Breakthrough pushes Quantum Key Distribution beyond 500km
It’s getting better, but is it getting better fast enough? Continue reading Breakthrough pushes Quantum Key Distribution beyond 500km
Tag Archives: Quantum
A ‘Quantum Radar’ System Will Watch for Stealth Aircraft and Missiles in the Arctic
Canada is investing $2.7 million to develop quantum radar technology. Continue reading A ‘Quantum Radar’ System Will Watch for Stealth Aircraft and Missiles in the Arctic
Simple Quantum Computing in 150 Lines of Python
What does it take to build a quantum computer? Lots of exotic supercooled hardware. However, creating a simulator isn’t nearly as hard and can give you a lot of insight into how this kind of computing works. A simulator doesn’t even have to be complicated. Here’s one that exists in about 150 lines of Python code.
You might wonder what the value is. After all, there are plenty of well-done simulators including Quirk that we have looked at in the past. What’s charming about this simulator is that with only 150 lines of code, you can reasonably read the whole …read more
Continue reading Simple Quantum Computing in 150 Lines of Python
Quantum Electric Material Borrows from Japanese Basketweaving
Kagome is a pattern used to weave baskets from bamboo strips. The pattern is a symmetrical pattern of interlaced triangles that share corners. Scientists from MIT, Harvard, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have produced a kagome metal and found that it has exotic quantum properties.
Their paper, published in Nature (paywall), reports that the crystal made from layers of iron and tin atoms, causes electrons to flow in strange ways. The electrons bend into tight circular paths and flow along the edges without losing energy.
What is really interesting is that the effect persists at room temperature and above. The …read more
Continue reading Quantum Electric Material Borrows from Japanese Basketweaving
Microsoft Quantum Simulator Goes to Linux and Mac
Everyone seems to be gearing up for the race to be the king of quantum computers. The latest salvo is Microsoft’s, they have announced that their quantum simulator will now run on macOS and Linux, with associated libraries and examples that are now fully open source. They have produced a video about the new release, which you can see below.
Microsoft also claims that their simulator is much faster than before, especially on large simulations. Of course, really large simulations suffer from memory problems, not speed problems. You can run their simulator locally or on their Azure cloud.
Microsoft pushes …read more
Continue reading Microsoft Quantum Simulator Goes to Linux and Mac
Harvesting Energy from the Earth with Quantum Tunneling
More energy hits the earth in sunlight every day than humanity could use in about 16,000 years or so, but that hasn’t stopped us from trying to tap into other sources of energy too. One source that shows promise is geothermal, but these methods have been hindered by large startup costs and other engineering challenges. A new way to tap into this energy source has been found however, which relies on capturing the infrared radiation that the Earth continuously gives off rather than digging large holes and using heat exchangers.
This energy is the thermal radiation that virtually everything gives …read more
Continue reading Harvesting Energy from the Earth with Quantum Tunneling
Harvesting Energy from the Earth with Quantum Tunneling
More energy hits the earth in sunlight every day than humanity could use in about 16,000 years or so, but that hasn’t stopped us from trying to tap into other sources of energy too. One source that shows promise is geothermal, but these methods have been hindered by large startup costs and other engineering challenges. A new way to tap into this energy source has been found however, which relies on capturing the infrared radiation that the Earth continuously gives off rather than digging large holes and using heat exchangers.
This energy is the thermal radiation that virtually everything gives …read more
Continue reading Harvesting Energy from the Earth with Quantum Tunneling
Quantum Skepticism
Quantum computing gives us a way in theory to quickly crack certain types of cryptography. Well-funded startups are working on prototype quantum circuits, as are big guns like Intel, Microsoft, and IBM. Success could render a lot of today’s encry… Continue reading Quantum Skepticism
Quantum Computing Hardware Teardown
Although quantum computing is still in its infancy, enough progress is being made for it to look a little more promising than other “revolutionary” technologies, like fusion power or flying cars. IBM, Intel, and Google all either operate or are producing double-digit qubit computers right now, and there are plans for even larger quantum computers in the future. With this amount of inertia, our quantum computing revolution seems almost certain.
There’s still a lot of work to be done, though, before all of our encryption is rendered moot by these new devices. Since nothing is easy (or intuitive) at the …read more
This Physicist Turned Time Crystals From a Theoretical Oddity to an Odd Reality
Last year, scientists created a time crystal for the first time in a lab. It wouldn’t have been possible without the theories of Chetan Nayak. Continue reading This Physicist Turned Time Crystals From a Theoretical Oddity to an Odd Reality