Running head: THE BASICS OF QUANTUM COMPUTING
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The Basics of Quantum Computing: Concept, Implementation, and Implications
Dakota Hensley, Jacob Sweitzer, and Felix Rippy
Ivy Tech Community College INFM 109
Author Note
All authors are INFM 109 students at Ivy Tech Community College, Muncie, Indiana
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents …………………………………………………………………………………………………. 2
Abstract ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
A History of Quantum Computing and Its Uses ……………………………………………………….. 4
The Future of Computing? …………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
History…………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
Quantum Mechanics …………………………………………………………………………………………. 6
Quantum Computing …………………………………………………………………………………………. 7
Implementation ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 8
Barriers to Quantum Computing …………………………………………………………………………. 8
Breaking the Barriers ………………………………………………………………………………………… 8
Status of Quantum Computing Development ……………………………………………………….. 9
Implications……………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 10
Anxiety about Quantum Computing ………………………………………………………………….. 10
Benefits of Quantum Computing ………………………………………………………………………. 11
References …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 15
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Abstract
There have been many advancements in modern day physics and in computing that allow for the
use of quantum phenomena to create quantum computing devices. In order to understand how
quantum computing came to be, it is necessary to understand the history of quantum physics
itself. Many well-known physicists have had a hand in the discovery of quantum mechanics,
including Max Planck, Erwin Schrodinger, and Richard Feynman. The field advanced with
physicist Peter Shor and his Shors’ algorithm, which helped expand interest in quantum
computers. Simply put, quantum computing involves the use of electrons in a superposition that
can be both a 1 and a 0 at the same time. While quantum computers do not replace every day
computers, they can be particularly helpful in fields that use complex calculations such as
modeling large molecules, simulating quantum fields, decrypting or encrypting data, or even
navigating space outside of our own solar system. Should quantum computing be feared for its
power? Yes, although only because, like all technologies, it is controlled by man.
Keywords: quantum computing, cyber and computer security
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A History of Quantum Computing and Its Uses
Quantum computing, while not a new concept given its history, is just recently starting
to break ground with actual working concepts that demonstrate quantum phenomenon. Quantum
theory is a field of modern physics that creates the foundation of how we understand the universe
itself and has been worked on by several physicists for over a decade. But only in the past couple
of decades has interest in quantum computing actually accelerated. This acceleration is due to the
discovery that quantum computing may very well revolutionize several important fields like
cyber security, simulation generation, and even space travel. But, only recently have researchers
been capable of actually creating quantum computing devices. In order to understand quantum
computing it is essential also to understand how quantum theory itself came to be.
The Future of Computing?
The concept of quantum computing has two origins. First, transistors are getting so small
that quantum physics is coming into play even with digital bit and byte based computers. What
this means is that measuring whether a small transistor is on or off changes whether it is on or
off. Second, qubits, the atom or subatomic particles on which quantum computing is based do
not have to be on or off, because they are already in both states at once and do not choose an on
or off state until you ask them to do so.
History
Quantum mechanics is a broad field of physics that is universally expected to explain the
very nature of the universe that we live in. Quantum mechanics brings with it the basis for how
we determine the makeup of atoms and how energy affects matter. Before atomic theory it was
not well known how heat affects solid objects and liquid and little was known about how
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elements differed from each other. Over the course of the last century many physicists played a
role in creating the ground work for quantum mechanics.
In the year 1900 physicist Max Planck solved the black-body radiation problem by
suggesting that energy could only be emitted in a quantized form. He developed the Planck
constant which relates to the energy used by the photon of an atom to carry it to its frequency. In
1905 Albert Einstein provided evidence to support Planck’s work, theorizing that light itself is
made of photons. To further back Planck’s hypothesis, physicist Louis de Broglie used Planck’s
constant in 1923 to develop his wave particle duality theory which states all particles can be
described as both particles and waves (Norton, 2018).
In 1925 Erwin Schrodinger developed the Schrodinger’s equation. Using a mathematical
equation, he could describe the change of a physical system that is affected by quantum
