How the Quantum Realm Will Go Beyond Computing

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Over the past half-decade, quantum computing has attracted enormous media attention. Why?

After all, we already have computers, which have been around since the 1940s. Is the interest due to the use cases? Better AI? Faster, more accurate pricing for financial services companies and hedge funds? Better drugs once quantum computers are a thousand times bigger?

Solving currently unsolvable problems (those that are not impossible to solve but not yet solved with today's technology) is fundamentally why we care about quantum.

Over time, we expect quantum computers to be in the cloud and at the edge. Their use will be invisible to most users, but the value they provide will benefit many.

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look here The fascination of the “quantum realm”

I think the word "quantum" is a big part of the appeal of this new kind of computing. Some of you may remember the Quantum Leap TV show starring Scott Bakula circa 1990. Twenty-five years later, we had the first Ant-Man< movie. /em> with Paul Rudd. These stories introduced us to the "quantum realm". All fiction, but fun.

Therefore, it's no surprise that discussions of "layering", "entanglement", and "spooky action" are attracting attention. Quantum computing is based on quantum mechanics, one of the strangest and most surprising aspects of physics, if not all of science. Talking about "quantum" attracts people and they want to know more. It almost sells itself.

If computing was all we could do with this quantum business, it would be worth it, but there are many other areas where it plays a role. You, for example. Quantum mechanics describes the behavior of the smallest particles of matter, including atoms, electrons and photons. Quantum governs much of everything within and around you.

If you have ever suffered a knee or shoulder injury, you may have had an MRI so medical personnel can determine the exact problem. MRI stands for "magnetic resonance imaging" and works by detecting the energy released by hydrogen atoms under the influence of strong magnetic fields and radio waves. Fortunately, the human body contains many hydrogen atoms in water and fat, so MRI can produce high-resolution images of areas of concern. It is a quantum process, and the application dates back to the work of Félix Bloch and others from the 1940s.

Note my use of "high resolution". Since quantum science deals with the infinitely small, we can get precise information and details if we know how to use them well. In some cases, this may be the best way to measure.

A radical shift in positioning

Here is another example, although not quantum to begin with. In the days of wooden ships, it was difficult to determine your location at sea. Latitude was relatively easy to find due to the position of stars and planets, but the Earth's rotation made longitude much trickier. Remember that if you look at a globe, the longi...