Quantum Computing
Quantum computing is an area of computing with prime focus on computer technology development based on the principles of quantum theory.
In simple words, it is the study on how to use phenomena in quantum physics to create new ways of computing. The main focus of this technology is to clarify the nature and character of energy and matter at quantum levels. Quantum computing can be understood by learning the quantum laws of physics by which very high processing power is achieved and the capacity will be developed to several states which will together help in executing the tasks in terms of parallel attainable combinations.
Quantum computing uses qubits, the basic unit of quantum information. But what exactly is a qubit? One can say that it is the quantum mechanical analogue of a classical bit. In classical computing the information is encoded in bits, where each bit can have the value zero or one. A qubit, otherwise known as a quantum bit is any bit made out of a quantum system, like an electron or photon. Just like classical bits, a qubit must have two distinct states: one representing “0” and one representing “1”. It can also exist in superposition states, be subjected to incompatible measurements, and even be entangled with other quantum bits. The ability to harness the powers of superposition, interference and entanglement makes qubits fundamentally different and much more powerful than classical bits.
To build quantum computers and other quantum information technologies we need quantum objects that will act as qubits. Scientists have learned to harness and control many physical systems to act as qubits. This allows us to match the demands of different quantum technologies to the advantage of each type of qubit. The power of quantum computers grows exponentially with more qubits.
The main advantage of quantum computing is that it can execute any task much faster when compared to the classical computer. Generally, though the atoms change fast in the case of traditional computing, it changes much faster in quantum computing. In quantum computing, since qubit is the conventional superposition state, we have the advantage of exponential speedup which results in a quantum jump in handling a number of calculations in addition to performing classical algorithm calculations. From performing highly complex mathematical calculations to searching the internet, modeling the national economy, forecasting the weather and so on, scientific computation puts a huge constraint on the capacity of even the fastest and most powerful computers. The difficulty is not that the microprocessors are too slow, but that the classical computers are inherently insufficient in this regard. It is here that the role of quantum computing becomes very important.
The next most important question would be about what stops us from utilizing its potential — its drawbacks. The drawbacks of quantum computing include breaking current encryption systems, which could leave doors open for data theft if organizations are not prepared to make a transition to cryptography based post-quantum algorithms. Without proper security, many of the promised benefits of quantum computing are bound to fail. Another drawback is that the technology required to implement a quantum computer is not readily available at present as the consistent electron which is very much essential for the functioning of quantum computers is damaged as soon as it is affected by its environment. Though the research to address this issue is still continuing, the efforts to identify and implement a solution to this problem have not progressed to desired levels.
In 2020, quantum computers grew even closer to a reality and in 2021, development and research continued to further the reality of bringing in efficient and effective quantum computers in the near future. There is currently a race between researchers and organizations to develop quantum computing as quickly as possible. So we can be very certain that quantum computers could definitely become a reality within the next five to ten years. Quantum computing is, no doubt, the future of computing.
