Mary Eve F.

Escobido BSMA-3
AE303 August 23,2023
Discuss what is quantum technology.

Quantum technology is an emerging field of science and technology that leverages the principles of
quantum mechanics to create new tools, technologies, and applications. Quantum mechanics is a
fundamental theory in physics that describes the behavior of matter and energy at the smallest scales,
such as atoms and subatomic particles. Unlike classical physics, which governs the behavior of objects in
our everyday world, quantum mechanics introduces several unique and counterintuitive phenomena,
including superposition, entanglement, and quantum tunneling.

Key components of quantum technology include:

1. Quantum Computing: Quantum computers use qubits (quantum bits) instead of classical bits (0s
and 1s) to perform calculations. Qubits can exist in superposition, meaning they can represent
both 0 and 1 simultaneously. This property allows quantum computers to solve certain complex
problems, like factoring large numbers and simulating quantum systems, much faster than
classical computers.

2. Quantum Communication: Quantum technology enables secure communication through

quantum key distribution (QKD). QKD uses the principles of quantum mechanics, such as the no-
cloning theorem and the uncertainty principle, to create unbreakable encryption keys. Even if an
eavesdropper tries to intercept the keys, their quantum state would be altered, and the
intrusion would be detected.

3. Quantum Sensing and Metrology: Quantum sensors, such as atomic clocks and magnetometers,
offer unprecedented precision in measuring physical quantities. These devices are used in
various applications, from improving GPS accuracy to detecting underground resources like oil
and minerals.

4. Quantum Cryptography: Beyond quantum key distribution, quantum cryptography includes

other techniques for securing data and communication channels using quantum principles.
These methods can enhance the security of information in various fields, from finance to
healthcare.

5. Quantum Simulation: Quantum simulators leverage the quantum properties of particles to

model and understand complex physical systems, such as chemical reactions or material
properties. This can lead to breakthroughs in drug discovery, material science, and other fields.

6. Quantum Imaging: Quantum imaging techniques, such as quantum-enhanced imaging and

quantum-enhanced spectroscopy, enable more sensitive and precise measurements of light and
electromagnetic fields. These advances have applications in medical imaging, astronomy, and
environmental monitoring.

Quantum Materials: Quantum technology often relies on the development of new materials with
unique quantum properties. For instance, superconductors and topological insulators are materials that
exhibit quantum behavior and have applications in electronics and energy transmission.
Mary Eve F. Escobido BSMA-3
AE303 August 23,2023
Quantum technology holds the promise of revolutionizing various industries by solving problems that
were previously computationally intractable, providing enhanced security, and enabling more precise
measurements and simulations. However, it is still in the early stages of development, and many
practical challenges must be overcome to realize its full potential. Researchers and companies around
the world are actively working on advancing quantum technology, and its applications are expected to
grow significantly in the coming years.

Discuss history of quantum computers.

The history of quantum computers is a fascinating journey that spans over several decades. The concept
of a quantum computer was first proposed in the early 1980s, and since then, there have been
significant milestones and developments in the field. Here's a brief overview of the history of quantum
computers:

1. Birth of Quantum Mechanics (Early 20th Century): Quantum mechanics, the branch of physics
that forms the foundation of quantum computing, was developed in the early 20th century by
scientists like Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, and Erwin Schrödinger. It described the
behavior of particles at the quantum level, where classical physics no longer applied.

2. Development of Quantum Bits (Qubits): In the 1970s, physicists began to explore the concept
of quantum bits or qubits. Unlike classical bits, which can only be in a state of 0 or 1, qubits can
exist in superposition, representing both 0 and 1 simultaneously. This property is fundamental
to quantum computing.

3. David Deutsch's Quantum Turing Machine (1985): In 1985, David Deutsch, a British physicist,
introduced the concept of a quantum Turing machine. This theoretical model demonstrated that
quantum computers could potentially solve certain problems exponentially faster than classical
computers.

4. Peter Shor's Factoring Algorithm (1994): One of the most famous breakthroughs in quantum
computing came in 1994 when Peter Shor, a mathematician at AT&T Bell Labs, developed Shor's
algorithm. This algorithm showed that quantum computers could efficiently factor large
numbers, a problem that is crucial for breaking many encryption methods used in classical
cryptography.

5. Lov Grover's Search Algorithm (1996): In 1996, Lov Grover, an Indian-American computer
scientist, devised Grover's algorithm, which can perform unstructured database searches faster
than classical algorithms. This has applications in tasks like searching unsorted databases.

6. First Quantum Algorithms (Late 1990s): Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, researchers
developed several other quantum algorithms for various computational problems, further
demonstrating the potential of quantum computing.

7. First Experimental Qubits (Early 2000s): The first experimental implementations of qubits were
achieved using technologies like ion traps, superconducting circuits, and photonic systems.
These early experiments confirmed the principles of quantum computation.
Mary Eve F. Escobido BSMA-3
AE303 August 23,2023
8. D-Wave's Quantum Annealing (2007): In 2007, D-Wave Systems unveiled its quantum annealing
machine, claiming to be the world's first commercial quantum computer. However, it was a
specialized machine designed for a specific set of optimization problems.

9. IBM and Google's Quantum Supremacy Claims (2019): In 2019, both IBM and Google claimed
to have achieved quantum supremacy, a significant milestone in quantum computing. Google's
quantum computer, called Sycamore, completed a specific calculation much faster than the
world's most powerful supercomputers could.

10. Rapid Growth of Quantum Computing Ecosystem (2020s): In recent years, there has been a
surge in interest and investment in quantum computing. Major tech companies like IBM,
Google, Microsoft, and startups like Rigetti and IonQ are actively working on developing
practical quantum computers. Quantum cloud computing platforms have also emerged,
allowing researchers and developers to access quantum hardware over the internet.

11. Ongoing Research and Development: As of my last knowledge update in September 2021,
quantum computing was still in its early stages, with many technical challenges to overcome.
Researchers continue to work on improving qubit stability, error correction, and scaling up
quantum hardware to tackle real-world problems.

The history of quantum computing is a testament to human curiosity and determination to harness the
strange and powerful properties of quantum mechanics for practical applications. While it has made
significant progress, quantum computing is expected to continue evolving and expanding its capabilities
in the coming years.

Discuss what is quantum computing.

Quantum computing is a cutting-edge field of computing that harnesses the principles of quantum
mechanics to process and store information in a fundamentally different way than classical computers.
Classical computers, which include the laptops and smartphones we use daily, store and process data as
bits, represented as 0s and 1s. Quantum computers, on the other hand, use quantum bits or qubits,
which can exist in multiple states simultaneously due to a property called superposition.

Key concepts and features of quantum computing include:

1. Superposition: In classical computing, a bit can be either 0 or 1. In quantum computing, a qubit

can exist in a superposition of both 0 and 1 states simultaneously. This means that quantum
computers can process a vast amount of information in parallel, potentially solving certain
problems much faster than classical computers.

2. Entanglement: Qubits can also be entangled, meaning the state of one qubit is dependent on
the state of another, even if they are physically separated by large distances. This property
allows quantum computers to perform highly correlated operations efficiently.

3. Quantum Gates: Quantum computers use quantum gates to manipulate qubits. These gates are
the quantum analogs of classical logic gates. They allow qubits to change their state based on
the states of other qubits, enabling complex quantum computations.
Mary Eve F. Escobido BSMA-3
AE303 August 23,2023
4. Quantum Algorithms: Quantum computing algorithms are designed to leverage the unique
properties of qubits to solve specific problems more efficiently than classical algorithms.
Prominent examples include Shor's algorithm for factoring large numbers and Grover's
algorithm for unstructured database searching.

5. Quantum Error Correction: Quantum computers are susceptible to errors due to factors like
decoherence and noise. Quantum error correction codes are essential to address these issues
and make quantum computations more reliable.

6. Quantum Speedup: Quantum computers have the potential to achieve significant speedup for
specific computational problems. While not all problems benefit from quantum speedup, tasks
like cryptography breaking, optimization, and simulating quantum systems are expected to see
substantial improvements.

7. Quantum Hardware: Various physical platforms are being explored for building quantum
computers, including superconducting qubits, trapped ions, photonic qubits, and topological
qubits. Each technology has its advantages and challenges, and researchers are actively working
to build more stable and scalable quantum hardware.

8. Quantum Cloud Computing: Some companies, like IBM and Google, offer cloud-based access to
quantum computers. This allows researchers and developers to experiment with quantum
algorithms and conduct quantum simulations without needing their own quantum hardware.

Applications of Quantum Computing:

1. Cryptography: Quantum computers have the potential to break many widely used cryptographic
algorithms, which rely on the difficulty of factoring large numbers or solving certain
mathematical problems. Post-quantum cryptography is being developed to withstand quantum
attacks.

2. Optimization: Quantum computers can provide faster solutions to complex optimization

problems, such as route planning, supply chain management, and financial portfolio
optimization.

3. Materials Science: Quantum simulations can be used to model and understand the behavior of
molecules and materials at the quantum level. This has applications in drug discovery, material
design, and energy research.

4. Machine Learning: Quantum machine learning algorithms are being explored to enhance
pattern recognition and optimization tasks in artificial intelligence.

5. Quantum Chemistry: Quantum computers can simulate the behavior of molecules and chemical
reactions with high accuracy, leading to advancements in drug discovery and the development
of new materials.

Quantum computing is still in its early stages of development, and practical, large-scale quantum
computers are not yet widely available. Researchers and companies are actively working to overcome
technical challenges and unlock the full potential of quantum computing for various industries and
scientific fields.
Mary Eve F. Escobido BSMA-3
AE303 August 23,2023

How does it differ from the computers that we are using these days?

Quantum computers differ significantly from the classical computers we use today in several
fundamental ways:

1. Basic Units of Information:

 Classical Computers: Classical computers use bits as the basic unit of information, which
can represent either a 0 or a 1.

 Quantum Computers: Quantum computers use qubits as the basic unit of information.
Qubits can exist in a superposition of both 0 and 1 states simultaneously, enabling
quantum computers to perform multiple calculations in parallel.

2. Processing Power:

 Classical Computers: Classical computers process information sequentially, one

operation at a time.

 Quantum Computers: Quantum computers can process a vast number of possibilities

simultaneously due to superposition, potentially solving certain problems much faster
than classical computers.

3. Parallelism:

 Classical Computers: Classical computers can simulate parallelism by using multiple

processors, but each processor still processes information sequentially.

 Quantum Computers: Quantum computers inherently possess parallelism due to

superposition, allowing them to explore many potential solutions simultaneously.

4. Measurement:

 Classical Computers: In classical computers, bits are always in a definite state (0 or 1)

when measured.

 Quantum Computers: Measuring a qubit in a superposition state collapses it to either 0

or 1, destroying the superposition. This property is both a challenge and a resource in
quantum computing.

5. Entanglement:

 Classical Computers: Classical bits are independent of each other.

 Quantum Computers: Qubits can be entangled, meaning the state of one qubit is
dependent on the state of another, even if they are physically separated. This property
enables quantum computers to perform highly correlated operations efficiently.

6. Quantum Algorithms:
Mary Eve F. Escobido BSMA-3
AE303 August 23,2023
 Classical Computers: Classical computers use classical algorithms designed for
processing classical bits.

 Quantum Computers: Quantum computers use quantum algorithms, specifically

designed to leverage the unique properties of qubits to solve certain problems more
efficiently.

7. Error Correction:

 Classical Computers: Classical computers have well-established error correction

techniques but do not typically suffer from quantum-specific errors.

 Quantum Computers: Quantum computers are susceptible to quantum-specific errors

due to factors like decoherence and noise. They require quantum error correction codes
to make quantum computations more reliable.

8. Applications:

 Classical Computers: Classical computers are versatile and excel at a wide range of tasks,
including data processing, word processing, gaming, and more.

 Quantum Computers: Quantum computers are expected to excel in specific areas, such
as cryptography breaking, optimization, quantum simulations, and materials science.
They may complement classical computers rather than replace them for most tasks.

9. Hardware: Quantum computers are built using different physical technologies, such as
superconducting qubits, trapped ions, photonic qubits, and topological qubits, which differ
significantly from the electronic components used in classical computers.

10. Availability: Classical computers are widely available and have reached a high level of maturity,
while quantum computers are still in the early stages of development and not yet widely
accessible to the general public.

In summary, quantum computers fundamentally differ from classical computers in their processing
power, the way they represent and manipulate information, and their potential applications. While
quantum computing shows great promise for solving certain complex problems more efficiently,
classical computers will continue to be the workhorses for everyday computing tasks. Quantum
computers are expected to work alongside classical computers to address specific challenges in various
fields.