The consensus within the scientific community is that the first fully functional quantum computer will be ready in about a decade, an even...
The consensus within the scientific community is that the first fully functional quantum computer will be ready in about a decade, an event so momentous that many experts have called it Y2Q: a countdown to “doing quantum computing.”
Many people who are at least familiar with the basic ideas of quantum mechanics describe the field by a general “weirdness” that even the most experienced quantum physicists find surprising. The mind boasts visions of passing through walls, time travel, and general uncertainty that threaten to destroy our most ingrained perceptions of truth and reality. Standard measurements become meaningless.
Given the enormous potential power of quantum technology, it should go without saying that in the future those who have this technology will have a huge advantage over those who do not in politics, finance, security and similar fields. Companies like Amazon, Microsoft, and Intel are anxiously looking at the implementation of “quantum secure encryption,” as these companies (not to mention national governments) worry that hackers using quantum power could spell the downfall of their firms . And since we can say with certainty that quantum computing is soon here to stay, it's worth understanding what exactly this means for the future and what incredibly new (and sometimes frightening) possibilities quantum technology will bring. Here are ten incredible effects of quantum technology.
10. A Computationally Exponential Increase
First, a (very) brief introduction: The computer you're reading this on runs on the same underlying technology that nearly every computer in the world currently uses . It is a finite, binary world in which data is encoded as bits (usually called 0s or 1s), which can exist in only one of two finite states (on or off). Quantum computing, on the other hand, uses “qubits” that can exist simultaneously in a practically unlimited number of states. (Generally speaking, n liters can be in 2^n different states at the same time.)
If a “normal” computer is fed a sequence of thirty 0s and 1s, that sequence has roughly a billion possible values, and a computer using regular bits would have to go through each combination separately, requiring a lot of time and memory. A quantum computer, on the other hand, could “see” a billion strings at a time, greatly reducing computational time and effort.
In fact, quantum computers will be able to complete calculations in a few seconds that would take today's best supercomputers thousands of years.
9. Discovery of New and More Effective Medicines
While there are a surprisingly large number of impressive drugs on the market, their producibility and effectiveness in treating certain diseases are surprisingly limited. Even with recent increases in speed and accuracy, these gains are entirely outweighed by the limitations of standard computers.
In an organism as complex as the human body, there are countless ways a drug can react to its environment. Add to that the infinity of genetic diversity at the molecular level, and the potential ramifications for non-specific drug treatments skyrocket into the billions of dollars.
Only quantum computers will have the ability to examine every possible scenario regarding drug interaction, offering only the best and most accelerated DNA sequencing and a more rigorous combination of DNA that will provide an individual's chance of success with a particular drug that will benefit the understanding of protein folding.
These same innovations, particularly regarding protein folding, will inevitably lead to a better understanding of how life in general works; This will then lead to much more precise treatments, better medications and better outcomes.
8. Unlimited Security
In the world of quantum weirdness, there is a phenomenon known as “quantum entanglement,” in which two or more fragments are mysteriously connected, regardless of the medium that exists between them, without any identifying signaling. This is what Einstein famously called “spooky action at a distance.” And since there is no tangible medium through which these two particles communicate, it would be impossible for signals encoded using entangled particles to be intercepted. The science needed for this technology is still underdeveloped. However, such communication would have a major impact on private and national security.
The greatly increased computing speed will also aid in increased cybersecurity, as the exponentially higher processing power of quantum computers will enable them to withstand even the most sophisticated hacking methods through quantum encryption. “quantum computing will definitely be applied wherever we use machine learning, cloud computing, data analysis,” says Kevin Curran, a cybersecurity researcher at the University of Ulster. “It refers to security intrusion detection, looking for patterns in data and more complex forms of parallel computing.” Quantum computers would essentially be able to predict the “moves” of hackers billions of steps away.
7. Unlimited Hacking
Today's most elaborate encryption techniques tend to rely on extraordinarily difficult mathematical problems. While these problems would be enough to deter most binary computers, they would be easily cracked by a quantum computer. A quantum computer's ability to find patterns in massive data sets at incredible speed will enable today's computers to factor in the huge numbers they can by simply experimenting with the option until one "fits" (perhaps a feat that removes it as the biggest hurdle for hackers). “With qubits and quantum superposition, all possible options can be tested simultaneously.
In fact, it took roughly two years and a half to unlock a single instance of the RSA-768 algorithm running at the same time (which has two primary factors and requires a key seven hundred and sixty-eight bits long). A quantum computer would be able to complete the same task in less than a second.
6. Fine-tuned atomic clock and object detection
One generally does not think that atomic clocks require finer tuning. The most accurate atomic clocks work by using the oscillations of microwaves emitted by electrons when they change energy levels. The atoms used in clocks are cooled almost completely to zero for longer microwave probe times and then greater precision.
However, newer atomic clocks using modern quantum technology will be accurate enough that they can be used as ultra-sensitive object detectors that detect minuscule changes in gravity, magnetic fields, electric fields, force, motion, temperature and other phenomena. It naturally fluctuates in the presence of matter. These changes will be reflected in changes over time. (Recall that space, matter, and time are inextricably linked.)
As David Delpy, leader of the Defense Scientific Advisory Council in Britain's defense ministry, says: "You can't handle gravity."
5. Financial Markets
In the interconnected world of finance, speed is of the essence. And a staggering number of problems facing the financial industry (many caused by a lack of computational speed) remain unsolvable. Even the most powerful “normal” computer using 0s and 1s cannot roughly predict future financial and economic events and solve highly complex problems related to option pricing in a rapidly changing and evolving market.
For example, many stock options require complex derivatives that are path dependent; This means that the option's payout is ultimately determined by the path of the price of the underlying asset. Trying to map and predict every possible “path” for an option is too challenging for today's machines. However, given their speed and agility, quantum computers could theoretically identify a mispriced stock option and redeem it for the owner's gain before the market changes in any way.
4. Mapping the human mind
For all the amazing advances that have occurred in the world of neuroscience and cognition over the past few decades, scientists still know surprisingly little about how the mind works. However, one thing we do know is that the human brain is one of the most complex entities in the known universe, and it requires a new kind of processing power to truly understand everything it has to offer.
The human brain consists of approximately 86 billion neurons; In this way, cells that transmit small pieces of information by charging fast electrical charges emerge. And while the electrical basis of the human brain is reasonably well understood, the mind remains a mystery. The challenge, says neurobiologist Prof Rafael Yuste of Columbia University, "is how we go from a physical substrate wired into this organ to our mental world, our thoughts, our memories, our emotions."
Dr. D., a neuroscientist who has mapped the strands of the mouse brain. For Ken Hayworth, “it will take us about one to two years to image a whole brain. The idea of mapping an entire human brain with the current technology we have today is simply impossible, without the power of quantum computing.
3. Exploring Distant Planets
For example, NASA scientists will be able to exploit tiny fluctuations in quantum waves to detect minute, distant temperature differences emitted by otherwise invisible preludes, and even black holes.
2. Genetics
The completion of the Human Genome Project in 2003 ushered in a new era in medicine. Thanks to a complete understanding of the human genome, we can tailor complex treatments specifically to the specific needs of the individual.
Enter quantum computing, which would theoretically allow us to “map proteins” the same way we map genes. In fact, quantum computing will also allow us to model complex molecular interactions at the atomic level, which is invaluable when it comes to leading to new medical research and drugs. We will be able to model more than 20,000 proteins and simulate their interactions with a plethora of different drugs (even drugs that have not yet been invented) with pinpoint precision. Analysis of these interactions (again supported by quantum computing and advanced optimization algorithms) will likely lead to new treatments for these currently untreatable diseases.
1. Materials Science and Engineering
The power of quantum computing will allow the use of increasingly complex models that will determine how molecules come together and crystallize to form new materials. These discoveries that lead to the creation of new materials will then lead to the creation of new structures with implications for the realms of energy, pollution control and medicine.
“When an engineer builds a dam or an airplane, the structure is first designed using computers. This is extremely difficult at the size scale of molecules or atoms, which often come together in non-intuitive ways,” explains Graeme Day, Professor of Chemical Modeling at the University of Southampton. “Designing from scratch at the atomic scale is difficult and the failure rate in discovering new materials is high. As chemists and physicists trying to discover new materials, we often feel like researchers without reliable maps. ”
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