Quantum Computers — This will be an Adventure!

When something promises to change the world as we know it, it usually finds us in awe! Because these are the things that keep us going and make us want to become better, bigger and keep moving forward. That’s what we call being Adventurous.

Not fearing the new. Learning new things, experimenting. Embracing change, disrupting our comfort zone. Challenging ourselves to create new ideas, to work with new practices, to generate new revenue streams.

Talking about new ideas, new practices and adventures is the perfect way to introduce quantum computing. Because it began when someone felt adventurous too! But, let’s begin with the basics:

What is Quantum Computing?

Mystical and almost mythical in their conception, quantum computers use the amazing laws of quantum mechanics to process information and offer a processing power we’ve never even imagined before. How? While current computers store information using bits represented by 0s or 1s, quantum computers use quantum mechanical phenomena to manipulate information. To do this, they rely on quantum bits, or qubits.

What is a Qubit?

Qubits are subatomic particles, like electrons and protons. Essentially they are quantum systems that encode the 0 and the 1 into two distinguishable quantum states. How? By harnessing their own quantum properties called superposition and entanglement.

Super…what now?

Superposition is the ability of a quantum system to be in multiple states at the same time.

Entanglement is an amazingly powerful correlation that exists between quantum particles. It is actually so strong that two or more quantum particles can be considered to be linked perfectly even if they are actually apart and with huge distances between them. So strong, in fact, that two or more quantum particles can be completely linked, even if separated by great distances. Imagine the perfect dancing couple, flowing in exact unison, making the exact same moves. Got it? Great. Now try to comprehend that between the two dancers lies our whole universe. Sounds magic but it’s just science. Quantum science.

How did it all begin?

As everything worth doing and having a chance to change the future, quantum computers began when someone felt adventurous.

It was 1980 when Paul Benioff described the first quantum mechanical model of a computer. In this work, he showed that a computer could operate under the laws of quantum mechanics by describing a Schrödinger equation description of Turing machines.

Two years later, Benioff developed his original model of a quantum mechanical Turing machine. And that was the big bang of quantum computing.

Where are we now?

Coming back to today, already major companies use superconducting circuits cooled to temperatures colder than deep space, while others trap individual atoms in electromagnetic fields on a silicon chip in ultra-high-vacuum chambers. In both cases the goal is to isolate the qubits in a controlled quantum state.

So, from a physics theory to real world applications and from conventional computers to quantum computers, countless people were involved! Great minds that worked together to offer one more technological revolution to the world. But it all began with an Adventurous soul!

Are you of the same state of mind? Are you feeling adventurous and want to evolve? Why not join us? Take a look at our openings here.

https://www.technologyreview.com
https://www.dwavesys.com
https://en.wikipedia.org
https://uwaterloo.ca/