At the end of 2023, a breakthrough occurred in the world of quantum computers.
What is the future of this field, where experts have poured their wisdom into?
Computers, which are integrated into our daily lives, express characters and information with a combination of 0 and 1. Computers operate using electrical signals, and the "on" and "off" of electrical signals are represented by 0 and 1. 1 is "on" and 0 is "off."
Letters and symbols are expressed in accordance with a standard called the ASCII code, the American Standard Code for Information Interchange, which is the American standard code for information exchange. For example, the letter "A" of the alphabet is "01000001."
What is a quantum computer?
Data handled by a normal computer is made up of a number of smallest units called bits. A bit can take on either the value "0" or "1", and as mentioned above, normal computers process and store information by combining a large number of these bits.
Quantum computers process and store information using the properties of the electron spin of quantum bits. They use the two states of upward spin and downward spin like "0" and "1" in normal computers, but it seems that the performance does not change significantly from that of normal computers just by using them as they are.
This is where the properties of "superposition" and "quantum entanglement" come into play.
According to quantum mechanics, one of the two major fundamental theories in physics, microscopic particles such as electrons can exist simultaneously in multiple separate locations. And electrons can simultaneously rotate clockwise and counterclockwise. Not only existence but also states can exist simultaneously.
"Superposition" utilizes the properties of quantum mechanics, that up and down exist unstably until the measurement stage, and both up and down values can be taken. It is like the state of a coin that exists in the air when it is tossed. It uses this up-and-down state to perform parallel processing.
"Quantum entanglement" is the property where when one spin is determined, the other state is determined. By utilizing the special relationship between quantum bits, they can exhibit interdependent behavior even when physically separated.
To put it in an analogy, imagine randomly selecting gloves for the left and right hands and putting them in bags, then taking them to a separate location. When you open one bag and see that it contains the left hand, you instantly know that the other bag contains the right hand.
These properties form the basis of quantum computers' powerful parallel calculations and secure information transmission.
