses%20subatomic%20particles,0)%20at%20the%20same%20time.&text=Classical%20computers%20today%20employ%20a,to%20encode%20information%20in%20bits.
Winners of the 2023 breakthrough prizes in life sciences, Mathematics and fundamental physics announced. Breakthrough Prize – Winners Of The 2023 Breakthrough Prizes In Life Sciences, Mathematics And Fundamental Physics Announced. (n.d.). Retrieved September 27, 2022, from https://breakthroughprize.org/News/73
Being a bit of a physics enthusiast myself, I find it fascinating see how much the field of quantum computing has advanced over the past years. Since traditional processors are slowly pushing the limits of Moore’s law, quantum computing/processing will become more and more relevant in the future. Even though it is a highly complicated subject, you did a great job at explaining it!
Hey Fabius! Thank you very much. Definitely a very interesting subject to me too. I hope we’ll be able to see strides on the subject during our lifetime!