Quantum technology is here. It sounds dense, but experts say this field, which specializes in the tiny world of particles, could have big implications for computing, medicine and science.
Math problems that could take classical computers millions of years could be solved in minutes. Dizzying arrays of neurons in our brains could be better mapped. And already, tiny quantum thermometers are being used to measure the temperature of a single living cell.
It鈥檚 technology built on the bizarre laws of quantum mechanics 鈥� that realm of the really, really small, where the physical laws governing our everyday existence break down and words like 鈥渢eleportation鈥� begin to enter the scientific lexicon.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a strange microscopic world,鈥� said Steven Girvin, a physics professor at Yale University. 鈥淭here are many non-intuitive features of quantum theory, but it turns out to be the single most precise and best tested theory in all of physical science.鈥�
Quantum mechanics, whose development , has already paved the way for major technological advances. The transistors powering our devices, lasers 鈥� and even the atomic clock that makes our GPS devices work 鈥� were born out of the theory.
Now, nearly a century later, quantum theorists and engineers are chasing the next quantum revolution. 海角换妻 is working to position itself as a quantum leader.
The University of 海角换妻 recently received a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to partner with Yale University in an effort to jumpstart quantum investment and create more jobs in the state.
On a recent episode of 海角换妻鈥檚 鈥淲here We Live,鈥� Girvin took us on a trip through the quantum world, explaining the promise 鈥� and uncertainty 鈥� surrounding the technology.
Our journey begins with a tiny, tiny particle: the electron.
Elementary, my dear electron
For 300 years, classical physics has governed the rules of the world we touch and see.
It鈥檚 a remarkably durable set of equations. Isaac Newton and Galileo鈥檚 work allows us to track the trajectory of a falling apple and also gives us mathematics to land on the moon.
But in the world of the really tiny, those sets of rules fail, Girvin said.
鈥淲hen you're talking about individual electrons or individual atoms 鈥� quantum mechanics is the description of what happens,鈥� Girvin said.
It鈥檚 a theory that puzzled some of the greatest minds. Even Albert Einstein, whose thinking was foundational to the field, was (perhaps fittingly) puzzled by quantum quirks.
鈥淚magine you have a particle,鈥� Girvin said. 鈥淧articles can act like waves. And waves can act like particles."
Scientists call that 鈥減article wave duality.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 not really correct to say that it can be in more than one place at once, but that鈥檚 kind of the shorthand language that we use,鈥� Girvin explained.
鈥淭hat means that the particle is kind of spread out all over the place like a wave,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t might be here, it might be there.鈥�
It gets stranger.
鈥淭here are other weird things,鈥� Girvin said. 鈥淨uantum entanglement, which Einstein called 鈥榮pooky action at a distance.鈥欌��
In entanglement, when two particles are linked (or 鈥渆ntangled鈥�), what happens to one particle in the pair determines what happens to the other.
鈥淚f you measure one of them or change one of them, the other can, even if it's far away, change,鈥� Girvin said.
That can lead to 鈥渁mazing things such as quantum teleportation,鈥� he said.
鈥淵ou don't send a physical object from one place to the other, but you can send the quantum state of an object from one place to another in a process which even we professional quantum physicists view as rather magical,鈥� Girvin said.
From bit to qubit
Now, imagine you had a computer. Today, that computer runs on bits, ones and zeros in the classical definition. Bits can be combined to store information (for example, 鈥楤鈥� in binary is 01000010). But a binary bit is limited to only one of two possible states: one or zero.
Quantum bits, or 鈥渜ubits,鈥� are radically different: it has both a zero and one at the same time. Well, kind of.
鈥淭hat's not literally correct. It's kind of a shorthand, but it gives the idea of sort of the mystery,鈥� Girvin said. 鈥淎nd if that's true, then the computer can kind of do more than one thing at once. And can be, therefore, very powerful for solving certain types of problems.鈥�
While a classical computer could take millions of years to perform certain math problems, qubits .
鈥淭hey can be faster at solving some problems, or even solve problems that essentially would be impossible on any imaginable future ordinary computer,鈥� Girvin said.
Engineering challenges remain. But the technology could help unlock new advances in drug development, cryptography and even medical imaging. Quantum technology could also boost our ability to measure very tiny signals in space and help us devise new material applications for chips or sensors.
鈥淚t's very, very early days. There's a lot of hype, so I don't want to oversell what's possible. But the potential for many different advances looks very exciting,鈥� Girvin said.
UConn Yale partnership
UConn and Yale are partnering under a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation to jumpstart investment in quantum technology in 海角换妻.
The idea is to build a regional hub for quantum innovation in the state, to turn the Land of Steady Habits into the world鈥檚 next 鈥渜uantum corridor,鈥� said Mike DiDonato, UConn Tech Park Business Development Manager, and UConn Project Manager.
鈥淲e, in 海角换妻, have a really strong foundation to support quantum technologies,鈥� DiDonato said. 鈥淲e have existing major economic clusters in the state 鈥� industry 鈥� that [are] interested in quantum efforts, like defense and insurance and pharma.鈥�
鈥淲hen you think about the health care industry, imagine a future where it鈥檚 easier to diagnose issues. It鈥檚 easier to design pharmaceuticals,鈥� DiDonato said. 鈥淭o do this more precisely and more accurately than we could currently imagine.鈥�
Funding for the UConn-Yale partnership is projected to extend into next year.
This all sounds complicated. Can I actually learn quantum mechanics?
As the technology leveraging quantum mechanics鈥� weirdness develops, DiDonato says it鈥檚 important for 海角换妻 manufacturers to understand the implications of the technology.
And, he said, it鈥檚 never too late (or early) for the general public to start learning.
鈥淚 think kids might actually have an easier time grasping some of this stuff because they're not tainted by preconceived expectations,鈥� DiDonato said. 鈥淵ou can tell them about something 鈥� a particle being in multiple places at once 鈥� and they don't necessarily discount that as an impossibility, they accept it and move on.鈥�
One book recommendation if you鈥檙e looking to get up to speed? 鈥�,鈥� where pictures represent a lot of the really complicated math, Girvin said.
After all, quantum mechanics is literally at the core of our physical being, so it鈥檚 worthwhile to spend some time understanding it, even if the answers haven鈥檛 all yet been revealed.
鈥淲e have a very precise theory, the quantum theory,鈥� Girvin said. 鈥淏ut the great philosophical arguments begin when we ask: 鈥榃hat does it mean? Or what does it say about reality?鈥欌��
Listen: 鈥淐reating the Quantum Corridor in 海角换妻鈥�
海角换妻's Tess Terrible contributed to this report.
