dailyloe.com – World Quantum Day is celebrated annually on April 14. The initiative began in 2021, driven by scientists, educators, and communicators from various countries. It has since gained support from numerous global scientific and academic organizations. The date of April 14 holds symbolic significance for quantum physics. In the Anglo-Saxon date format, it is written as 4.14. This represents the first three rounded digits of Planck’s constant. Max Planck first proposed the quantization of a physical quantity. His constant marks the boundary between the classical and quantum worlds.
Over a century later, quantum mechanics has led to countless technological advances. These include the transistor, the laser, and magnetic resonance imaging. The field now stands at a new frontier: quantum computing. The developing super-machines promise to tackle problems classical computing cannot solve efficiently. Claims about its immediate impact are common in areas like drug development. Other areas include new materials and the fight against climate change. The current state of real progress, however, requires examination.
The so-called quantum advantage refers to solving problems more efficiently than classical methods. This does not mean a quantum processor is faster in operations per second. It means it may require far fewer operations to solve certain problems. A current classical supercomputer can reach about a trillion operations per second. Modern quantum devices operate at around one million operations per second. This quantum advantage has been demonstrated experimentally so far. Yet these demonstrations have been on problems without direct practical applications. The question has shifted from whether quantum advantage is possible. It now asks if a useful quantum advantage can be achieved.
One of the most promising fields is the simulation of quantum physical systems. This was, in fact, the original motivation for the technology. If nature is quantum, machines should be built that follow the same rules. Simulating the evolution of quantum systems is a key application area.[]
Source: The Conversation
