3/1/2018: A Bit About Quantum Computing

Quantum Computer. A phrase that might seem a little intimidating or even confusing. Part of the weirdness around this name stems from the media and entertainment industries throwing the word “quantum” around to make something sound extremely complex. The word quantum just means a discrete amount of some quantity, and in this case in relates to quantum mechanics, the branch of physics that deals with matter on the subatomic scale, where atoms and particles can exhibit unusual behaviors.

Quantum computers, in theory, work based on the quantum mechanical principle of superposition. This states that particles can exist in a quantum state that is the sum of two (or more) other quantum states. This will make more sense explained in terms of quantum computers themselves. Normal computers can store information in the form of definite 1’s or 0’s, where each 1 or 0 is called a bit. However, quantum computers utilize the principle of superposition to store information in quantum bits, also known as “qubits.” A qubit can hold the value of 1 and 0 at the same time. This weird superposition of states is what allows quantum computers to behave differently from normal computers by being able to store larger amounts of information efficiently and even computing certain algorithms faster.

All this is interesting and seems to have potential, but this actually does not mean that quantum computers will become a household item, replacing our current desktops and laptops. The usefulness of quantum computers is actually very selective, intended to be used for things like finding extremely large prime numbers. When doing common computer tasks, like browsing the web or even playing a game, quantum computers will not necessarily outperform a normal computer. An application that actually has some potential to affect our everyday lives would be quantum computer’s roles in cryptography.

Cryptography is what allows us to shop online without having our credit card information stolen every time. Cryptography is a way to secure communications online to prevent outsiders from seeing the information of transactions and interactions. Much of modern day cryptography utilizes algorithms to do things like factor insanely large numbers into their prime factors. As I mentioned earlier, quantum computers would be very good at doing a task like this. The reason is that to find the prime factorization of a number, a computer would basically just have to check whether numbers divide evenly by other numbers, and this process grows extremely fast the larger the numbers get. Yet, quantum computers would be able to test multiple numbers at the same time due to the idea of qubits, allowing for much faster computation times. The effects of this could mean that our current encryption techniques could be busted by quantum computers, leaving our online communications and transactions unsecured and vulnerable. Have no fear though, as the situation in which quantum computers are used to crack encryption is unlikely because that would mean that the first practical quantum computer would have to be developed by malicious hackers. The reason why this is unlikely is that quantum computing research and manufacturing is extremely expensive, which is why only some big name companies, such as IBM, are able to work on projects with them. The chances are strong that a company or research group will be able to harness the power of a quantum computer before anyone with malicious intent, and then this could allow for new encryption techniques to be created, utilizing the quantum computers themselves.

In summary, although quantum computers may not necessarily play an important role in our daily lives, they signify a great leap in modern technology and science that could hopefully drive forward more innovation.

http://www.wired.co.uk/article/quantum-computing-explained

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Classical-and-quantum-bits_fig1_271904768

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-makes-a-quantum-comp/