Quantum Physics in 5 Minutes
Imagine a world where government systems could never be hacked into, a world where computers could solve life’s biggest questions and teleportation is the norm of travel. This dazzling, spectacular future seems like a pipe dream, but it is very possible with the power of quantum physics.
So what is quantum physics?
Quantum physics deals with the study of quantum particles, like light photons or atoms. At this microscopic level, particles behave as waves, meaning that they can exist in multiple places at once. This uniqueness of quantum particles can be explained through Erwin Schrödinger’s thought experiment. Let’s say you stick a cat inside a box with a vial of poison that can kill the cat at any time. When the box is closed, there is no way to tell if the cat is alive or dead, so, in a sense, the cat is both alive and dead until you open the box. Once you open the box, this collapses into one state, alive or dead.
This is how quantum particles work, too. Just like Schrödinger’s cat could have been alive or dead until the box was opened, a quantum particle can exist in multiple places. This is also called a state of superposition. Once observed, the particle only exists in one state. This famous theory is often known as the Copenhagen Interpretation. Part of quantum physics deals with figuring out the probability that a quantum particle will exist at a certain place at a certain time. Sounds crazy, I know, but Schrödinger figured out a way to do it through his wave function, which provides a pretty accurate way of finding out where a quantum particle will be at any given time.
And if you think that all of this seems like it was ripped straight out of a sci-fi movie, just wait, because it gets even stranger. Another cool thing about quantum particles is a property called quantum entanglement. This is when multiple quantum particles are connected in such a way that altering the state of one particle will “magically” alter the state of another particle. Not only that, but entangled particles can affect each other from thousands of miles away. This opens up a whole world of possibilities, from teleportation to computers that could hack into the most secure systems.
How does quantum physics affect me?
Quantum physics is intriguing, but how does it impact the average person? Well, one of the major fields quantum physics is coming up in is in the area of computing. Engineers and scientists are looking into creating quantum computers, computers that are far more powerful than some of the most advanced supercomputers. Companies like IBM and Google have already constructed quantum computers, and everyone is starting to speculate about all the cool things a quantum computer could do.
A normal computer stores information in packages called bits. Think of it as a secret language that all computers communicate in. These bits either have the value of 0 or 1, so if you were to type the letter “A”, a computer would register it as 01000001. Quantum computers differ here because they harness the power of superposition to work. So, instead of a bit being represented as 0 or 1, the bit (or qubit, as it’s called when referring to quantum computers) would be both 0 and 1 at the same time. This means that, instead of a computer carrying out one function at a time, it could execute multiple things simultaneously, at a crazy fast speed. Scientists also can entangle these qubits, so that altering one will alter the other qubits.
These qubits are processed through superconducting chips. The chips allow the computer to process information. The idea is that, the more qubits a superconducting chip can process, the more powerful the quantum computer will be. The only problem is that these superconducting chips are extremely sensitive. So, when constructing a quantum computer, you would need a perfectly controlled environment in order for the chip to work properly. The more you increase the chip’s processing capacity, the more sensitive the chip becomes, meaning that scientists can’t just arbitrarily add qubits to the superconducting chip. So far, Google has managed to create a 72-qubit chip called Bristlecone, and the startup company Rigetti Computing hopes to create a quantum computer chip with a whopping 128 qubits by next year.
That was just a brief glimpse into the field of quantum physics. And here’s the best part- quantum computing is such an undeveloped field that anyone can come in and make an impact. Learn quantum computing languages, watch videos, and read articles on this amazing field. The future of technology lies in quantum physics- and we can all be a part of it.
