CHOMPING AT THE QUBIT IBM announced two new advances to its quantum computing hardware (cooling system and other infrastructure shown): a 20-qubit processor that will be available commercially and a 50-qubit prototype currently undergoing testing
Posted on 11/13/2017 10:11:56 PM PST by ETL
Bit by qubit, scientists are edging closer to the realm where quantum computers will reign supreme.
IBM is now testing a prototype quantum processor with 50 quantum bits, or qubits, the company announced November 10. That’s around the number needed to meet a sought-after milestone: demonstrating that quantum computers can perform specific tasks that are beyond the reach of traditional computers. Unlike standard bits, which represent either 0 or 1, qubits can indicate a combination of the two, using what’s called a quantum superposition. This property allows quantum computers to perform certain kinds of calculations more quickly. But because quantum bits are more finicky than standard bits, scaling up is no easy task. Previously, IBM’s largest quantum processor boasted 17 qubits.
A race is now on to commercialize quantum computers, making them available to companies that want to solve problems particularly suited to quantum machines, such as designing new materials or speeding up the search for new drugs. IBM also announced a 20-qubit processor that the company plans to make commercially available by the end of 2017. Meanwhile, Google has its own plans to commercialize quantum computers. The company’s quantum computing researchers are currently testing a 22-qubit chip and are designing a larger one.
(Excerpt) Read more at sciencenews.org ...
“In quantum computing, a qubit or quantum bit (sometimes qbit) is a unit of quantum information-the quantum analogue of the classical bit.
A qubit is a two-state quantum-mechanical system, such as the polarization of a single photon: here the two states are vertical polarization and horizontal polarization.
In a classical system, a bit would have to be in one state or the other.
However, quantum mechanics allows the qubit to be in a superposition of both states at the same time, a property that is fundamental to quantum computing. ...”
Bit versus qubit:
The bit is the basic unit of information. It is used to represent information by computers.
Regardless of its physical realization, a bit has two possible states typically thought of as 0 and 1, but more generally-and according to applications-interpretable as true and false, or any other dichotomous choice.
An analogy to this is a light switch-its OFF position can be thought of as 0 and its ON position as 1.
A qubit has a few similarities to a classical bit, but is overall very different.
There are two possible outcomes for the measurement of a qubit-usually 0 and 1, like a bit.
The difference is that whereas the state of a bit is either 0 or 1, the state of a qubit can also be a superposition of both.[2]
It is possible to fully encode one bit in one qubit.
However, a qubit can hold even more information, e.g. up to two bits using superdense coding.
For a system of n components, a complete description of its state in classical physics requires only n bits, whereas in quantum physics it requires 2n-1 complex numbers.[3]...”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qubit
Thou shalt build with silicon a computer of 22 qubits.
And it shall carry data of each type, both 0 and 1.
This is way over my head but did remind me somewhere I read China is already using Quantum Computers?????
“It is possible to fully encode one bit in one qubit.
However, a qubit can hold even more information, e.g. up to two bits using superdense coding.”
I must be seriously missing something...
So a qubit can hold up to two bits of information, and this is supposed to be exciting or earthshaking??
What am I missing?
Thanks ETL. This may explain the up move in IBM stock, a company with YOY declines going on for years.
Can it run Windows 10?
Multi-state bit representation was proposed decades ago. It goes like this:
- 0 = No
- 1 = Yes
- 2 = Who Cares
WordStar will scream with this one.
>WordStar will scream with this one.
^KBWordStar will scream with this one.^KK
^KCWordStar will scream with this one.
^KVWordStar will scream with this one.
^KY
Bfl
Speaking of IBM, this is from their website...
What is quantum computing?
A Beginner’s Guide to Quantum Computing
Nature — including molecules like caffeine — follows the laws of quantum mechanics, a branch of physics that explores how the physical world works at the most fundamental levels.
At this level, particles behave in strange ways, taking on more than one state at the same time, and interacting with other particles that are very far away.
Quantum computing harnesses these quantum phenomena to process information in a novel and promising way.
The computers we use today are known as classical computers. They’ve been a driving force in the world for decades — advancing everything from healthcare to how we shop.
But there are certain problems that classical computers will simply never be able to solve.
Consider the caffeine molecule in a cup of coffee. Surprisingly, it’s complex enough that no computer that exists or could be built would be capable of modeling caffeine and fully understanding its detailed structure and properties.
This is the type of challenge quantum has the potential to tackle.
__________________________________
How do quantum computers work?
VIDEO: Quantum computing explained with a deck of cards | Dario Gil, IBM Research
Classical computers encode information in bits. Each bit can take the value of 1 or 0.
These 1s and 0s act as on/off switches that ultimately drive computer functions.
Quantum computers, on the other hand, are based on qubits, which operate according to two key principles of quantum physics: superposition and entanglement.
Superposition means that each qubit can represent both a 1 and a 0 at the same time.
Entanglement means that qubits in a superposition can be correlated with each other; that is, the state of one (whether it is a 1 or a 0) can depend on the state of another.
Using these two principles, qubits can act as more sophisticated switches, enabling quantum computers to function in ways that allow them to solve difficult problems that are intractable using today’s computers.
Try your hand at quantum in this simple demo [see link]
Learn about superposition in this interactive demo [see link]
___________________________________
What can quantum computers do?
Quantum and Chemistry
Quantum systems may untangle the complexity of molecular and chemical interactions leading to the discovery of new medicines and materials.
They may enable ultra-efficient logistics and supply chains, such as optimizing fleet operations for deliveries during the holiday season.
They may help us find new ways to model financial data and isolate key global risk factors to make better investments.
And they may make facets of artificial intelligence such as machine learning much more powerful.
Learn more about quantum computing applications [see link]
___________________________________
How do I get started with quantum computing?
Building a Quantum Community with IBM Q
IBM Q is an industry-first initiative to build commercially available universal quantum computing systems.
As part of this effort, The IBM Q experience enables anyone to connect at no cost to one of IBM’s quantum processors via the IBM Cloud, to run algorithms and experiments, and to collaboratively explore what might be possible with quantum computing.
Check out our User Guides and interactive Demos to learn more about quantum principles.
Or, dive right in to create and run algorithms on real quantum computing hardware, using the Quantum Composer and QISKit software developer kit.
Learn how to start experimenting with a quantum computer [see link]
http://www.research.ibm.com/ibm-q/learn/what-is-quantum-computing/
IBM will have a version of Lotus Notes with some arcane but mandatory feature that will slow it to 486 speed.
Lotus Notes might work well.
My unintended favorite command.
^OJ
Thanks for the link.
Wondering about super fast queries.
Can one distribute data among qubit machines?
PS D@mn you autocorrect.
Jennifer Ouellette
Nov 7, 2016
The mere mention of “quantum consciousness” makes most physicists cringe, as the phrase seems to evoke the vague, insipid musings of a New Age guru. But if a new hypothesis proves to be correct, quantum effects might indeed play some role in human cognition.
Matthew Fisher, a physicist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, raised eyebrows late last year when he published a paper in Annals of Physics proposing that the nuclear spins of phosphorus atoms could serve as rudimentary “qubits” in the brain—which would essentially enable the brain to function like a quantum computer.
As recently as 10 years ago, Fisher’s hypothesis would have been dismissed by many as nonsense. Physicists have been burned by this sort of thing before, most notably in 1989, when Roger Penrose proposed that mysterious protein structures called “microtubules” played a role in human consciousness by exploiting quantum effects. Few researchers believe such a hypothesis plausible. Patricia Churchland, a neurophilosopher at the University of California, San Diego, memorably opined that one might as well invoke “pixie dust in the synapses” to explain human cognition.
Fisher’s hypothesis faces the same daunting obstacle that has plagued microtubules: a phenomenon called quantum decoherence. To build an operating quantum computer, you need to connect qubits—quantum bits of information—in a process called entanglement. But entangled qubits exist in a fragile state. They must be carefully shielded from any noise in the surrounding environment. Just one photon bumping into your qubit would be enough to make the entire system “decohere,” destroying the entanglement and wiping out the quantum properties of the system. It’s challenging enough to do quantum processing in a carefully controlled laboratory environment, never mind the warm, wet, complicated mess that is human biology, where maintaining coherence for sufficiently long periods of time is well nigh impossible.
Over the past decade, however, growing evidence suggests that certain biological systems might employ quantum mechanics. In photosynthesis, for example, quantum effects help plants turn sunlight into fuel. Scientists have also proposed that migratory birds have a “quantum compass” enabling them to exploit Earth’s magnetic fields for navigation, or that the human sense of smell could be rooted in quantum mechanics.
Fisher’s notion of quantum processing in the brain broadly fits into this emerging field of quantum biology. Call it quantum neuroscience. He has developed a complicated hypothesis, incorporating nuclear and quantum physics, organic chemistry, neuroscience and biology.
While his ideas have met with plenty of justifiable skepticism, some researchers are starting to pay attention. “Those who read his paper (as I hope many will) are bound to conclude: This old guy’s not so crazy,” wrote John Preskill, a physicist at the California Institute of Technology, after Fisher gave a talk there. “He may be on to something. At least he’s raising some very interesting questions.”
Senthil Todadri, a physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Fisher’s longtime friend and colleague, is skeptical, but he thinks that Fisher has rephrased the central question—is quantum processing happening in the brain?—in such a way that it lays out a road map to test the hypothesis rigorously. “The general assumption has been that of course there is no quantum information processing that’s possible in the brain,” Todadri said. “He makes the case that there’s precisely one loophole. So the next step is to see if that loophole can be closed.” Indeed, Fisher has begun to bring together a team to do laboratory tests to answer this question once and for all.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2016/11/quantum-brain/506768/
Nobody understands what consciousness is or how it works.
Nobody understands quantum mechanics either.
Could that be more than coincidence?
By Philip Ball, 16 February 2017
http://www.bbc.com/earth/story/20170215-the-strange-link-between-the-human-mind-and-quantum-physics
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