What Students Need To Know About Quantum Computing

The world of quantum computing is a fast-growing field. As a result, there is a growing talent gap between business needs for quantum professionals and the number of candidates who are qualified for the job.

In the world of physics, Qubits can represent a one, a zero, or any point on a spectrum between those two. This gives them a power that is hard to match with traditional computers.

1. Quantum Mechanics

Students should first learn Quantum AI mechanics, the body of physics that describes matter and light at the most minute scales, including molecules and even atoms and their tinier constituent particles. It’s the foundation of quantum chemistry, quantum technology, and the theory behind quantum computing.

The underlying principles of quantum physics are radically different from those of classical physics, and they can be hard for many people to wrap their heads around. The behavior of atomic particles such as electrons often defies common sense, with bizarre consequences like moving forward and backward in time or teleporting between two locations at once.

In 1923, Louis de Broglie suggested that waves can also be particles, and his ideas led to Erwin Schrodinger’s fundamental mathematical equation of wave-particle duality – known as quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics can’t predict exactly what will happen at the atomic level with absolute certainty, but it provides very accurate probabilities that are highly useful in experiments.

2. Quantum Computation

Many of the same skills students learn in traditional computer science apply to quantum computing. However, it is also important for students to understand how quantum computers are different.

For example, the fastest quantum computers perform operations much faster than classical ones. They can solve problems that today’s most powerful supercomputers could not resolve in thousands of years. This would include calculating the fastest possible route for your car from point A to point B, modelling hurricanes and cracking cryptography keys protecting the most sensitive government secrets.

One of the challenges in this area is that a fully functional quantum computer is still in development. The most advanced machines have fewer than 100 Qubits and are housed in nested chambers that chill them to near absolute zero and shield them from magnetic and electric interference.

When will broadly useful quantum computers be available? In what way will they differ from traditional digital computers? This informal paper outlines what knowledge is needed to deeply comprehend quantum computing.

3. Quantum Error Correction

While quantum computers are poised to revolutionize computation by solving problems classical computers can’t, they’re not without their challenges. One key issue is the instability of Qubits, which can cause errors during a calculation. Fortunately, scientists are developing techniques to correct these errors.

These techniques include error detection (called syndrome measurements) and correction, which involves recoding the Qubits state. However, this can require as many as a thousand physical Qubits for every logical Qubits —and current quantum processors only contain a few hundred.

To overcome this challenge, researchers have been working to develop improved encoding schemes that use fewer physical Qubits per logical Qubits.