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Quantum ComputingQuantum computers that can be utilized in practical settings are steadily moving closer to becoming a reality. These machines can, in principle, solve problems and perform tasks in seconds that would take classical computers centuries.
Traditional computers store and process information using fundamental units, which can be in either an on (1) or off (0) state. Trillions of units are processed during computing tasks, switching back and forth between these states. On the other hand, a quantum computer's units—called qubits—can be in both states simultaneously. They can also be linked together, enabling more efficient manipulation and processing of these units. However, qubits are incredibly fragile and prone to introducing errors when the simultaneous states break down.
Scientists have employed various techniques to develop functioning quantum computers. The most common approach relies on superconducting qubits—microscopic circuits that behave like artificial atoms—which both Google and IBM have demonstrated. Other approaches utilize photons—particles of light—ions suspended in electric fields, and exotic states of matter known as Majorana particles.Explore Quantum Computing
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The Majorana 1 chip may provide quantum computing using geometry-based qubitsTraditional quantum computers are incredibly fragile, with encoded information easily disrupted and requiring significant error correction systems. Microsoft’s approach involves storing data on a surface, which is more stable, but involves an elusive particle first theorized in 1938. Dr. Ben MilesNoise and instability made quantum computing seem out of reach for decadesRecent advances in error suppression, mitigation, and correction are allowing quantum computers to perform practical tasks that challenge classical machines. IBM’s 2016 launch of its first cloud-accessible quantum computer attracted over 22,000 users in its first month alone. MIT Technology ReviewOne of five competing qubit technologies may usher in the quantum computing eraNo winning qubit technology exists among photonic networks, superconducting circuits, spin qubits, neutral atoms, and trapped ions. Each has significant limitations and unique advantages, such as neutral-atom systems' ability to maintain quantum states for several minutes, far longer than the others. McKinseySuperconducting qubits have become foundational to today’s quantum computing effortsRelying on electrons experiencing no friction across metal, these qubits require extremely low temperatures and behave like artificial atoms. The first superconducting qubit, invented in 1999, was large enough to be seen with the naked eye. MediumMisunderstandings about how quantum computing works may have overhyped their abilityQuantum computers are often viewed as machines that can solve all problems instantly by trying every solution simultaneously. Instead, they amplify correct answers and cancel out wrong ones, which only works for specific kinds of problems with special structures. Quanta MagazineHow entanglement lies at the heart of quantum computingTheoretical physicist and mathematician Frank Wilczek boils down the complex notion of quantum entanglement into this reasonably understandable summary. Wilczek discusses the concepts of quantum entanglement and how it relates to other ideas like the Many-Worlds Interpretation (MWI) of quantum mechanics. What sounds a bit "science-fictiony" can have actual real-world and concrete applications. Quanta MagazineView the winners of the 2025 Global Physics Photowalk contestParticipants were asked to submit entries showcasing particle physics labs from around the world, including particle accelerators, neutrino detectors, and superconducting experiments. The winning photograph was taken at the CryOgenic Laboratory for Detectors, where scientists hunt for dark matter after cooling materials to a few thousandths of a degree above absolute zero. Quanta MagazineThe Top 5 Problems of the Standard Model SciShowAlternative models to the Big Bang lack as much scientific evidenceThe cosmic microwave background radiation and the observed expansion of the universe suggest that the cosmos began from a tiny, dense state, whose resulting properties we see throughout space. While physics allows for cyclical expansions and crunches, ongoing inflationary aeons, and localized inflation to create bubble universes, evidence for these alternatives has not yet been found. IFLScienceSeveral birthstones play key roles across modern technologiesDiamonds are used in drills and quantum computing, while peridot and zircon help in steelmaking and carbon capture. Rubies, sapphires, and alexandrite enable several varieties of lasers found in medicine and advanced optics. Garnets are found in water filtration systems and radiation detectors. Sapphires are used as substrates in semiconductors. SciShowAs of 2025, the internet is entering its fourth phase, with three more to goSince the inception of the internet as a tool for connecting teams of researchers, technological and infrastructure advancements have progressively increased connectivity. Connections between computers, mobile devices, all devices, and now AI agents will be succeeded by an internet that integrates perception and the senses toward an eventual quantum internet. IEEE SpectrumHuman teleportation through quantum principles raises questions about identityThrough quantum entanglement, particles have been "teleported" by measuring their state in one location and effectively transferring that state to a new location. Doing so for the particles that make up humans would destroy the state of the original particles, killing the person, and effectively creating a clone. Curious CasesImages of quantum computers often depict dilution refrigeratorsWhile quantum computers themselves can have a microchip of silicon spin qubits or other trapped particles that make up quantum computing's basic unit, these components are too small to see on their own. However, such chips are located at the base of chandelier-shaped machines that keep temperatures near absolute zero. SciShowCecilia Payne-Gaposchkin discovered stars are mostly made of hydrogen and heliumAt 25, her doctoral thesis challenged the then-common belief that stars were composed similarly to Earth. Several years later, Henry Norris Russell, who had initially dismissed her findings, independently made the same discovery and received credit for it. Science NewsItalian physicist Enrico Fermi (1901–1954) on the Standard Model"If I could remember the name of all these particles, I'd be a botanist." BrainyQuoteExplore an optical table to create quantum physics experimentsThis interactive teaches users to create quantum experiments through lessons resembling video game levels. Users can also use the virtual lab to visualize landmark quantum experiments like entanglement, teleportation, cryptography, and quantum computing, or create their own experiments with drag-and-drop elements. Quantum FlytrapQuantum computers can simulate nature more effectively than classical computersOrdinary computers struggle to simulate quantum fields due to entanglement, but systems built from those elements can model the complexity. Systems using particle in more than two states—qudits—have successfully modeled 2D electromagnetic fields and done so more efficiently. Quanta MagazineGoogle chose Santa Barbara to host its Quantum AI computing projectThe project seeks to reduce errors within its quantum computer and integrate 1 million physical qubits (or quantum bits) into the room-sized computer. This powerful device will attempt to solve complex problems in medicine, computing, and more. GoogleEven in a perfect vacuum, empty space is full of quantum activityScientists have tried to create “nothing” by removing all matter, energy, and heat from a container, but the uncertainty principle and relativity prevent such conditions within any period of time. This means the universe is full of quantum foam, which can produce forces from nothingness. Big ThinkQuantum field theory reveals that particles are ripples in universal fieldsInstead of being made of indivisible particles, all visible matter in the universe is built from underlying quantum fields—smooth, invisible entities that behave like waves. The theory suggests these fields are fundamental, and particles are disturbances that move through them. The Joy of WhyLasers, semiconductors, medical imaging, and atomic clocks rely on quantum mechanicsSemiconductors, crucial in electronics, operate based on quantum superposition. Lasers use stimulated emission, a quantum process, and MRI machines leverage the quantum spin of hydrogen atoms for imaging. Atomic clocks measure time with unprecedented precision using quantum transitions. Caltech Science ExchangeQuantum mechanics explains how particles behave like both matter and wavesIn the quantum world, particles such as electrons are “quantized,” meaning they can only hold specific values of energy or momentum. These particles also behave like waves, with their wave function predicting where they might be found at any moment as probability clouds called orbitals. US Department of EnergyQuantum computers harness weird physics to explore unsolvable problemsClassical computers manipulate bits as either 0 or 1, but quantum computers use qubits to hold combinations of both, enabling new algorithms. This new approach could one day help with breakthroughs in medicine, chemistry, and AI. WIREDRSA encryption for online security relies on how hard it is to factor large numbersIn 1994, Peter Shor introduced an algorithm showing that a quantum computer could efficiently factor these numbers, undermining RSA. Any eventual success of quantum computing will threaten most current online encryption methods. ReutersIBM developed a benchmark to measure the usable performance of a quantum computerDubbed "quantum volume," the benchmark tests how well a quantum computer runs complex tasks. It stops when the computer can no longer correctly select the most likely answers, called "heavy outputs," more than two-thirds of the time. QiskitA "no math" primer on quantum mechanicsQuantum mechanics may not immediately grasped, but it can be slowly understood through the experiments and discussions offered here by writer Dr. Miguel F. Morales. A professor of physics at the University of Washington in Seattle, Dr. Morales makes understanding the basics of quantum mechanics fun with a promised "no math" approach. Ars Technica
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