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Quantum Computers: The Future of Computing

N01361264

WRIT 220

Deo Anthony B. Madrid

Saturday, April 18th, 2020

Table of Contents
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Glossary...................................................................................................................................................3

Executive Summary.................................................................................................................................4

1 Introduction to Quantum Mechanics..................................................................................................5

1.1 Schrödinger’s Cat.............................................................................................................................5

1.2 Superposition...................................................................................................................................6

1.3 Entanglement..................................................................................................................................7

2 Quantum Computers now and later on...............................................................................................8

2.1 Supremacy.......................................................................................................................................9

2.2 The Future.....................................................................................................................................10

References.................................................................................................................................................11

Glossary
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Quantum Computer: A computer that makes use of the quantum states of electrons or other
particles to store and process information as quantum bits.

Qubit: The fundamental unit of information in a quantum computer, capable of existing in two
states, 0 or 1, simultaneously or at a different time.

Quantum Physics: Is the study of matter and energy at its most fundamental level. A central
tenet of quantum physics is that energy comes in indivisible packets called quanta.

Quanta: A discrete quantity of energy proportional in magnitude to the frequency of the

radiation it represents.

Quantum Mechanics: A theory of the mechanics of atoms, molecules, and other physical
systems that are subject to the uncertainty principle.

Quantum Supremacy: Is the goal of demonstrating that a programmable quantum device can
solve a problem that no classical computer can feasibly solve.

Quantum Superposition: Is a fundamental principle of quantum mechanics. It states that, much

like waves in classical physics, any two (or more) quantum states can be added together
("superposed") and the result will be another valid quantum state; and conversely, that every
quantum state can be represented as a sum of two or more other distinct states.

Quantum Entanglement: Is the physical phenomenon that occurs when a pair or group of
particles is generated, interact, or share spatial proximity in a way such that the quantum state
of each particle of the pair or group cannot be described independently of the state of the
others, even when the particles are separated by a large distance.

Supercomputer: Is a computer that performs at or near the currently highest operational rate
for computers.

Moore’s Law: The principle that the speed and capability of computers can be expected to
double every two years.
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Executive Summary

The purpose of this report is to inform its readers on quantum computers and how they

could be the future in computing. This report will give an overview of how quantum computers

work, and an insight into the field of quantum mechanics. It will also go further in depth of

quantum mechanics explaining key terms like: qubits, superposition, entanglement, uncertainty

principle, etc. The fundamental terms of quantum mechanics will be discussed, which will

support my report on the future of quantum computers. Lastly, I will also discuss the future of

this technology of where it is right now, and how it can impact us in the future.
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1 Introduction to Quantum Mechanics

With our current understanding of quantum computing, quantum mechanics plays a major role

in the inner workings of a quantum computer. Quantum mechanics is a theory of the mechanics

of atoms, molecules, and other physical systems that are subject to the uncertainty principle

(Glossary, par. 5). This uncertainty principle is where measuring a certain object’s position and

velocity, can’t be determined exactly at the same time. A good example to demonstrate this

uncertainty principle is by a well-known quantum dilemma.

1.1 Schrödinger’s Cat

This phenomenon lead to a famous thought experiment or paradox called Schrödinger’s cat

which demonstrates the uncertainty principle in quantum mechanics. Erwin Schrödinger the

creator of the thought experiment back in 1935, proposed to place a cat in a steel box with

along with a Geiger counter, a vial of poison, a hammer and a radioactive substance (Kramer,

2013). According to the half-life of the radioactive material, there is a 50/50 chance that the
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Geiger counter detects the radiation and triggers the hammer to release the poison that will kill

the cat. Erwin Schrödinger theorized that the cat is in a state of being both dead or alive since it

is uncertain what state it is until it is measured, to where the observer has no clue whether the

cat is dead or alive except by actually opening the box. This state of Schrödinger’s cat being

both dead and alive leads to another phenomenon in quantum mechanics called Quantum

Superposition that also plays a major role on how quantum computers work.

1.2 Superposition

The modern computers we use today take, process, and store everything in binary bits: 0 or 1,

whether current is, or is not passing through a transistor. Quantum computers however,

operate fundamentally different to where they use Qubits instead of binary bits. Qubits are

capable of existing in two states, 0 or 1, simultaneously or at a different time (Glossary, par. 2).

This means that qubits are in a state of Superposition where they can be 0 and/or 1 at the same

time as shown in the above figure. This also allows quantum computers to process information

significantly faster than our modern computers because of superposition in qubits, to where

quantum entanglement also plays another role within quantum computers.

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1.3 Entanglement

“Spooky action at a distance” was one of Albert Einstein’s famous quotes to where he describes

quantum entanglement. Quantum entanglement is the physical phenomenon that occurs when

a pair or group of particles is generated, interact, or share spatial proximity in a way such that

the quantum state of each particle of the pair or group cannot be described independently of

the state of the others, even when the particles are separated by a large distance (Glossary,

par. 8). This means that when you measure the state of a certain entangled particle, you can

determine what that the other state is no matter how far it is. This makes quantum computers

really powerful because when determining the state of multiple qubits that are entangled with

one another, physicists are able to calculate the probably outcome of the quantum computer’s

finished computation. This also allows quantum computers to deliver information at very long

distances without the loss of data, like in modern computers that need proper connection

signal lines to cover long distances. This contributes to the possibility of quantum computers

being the future of computing.

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2 Quantum Computers now and later on

Looking at the above growth of qubits within a quantum computer, they are not doubling as

our classical computers did when Moore’s law (Glossary, par. 10) was in effect. Quantum

computers right now are still in the “Vacuum Tube” phase (Robitzski, 2018) as it once was for

modern computers, where currently the most we can properly maintain is 128 qubits by Rigetti

Systems™. That might seem like a decent amount but compared to the billions of transistors

found in our smartphones and laptops, quantum computers are still far from being a reliable

device we can use on the go. Quantum computers are also really bulky and need to be super

cooled to be functionally operational where IBM™, for example, relies on multiple layers of

superconducting circuits sequestered in a controlled environment and cooled step-wise to

temperatures colder than deep space—near absolute zero (Fan, 2019). Despite the hassle to

operate quantum computers, they still have their advantages to where Google™ demonstrates

an achievement called quantum supremacy.

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2.1 Supremacy

Quantum supremacy is the goal of demonstrating that a programmable quantum device can

solve a problem that no classical computer can feasibly solve (Glossary par. 6). Recent advances

in quantum computing have resulted in a competition between Summit, the world’s fastest

Supercomputer made by IBM™, and Sycamore a two 53-qubit quantum computer built by

Google™ (Pednault, 2019). The experiment was based on which system could best sample the

output of a pseudo-random circuit, because it would not possess a structure that allowed fir the

limited guarantees of computational hardness (Arute, 2019). Google had a little hiccups with

their quantum chip that required some recalibration, but still managed to outperform the

supercomputer significantly where Sycamore clocked in at 200 seconds, while supposedly

taking Summit another 10,000 years to complete (Porter, 2019). IBM claims that it would have

actually only taken them 2.5 days to complete the task but nevertheless, Google still claims that

quantum supremacy has been met demonstrating the power of quantum computing.
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2.2 The Future

Since we now know that quantum computers are able to do things better than our modern

computers, the future of quantum computing almost seems certain. It may still be long before

regular consumers will have a portable quantum computer, but for large corporations that

require a lot of data processing, it is already a worthwhile investment to look into quantum

computing. A major use for quantum computing is for medical research. This can be seen in

drug development simulations where quantum computers can more efficiently design drug

molecules, that even supercomputers find it very computationally challenging (Alameda, 2019).

This can greatly benefit humanity since this can help with research on: designing better drugs

for patients, simulate molecules for protein synthesis, enhancing artificial intelligence and

machine learning, predict weather patterns, help with financial statistics, and can even

contribute with the fight against COVID-19 by helping researchers with the race to create a

vaccine (Lichfield, 2020). In conclusion quantum computers are the future of computing.
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References

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Andrew, E. (2019, March 11). Schrödinger's Cat: Explained. Retrieved from

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Arute, F., Arya, K., & Martinis, J. (2019, October 23). Quantum supremacy using a
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Fan, S. X. (2019, March 5). Quantum Computing, Now and in the (Not Too Distant) Future.
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