量子计算与通信技术 [美国媒体]

What is a quantum technology?

什么是量子技术？



Quantum mechanics is the branch of physics that explains the behaviour of matter and energy at the atomic scale. So does “quantum technology’’ just mean technology based on very small things? Is it just a cool-sounding synonym for nanotechnology?

量子力学是在原子尺度解释物质和能量行为的物理学分支。那么“量子技术”仅仅是指基于非常小的事物的技术吗？它只是纳米技术的一个很酷的同义词吗？

No! Quantum mechanics is certainly needed for designing a nanotechnology such as flash memory, but a quantum technology is something different.

不！设计诸如闪存之类的纳米技术当然需要量子力学，但是量子技术是不同的。



Moreover, quantum theory says that this is not due to any limitations on our experimental abilities – the world itself is uncertain!

此外，量子理论认为这不是因为我们的实验能力受到了什么限制——世界本身就是不确定的！

The really disturbing thing is that, according to quantum theory, there is nothing to stop this intrinsic uncertainty about microscopic matter growing into intrinsic uncertainty about everyday objects.

真正烦恼的是，根据量子理论，没有任何东西可以阻止这种关于微观物质的内在不确定性延伸为关于日常物体的内在不确定性。



This is illustrated by the infamous Schrödinger’s cat paradox, which says that a cat in a box could end up in a state where it’s impossible to say whether it’s alive or dead. It’s not just that we are ignorant of whether the cat’s alive or dead – until we open the box to look, it’s neither.

臭名昭着的薛定谔猫悖论说明了这一点，盒子里的猫最终会处于一种无法判断它是活着还是死了的状态。这不仅是我们不知道猫是活着还是死了——直到我们打开盒子去看，它既不是活着也不是死了。

Or both. Even quantum physicists disagree about how to describe it.

或者既是活着也是死了。即使量子物理学家在如何描述它上也有不同意见。

Ultrafast quantum computing

超快的量子计算



Worldwide there is a huge experimental effort to do just that. In Australia, the Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T) is a world-leader in two of the most promising types of hardware for a quantum computer: photons (particles of light), and the electrons of phosphorus atoms embedded in silicon.

在世界范围内，非常多的实验在努力做到这一点。在澳大利亚，量子计算和通信技术中心（CQC2T）在两种最有前途的量子计算机硬件方面处于世界领先地位：即光子（光粒子）和嵌入硅中的磷原子的电子。

Ultrasecure quantum communication

超安全的量子通信

The other principal application of quantum technology is to make a message secure against any sort of hacker, no matter how powerful their computer is – even a quantum computer!

量子技术的另一个主要应用是使信息对任何类型的黑客都是安全的，而不管黑客们的计算机有多强大——甚至是一台量子计算机！



Author
Howard Wiseman
Professor in Physics, Griffith University

作者
Howard Wiseman
格里菲斯大学物理教授

Gavin Moodie
Adjunct professor, RMIT University
Thanx for this explanation. I would have liked a little more science. For example, what problems are Wiseman's group currently investigating and how do they relate to the broad sketch provided here?

谢谢你的解释。我会多喜欢一点科学。Wiseman你们团队目前正在研究哪些问题，以及它们如何与这里提供的概括相联系？



Paul Richards
logged in via Facebook
Thanks Howard - "It's Turtles all the way down" - to and through the quantum foam.

感谢作者Howard——“海龟一路向下”——穿越量子泡沫。