A Quantum Computer is a machine that stores and processes data using subatomic particles (electrons, protons, and the nucleus) of an atom. We keep hearing that supercomputers are more powerful than the regular computers we use. But this quantum computer is 15,87,00,000 times faster and more powerful than supercomputers. It works based on quantum mechanics and quantum principles.
Why Quantum Computers are invented?
When computers were first invented they were the size of a room but soon they became much smaller. Transistors play an important role in reducing the size of computers. A transistor is a switch that allows current to pass or stop it from passing. As transistor size decreases, more transistors are placed in less space. It not only reduces the size of the computer but also increases the performance. Now the size of transistor is reduced to atomic size. A recently invented transistor is only 2 nanometers in size. A single blood cell in the blood is about 7,000 nanometers in size. Imagine how small 2 nanometer sizes are. Transistors therefore reach a physical limit where it is impossible to make anything smaller than that. The technology in the computer field has not increased as much as it has in the last 40 years. That is why they are now looking towards quantum computers.
Working of Quantum computer:
Using quantum principles, computers are being made that are more powerful than the ones we use now. Quantum physics describes the behavior of fundamental particles such as atoms, electrons and protons. A quantum computer works by controlling the behavior of these particles. This quantum computer will look a little different than what we are used to now. It has many wires twisted and connected to each other. All this in a sealed box.
All the computers we use now work on binary system. It consists of zero(0) and one(1) bits. In binary system zero(0) means OFF and one(1) means ON. As for quantum computers, they work based on quantum bits. These are also called 'Qubits'. Any particle such as a proton, electron or nucleus can be used as this qubit. This qubit is zero(0) and one(1) at the same time. This is called Quantum Superposition in quantum physics.
Let's look at a small example to understand this superposition. When a coin spins it cannot be said to be head or tail, it is in both states during a spin. After stopping something comes to a state. Also this qubit is zero or one at the same time. But whenever we observe them, it is zero or one. In quantum computers, a single cubic completes the work that 2 bits do in a normal computer. The processing power of the computer increases exponentially as each qubit is added. So much so that if a system with 2 qubits can find out four possible values, a system with 20 qubits can find out more than 10 lakh possible values.A system with 500 qubits could tell the possible states of more atoms than there are atoms in the universe.
Along with this quantum superposition, we need to know about another quantum principle called Quantum Entanglement. "When two or more qubits are in a state of closed superposition and they are related to each other, it is called Quantum Entanglement". Enlightenment particles have instant communication no matter how far apart they are. That is, if one is placed on one side of this universe and another on the other side of the universe and measured, one will have an upward spin and the other will have a downward spin. This quantum computer works based on these two quantum properties called quantum superposition and quantum entanglement. Teleportation is also possible with quantum entanglement principle. Let's look at 2 examples to understand the power of this quantum computer.
Example 1:
fig. Cards
Place the Queen card in the middle of some cards and shuffle them to find the Queen card. Normal computers check each card until a queen card is found. It takes time according to the number of cards. But a quantum computer can check all the cards and choose the queen card in a single trail.
Example 2:
fig. Maze Puzzle
Let's take a maze puzzle where you have to find a way to get from one place to another. Now the computer we are using uses one way and if it is not correct it tries another way. So it takes a lot of time to try every way until you find the right one. A quantum computer is not like that, it tries all the routes at the same time and decides which is the correct route.
Challenges in Quantum computer:
It is not easy to make these quantum computers because the computers we use now have fixed transistors. But in quantum computers, particles are moving and small vibrations disturb these particles. So it has to be isolated from the outside world, it has to have unique operating conditions to function. Finnally the sound of vibrations when the door closes can also damage the synchronization between these qubits and cause them to lose superposition. Any disturbance can cause the quantum properties to be lost in microseconds. This is called decoherence. That's why a quite, cool and clean temperature is required to isolate this equipment. This computer is kept inside a closed fridge to protect it from the surrounding environment. It is dark inside with absolute zero temperature. If you want a quantum computer to work, you have to take care of the environment.
One interesting story:
One interesting story about quantum computers is Google's claim of achieving "quantum supremacy" in 2019. Google's quantum computer, called Sycamore, was able to perform a computation in 200 seconds that would take the world's fastest supercomputer, Summit, 10,000 years to complete. This was a significant milestone in the field of quantum computing, as it demonstrated that quantum computers are capable of performing tasks that classical computers cannot. The achievement was met with both excitement and skepticism in the scientific community, as some experts questioned the practicality of the specific computation used in the demonstration. Nevertheless, it was a groundbreaking achievement that demonstrated the power and potential of quantum computing.
Quantum computing is like a superpower. It can do certain things that a classical computer can’t. And just like with any new technology, it will take time to understand its full potential and how to harness it."-Dario Gil, IBM Research VP
Advantages of Quantum computer:
- This quantum computer can complete many research projects that were thought to be impossible by performing complex calculations.
- Accurately predicts the weather.
- It reduces the risk in the financial market which is always fluctuating.
- It controls traffic.
- Decodes human DNA and finds health problems in it.
- Finding vaccines to treat new disease.
- In the field of logistics, it finds ways to deliver goods anywhere in the world at low cost.
Quantum Computers are going to bring a change in many fields like Cyber Security, Materials Science, Artificial Intelligence etc. Companies like IBM, Google, Inter, Microsoft are already trying to develop this quantum computer. Google's goal is to build a quantum computer with a million qubits forever.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, quantum computing has the potential to revolutionize many industries by solving problems that classical computers cannot. It can perform certain operations much faster and has the ability to perform multiple operations simultaneously. Google's achievement of "quantum supremacy" in 2019 was a significant milestone in the field, demonstrating the power and potential of quantum computing. However, as with any new technology, it will take time to fully understand and harness the capabilities of quantum computing. The field is still in its infancy, but it has the potential to bring about significant advancements in fields such as cryptography, machine learning, and optimization.
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