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WHAT IS A QUANTUM COMPUTER?


The technology harnesses quantum physics to perform calculations faster than
ever

By Donna Lu



The IBM Q System One quantum computer at IBM's research facility in New York

Misha Friedman/Getty Images

Quantum computers are machines that use the properties of quantum physics to
store data and perform computations. This can be extremely advantageous for
certain tasks where they could vastly outperform even our best supercomputers.

Classical computers, which include smartphones and laptops, encode information
in binary “bits” that can either be 0s or 1s. In a quantum computer, the basic
unit of memory is a quantum bit or qubit.







Qubits are made using physical systems, such as the spin of an electron or the
orientation of a photon. These systems can be in many different arrangements all
at once, a property known as quantum superposition. Qubits can also be
inextricably linked  together using a phenomenon called quantum entanglement.
The result is that a series of qubits can represent different things
simultaneously.

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For instance, eight bits is enough for a classical computer to represent any
number between 0 and 255. But eight qubits is enough for a quantum computer to
represent every number between 0 and 255 at the same time. A few hundred
entangled qubits would be enough to represent more numbers than there are atoms
in the universe.

 * Take our expert-led quantum physics course and discover the principles that
   underpin modern physics

This is where quantum computers get their edge over classical ones. In
situations where there are a large number of possible combinations, quantum
computers can consider them simultaneously. Examples include trying to find the
prime factors of a very large number or the best route between two places.

However, there may also be plenty of situations where classical computers will
still outperform quantum ones. So the computers of the future may be a
combination of both these types.

For now, quantum computers are highly sensitive: heat, electromagnetic fields
and collisions with air molecules can cause a qubit to lose its quantum
properties. This process, known as quantum decoherence, causes the system to
crash, and it happens more quickly the more particles that are involved.

Quantum computers need to protect qubits from external interference, either by
physically isolating them, keeping them cool or zapping them with carefully
controlled pulses of energy. Additional qubits are needed to correct for errors
that creep into the system.


EXCLUSIVE TO NEW SCIENTIST SUBSCRIBERS

 * Is everything predetermined? Why physicists are reviving a taboo idea
 * Quantum computers are revealing an unexpected new theory of reality
 * Quantum weirdness isn’t weird – if we accept objects don’t exist

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