9 Facts About Quantum Computing
The US tech news website SAI published a long article on Wednesday, introducing nine facts about the discipline of quantum computing in an easy-to-understand language. The article mentioned that quantum computers are not used for browsing the internet, sending or receiving emails, nor running regular software. Instead, the foundation of quantum computers is quantum mechanics.
1. Quantum computers rely on quantum mechanics to operate, and quantum mechanics is very "crazy."
Compared to the movement rules of objects we see with our naked eyes, the movement rules of quantum particles are quite different. For example, quantum particles can exist simultaneously in two places, move forward or backward quickly, or even perform so-called instantaneous transfer, which physicists call "quantum tunneling" (quantum tunneling).
2. No one can truly understand what happens inside a quantum computer.
A well-known concept in quantum mechanics (also applicable to ordinary scientific laws) is that simple observation of an activity will change the outcome. We are limited by the accuracy of the tools we use, and this is especially true for scientists' keen insights. Once a quantum particle is observed or measured in some other way, its properties will be permanently changed.
3. Forget about 0 and 1 bits — quantum computers use "qubits," and this is enough to make people have "wild" thoughts.
In terms of your personal computer's core, it undoubtedly processes through bits — bits representing 0 and 1, just that. However, quantum computers use qubits to achieve their operation. Like bits, qubits can represent 0 or 1, but their real magic lies in their third state, the "superposition" state — they can represent 0 and 1 simultaneously.
This magical ability means that the same string of qubits can represent a large number of different things at the same time. For example, if you build two qubits, they can maintain four possible values simultaneously: [0,0], [0,1], [1,0] or [1,1].
4. Quantum computers can solve problems that traditional computers cannot or find difficult to solve.
Quantum computers shine when solving optimization problems. Since some optimization problems are too complex, if handled by traditional computers, it might take a tremendous amount of time, possibly billions of years.
5. Some people believe quantum computers run computations in parallel universes.
No one can confirm the mechanism that allows a qubit to represent more than one thing at the same time. It is the strange nature of quantum and overturns people's previous understanding of things. Just because we don't understand it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Scientists have various opinions on this possibility. The most acceptable one is the multiverse theory, where theoretical physics claims there are multiple (likely infinite) parallel universes.
6. Your personal computer can do many things like super-expensive quantum computers.
Considering that quantum computers can find the optimal solution to problems, they also depend on some basic mathematical tools in the computers you use every day. This usually refers to already optimized basic arithmetic. Adding a bunch of numbers isn't much smarter than adding them together, and multiplying numbers isn't much smarter than simply doing multiplication. In such examples, the efficiency of your personal computer will be as high as that of a quantum computer.
7. As quantum computers become easier to use and prices drop, they will bring changes to data encryption.
Besides solving some optimization problems, quantum computers will completely颠覆our current concepts of encryption and data security. In the future, the encryption technology used in any conversation between two people will actually be unbreakable.
8. Quantum computers must operate under extreme low temperatures to function properly.
The internal temperature of the quantum computer produced by D-Wave in the US is maintained at 0.02°K, equivalent to -460°F on the Fahrenheit scale.
9. The speed of quantum computers is much faster than you can imagine.
Catherine McGeoch, a professor at Amherst University in the United States, compared the operating speeds of quantum computers and traditional computers. After letting both devices handle the same task, McGeoch concluded that the speed of quantum computers is "thousands of times" faster than that of traditional computers.