Quantum computers capture the imagination of Computer Nerds. They perform inconceivably many arithmetic operations in the shortest possible time and should be able to complicated Codes to crack. But it’s not that simple.
In the Chip of the Google Quantum Dream in Santa Barbara, California 54 Qubits stuck.
It was in the development of quantum computers is a huge breakthrough: The research team led by John Martinis of the University of California in Santa Barbara have trumped with a quantum computer, the world’s largest supercomputers in computing power. The researchers, supported by Google, presented their results on may 23. October in the journal Nature.
According to information from the quantum computer has solved the posed computational task in 200 seconds. A conventional Supercomputer would be needed for 10,000 years. The US IT company, IBM, contradicted this view, currently the fastest Supercomputer, Summit, the task would have been done in 2.5 days. However, The quantum computer was still faster.
What good is that to us? And what is a quantum computer anyway? Here are some important points to the barely understandable technology:
Bits and Qubits
Our current computer world is digital. That means that you consists of binary Digits, called bits. In practice, the electronic load are conditions on Transistors and Chips, which can have a value of either 0 or 1.
In the world of quantum physics, it is much more complicated. There are Qubits, i.e. quantum bits. This can not only take on both States, i.e. 0 and 1 at the same time, but also all the States in between.
You can imagine a Qubit is like a coin: For a digital Bit is either with the head or with the number to the top – ie 0 or 1. The Qubit, she rotates on the table and not yet turned over. So you can’t decide whether heads or tails is up.
This Paradox has Erwin Schrödinger in 1935, is described on the example of a cat, along with poison and a radioactive substance in a box: You don’t know to a certain point in time, whether she is dead or alive. Consequently, both States are possible at the same time. It is only when you open the box, the cat is a fixed state – either she’s alive or she’s dead. In physics, this happens at a measurement, the quantum state ends up in this Moment.
More: quantum States made visible
These two are too entangled quantum systems, if they are locked in crates.
Quantum entanglement
This phenomenon can be with conventional physical logic actually do not understand. Albert Einstein has described as “spooky action at a distance”: the Two quantum systems (such as Qubits) are correlated in their States have the same state – but only as long as her condition is not set.
In our coin-operated model that would be as if you leave two coins at the same time rotate. Both are no matter how far you are away from each other – to take the same state. In the Moment in which a coin falls to the side and her condition is set so that, collapses the quantum entanglement in itself.
Similar to the situation with schrödinger’s cat: you Would have two boxes with two cats, there could be between them is a quantum entanglement, but only as long as the boxes are closed.
Exponentially growing computing power
Because the Qubits can take on many different States at the same time, you are also able to a lot more computational operations than conventional Bits.
The computational power of quantum computers increases, at least theoretically, exponentially with the number of Qubits. Since the curve is getting steeper to the top, it would be sufficient, actually, to increase the number of Qubits only slightly, to achieve rapidly increasing computing power.
In practice, it looks different: This works only, if all other conditions are right also: The quantum entanglement between the Qubits must be able to properly run. The error rate must be minimal. Even the smallest disturbances lead otherwise to the fact that the computing power is collapsing.
The challenge to the developer is not only to bring in more and more Qubits on the Chip, but to also get the precision. To this end, Google has developed its own error-correction. They achieved an accuracy of the arithmetic operations of 99.99 percent.
More: Nobel prize for physics: From Bageln and pretzels
The “chandelier” is immersed in liquid Helium in.
So a quantum computer is built
At first glance, a quantum computer looks like a giant chandelier made of copper pipes and wires – so the experts call also the external structure.
At its core, a superconducting Chip, on which the Qubits as on a chessboard arranged in patterns are inserted. The Google quantum computer, there are 54 Qubits, one of which did not work, however.
The Qubits on the Chip are tiny Capacitors made from niobium, and their cargoes, similar to the rotating coins to be set into vibration, i.e. no specified conditions have. Between them small, customizable coupler Transistors, so-called Resonators lie. Talk on micro-waves.
Dersupra conductive Chip, but it is not only in an electromagnetic microwave field, but at the same time, even under extreme cold. The Chips must be cooled to approximately absolute zero temperature. The IBM quantum computer are, for example, of 0.015 Kelvin. Such low temperatures can only be achieved if the whole quantum computer-chandelier is immersed in a Tank of liquefied Helium is introduced.
More: “Why high-temperature superconductors work, we do not know ourselves.”
Operating system uses a quantum computer?
None at all. The Software for quantum computers is to compare it with the digital binary computer in any way. In order to test the performance of your supercomputer, developed by the Google experts, specially a complicated mathematical task.
The quantum computer-produced random Numbers and mapped these – the task was designed in such a way that they are required by Design more and more complex and larger computing capacities. A classical computer would have been overwhelmed quickly.
Watch the Video 01:28
Nobel prize for quantum physicist # Journal English # 09.10.2012 # preis22b
What could bring the quantum computer in the future
Visionary rave about it, that a quantum computer might be able to crack even the most difficult encryptions. Far better simulations, traffic control systems and other Big Data applications could also be added.
But this is more Fiction than Science. So far it is not foreseeable that the existing quantum computer could take over any useful tasks that can be done now of super computers.
Basic research
The research will first of all prove that the principle works in principle. If one were to compare the development of the quantum computer with the air travel, this would correspond to about the trials of the brothers glider Wright with their self-made Sailing.
So it is not established, for example, that a quantum computer can run for hours, days or even years stable. In addition, quantum computers use a fundamentally different programming scheme than classical Computer – it must be a Software that the existing quantum effects also makes Use of them, otherwise you bring nothing.
Practically, this means that programmers are writing programs exclusively for the Test of the computer, and for basic research, but not to solve other tasks, for the world beyond the quantum mechanics. And that will remain for the next decades probably.
More: Marthaler: “quantum computer is still far away”
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What do you do with Helium?Helium fun!
What would the world be like without colorful balloons. But so scarce Helium, fortunately, is not. By the way: Not only the Flying of the balloons is a joy. If you open up the air balloon and his throat with the Helium fills, gets a very high voice. This is due to the low density of the gas: the sound waves propagate differently.
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What do you do with Helium?Helium makes courage
The Austrian extreme sportsman Felix Baumgartner needed anyway, as he was with this helium-filled balloon in 2012 in the stratosphere draw. To 38.969 meters in height, the balloon took him. Then he jumped with a parachute. In 2014, the American Alan Eustace, who came off at the age of 57 from a height of 41.419 meters outbid him.
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What do you do with Helium?Not a good Alternative
Another light Gas is hydrogen. It is on the earth is practically available in unlimited quantities, and to use for many technical applications. But you should fill better no air ships. This was shown by the Explosion of the Zeppelin Hindenburg in 1937, in the American Lakehurst drastically.
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What do you do with Helium?Non-combustible means for sure!
Today, blimps are filled, such as zeppelins, or so-called bulging of the air ships kept by the air pressure in your Form, only with Helium. Helium is not flammable, completely non-toxic and safe to use.
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What do you do with Helium?The reactor of the future
Superconducting coils are usually cooled with Helium. They come from everywhere used where strong magnetic fields are needed. For example, on the nuclear fusion Experiment Wendelstein. Where a very strong magnetic field must hold a hot Plasma in its place.
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What do you do with Helium?Helium cooling in particle accelerators
Also at the European organization for nuclear research (CERN) plays Helium a role. Here are the superconducting electromagnets, the streams of Particles to keep the particle accelerator on the course cools it. By the way: The CERN has the largest “refrigerator” in the world.
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What do you do with Helium?Shielding gas during welding
When welding you have to prevent the machined steel oxidized again and the welding seam is already at work destroyed. Therefore, using Helium as the inert gas. That is, the welding area is flooded with it and all the oxygen and other unwanted gases are displaced. So the work succeeds.
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What do you do with Helium?With Helium in a large Deep
The gases in our normal breathing air are not actually toxic. But this changes at high pressures. Nitrogen unfolds from about 50 meters, is a narcotic function. Oxygen leads at high pressure to nerve damage. Therefore, technical divers, working in several hundred metres depth, use of Helium. The oxygen content is reduced to a required level.
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What do you do with Helium?No MRI without Helium
Then we have to wait and hope that the divers came back in one piece, and not in the magnetic resonance must tomograph. Also here, Helium plays a role: The superconducting magnet will be cooled coils with Helium.