You might ask yourself, “What is quantum computing, and how do I get involved?”

Before we begin to explain quantum computing, a brief glimpse of the past is essential to understand how quantum computing came to be.

From our very first laptop to the laptops we have today, it is clear that technology is exponentially advancing faster than our expectations. Phones and computers get thinner and faster, but why? Thanks to the effects of Moore’s Law, which states that the number of transistors in a dense circuit will double approximately every two years, the amount of “stuff” needed to be put on a board is more densely packed.

In more general terms, Moore’s law implies that computing power doubles every two years. Densely packed boards lead to less area used when designing boards, ultimately creating a thinner device.

However, we are getting to the point where Moore’s Law is slowing down. Technology is reaching a point where getting too thin leads to unwanted results. Today, all processors are made out of silicon, which is the second most abundant element in the Earth’s crust.

Unfortunately, silicon is not a perfect conductor, which sets a limit on how densely silicon can be packed when designing these chips. A huge issue when it comes to making chips thinner and thinner is quantum tunneling.

What is Quantum Tunneling?

Quantum tunneling is essentially the phenomenon that there is a probability to penetrate a barrier. In the world of quantum, there is a non-zero probability that any particle can end up on the other side, even if it does not have enough energy to pass through it. This is explained through understanding what wave-particle duality is.

Essentially, a particle is associated with a wave function. This wave function basically determines the position of the particle at a specific time in space. Additionally, we can see this in a more relatable manner through this diagram.

We can first try to explain quantum by explaining the difference between a particle and a wave. We are familiar with particles. When you observe a particle, you can see its location at and point. However, when you observe waves, you notice that they’re spread out and all over the place.

Essentially, quantum physics says that this wave has a slight probability of existing on the other side of a barrier, or there could be a probability that it exists on the side it came from, or both. This idea is called superposition. Until the particle is observed, quantum states that this atom can be in both positions at once.

How is this a problem for computers, you might ask? Well, if a barrier is thick, we can say that the probability of the wave to pass through the barrier is small. However, if the barrier is thin, the probably increases. The inability to control electron flow can lead to “leakage,” or a loss in power in certain parts of a chip. This will then lead to issues powering the chip during use.

The Basis of Quantum Computing

Since there is a limitation to how thin we can make our chips due to quantum tunneling, the basis of quantum computing is to exploit another principle called entanglement. Quantum entanglement is essentially the phenomenon that when atoms interact with each other, they are somehow mysteriously linked to each other with an explanation unknown to modern science.

When you measure the “wave” or the location of one atom, you instantly know the position of the other. However, until you measure the atom, it is theoretically in any position. In other words, you can find the position of one atom through measuring the position of another. By exploiting this, quantum computers can calculate things exponentially fast because once you know one thing, the other is given to you.

With this logic, quantum computing can exploit this as a workaround to search for something, such as information in a database, without looking through each and every entry. Scientists are attempting to use this advantage to speed up the times of search engines such as Google and decryption of secure and encrypted information in a matter of seconds. The potential of quantum computing is massive enough to cause a tremendous change in technology and spike up our computing power.

How Do I Get Involved?

Huge companies such as Google, IBM, and Microsoft have released quantum computer simulators to help developers and users who are interested in quantum computing to be able to experiment. You can access these simulators in the links below!

IBM’s quantum computer is definitely recommended because it is actually a quantum computer that can be accessed from your home for experimentation.

Google: http://www.quantumplayground.net

Microsoft: http://research.microsoft.com/en-us/research-areas/quantum-computing.aspx

IBM: http://www.research.ibm.com/quantum

The most exciting part about quantum computing is that scientists are walking an unpaved path into this computing phenomena. Once scientists discover the power to effectively and practically use quantum computing, our computing world will never be the same.