Quantum Computing

The  speed and accuracy of  quantum computers now under development are bringing humanity to the brink of a technological revolution.  It remains unclear which of the many probable futures we will choose to create with the technology’s transformative potential, but as rapid  scientific advances promise to overcome technological hurdles like error correction, a quantum computing future may be closer to the present  than imagined.  By showcasing developments in the emerging technology and deciphering some of the complexities in its mathematics, geometry, physics, and computer science, The Quantum Record  aims to empower the public imagination in shaping the future we will all share in.

The Mystery of Time: Quantum Superposition and Quantum Accounting

The quantum is the smallest amount of energy in the universe that can either cause physical change or be physically changed. The vast speed and power of the quantum computer comes from the physics of quantum entanglement, in which the information bits (called “qubits”) connect in a way that signals transmit between qubits with no difference in time.  This is called “superposition”, the phenomenon in quantum physics that provides no indication of the sequential order of signals and makes the quantum computer very different from computers commonly used today.  What is the cause and what is the effect, when an exchange of signals in the quantum computer gives  no indication of the order of cause and effect?  The binary computer you are using now keeps a reliable record of the order of its signals because of the time it takes to switch between signal-on and signal-off states, but in making an account of quantum signals we will need to maintain an accurate record of cause and effect when superposition provides no measurable difference of their order in time.

In Focus

Everything Has a Beginning and End, Right? Physicist Says No, With Profound Consequences for Measuring Quantum Interactions

Quantum technologies require measurements of quantum interactions, but is measuring accuracy possible if we can’t pinpoint the beginning and end in chains of cause and effect over time? Physicist Julian Barbour redefines time as an increasing complexity of interactions, when one arrow of time from the past splits at a “Janus point” into two arrows for the future. Could identifying the Janus point help to resolve the problem of circuit decoherence that has held back full-scale quantum computing?

Does Time Flow in Two Directions? Science Explores the Possibility—and its Stunning Implications

A new proof shows that time could move in opposite directions, both backward and forward like a pendulum, and equations of physics would work the same either way. Are there two arrows of time, not just the one that we experience moving from past to future? The mathematics of a two-arrow time flow describing both the original and end states of a quantum system could provide a solution for the problem of decoherence in fragile quantum circuits.

Quantum Biology Yields Evidence of Superradiance and its Potential for Quantum Information Processing

Quantum biology is an emerging area of research that’s uncovering important features of the cellular signalling networks in living organisms. In networks of tryptophan, a protein-building amino acid, scientists have discovered a process called superradiance that amplifies and efficiently transmits information to and from cells. With implications for quantum information processing, treating Alzheimer’s and dementia, and uncovering more about the microtubules in our brains, quantum biology promises to yield some important clues about cognition in natural neural networks.

Latest Quantum Computing

  • IonQ scientist

    With Diamond Film and GKP Qubits, is Light About to Take Centre Stage in Quantum Computing and Drug Discovery Breakthroughs?

    The discovery of a diamond film holds promise for enabling light-based memory for quantum networking and industrial-scale production of quantum processing units. Together with the recent development of photonic GKP qubits, the use of light for circuitry is advancing the prospect of full-scale quantum computing and its computational potential for discovering life-saving drugs.

  • Was Einstein Both Right and Wrong? New Atomic-Scale Tests Conflict on Light’s Wave-Particle Duality and Quantum Measurement

    Two experimental results conflict on whether light only acts as a particle or as both a particle and a wave. Resolving the question of light’s actions of cause and effect could have significant consequences for quantum measurement and the creation of stable quantum computing circuits. One novel and intriguing interpretation is that light consists of both active photons and inert photons that are “dark.” The mathematics of dark photons support Einstein’s view that light is measurable only as a particle.

  • New Type of Quantum Bit, the Photonic GKP Qubit, Propels Development of Error-free Quantum Computing

    A new type of quantum computer bit, the GKP qubit, holds promise for fault-resistant quantum computing at full scale. Encoded in photons, which are particles of light, GKP qubits allow measurement of fluctuations in waves of photons while avoiding the problem of the observer effect, where the act of measurement destroys a quantum state. Could GKP qubits be the answer to creating stable quantum circuits, eliminating decoherence that has held back the onset of a quantum computing revolution?

  • Accounting for Quantum Cause and Effect: Tensor Networks and Process Matrix Formalism Advance the Quest to Conquer Probability

    Researchers recently reported success in predicting sequences of cause and effect in a fluid flow, a task that had until now been impossible because of the computational burden. Using the techniques of tensor networks, which are fundamental for quantum computing, and process matrix formalism, the research finding holds promise for simulating fluid motion, and for conquering probabilities that can result in quantum circuit decoherence.

  • Breakthroughs in Teleportation and Topological Qubits Bring Quantum Computing Closer to Reality

    Microsoft’s new Majorana 1 topological quantum bit opens the potential for a new and efficient form of quantum computing memory. Storing signals in the shape of qubits could significantly reduce decoherence and increase quantum circuit stability, as new developments in teleportation hold the potential for networking quantum computers to multiply the power of error-free operation.

  • Giant Steps Have Been Taken Toward Our Quantum Computing Future 

    With its latest chip named Willow, Google’s quantum computer performed in five minutes a calculation that would require 10 septillion years on a supercomputer. The company’s breakthrough in maintaining coherent quantum circuits, together with recent milestone achievements by Quantinuum in logical qubits and quantum teleportation, signal the rapid approach of our full-scale quantum computing future.

The Quantum Record is a non-profit journal of philosophy, science, technology, and time. The potential of the future is in the human mind and heart, and in the common ground that we all share on the road to tomorrow. Promoting reflection, discussion, and imagination, The Quantum Record highlights the good work of good people and aims to join many perspectives in shaping the best possible time to come. We would love to stay in touch with you, and add your voice to the dialogue.

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