“Quantum mechanics is very impressive. But an inner voice tells me that it is not yet the real thing.”

— Albert Einstein

“I don’t like it, and I am sorry I ever had anything to do with it.”

— Erwin Schrödinger

Quantum computers try to take advantage of the strange properties of quantum physics to do unimaginably fast calculations. Quantum computers may eventually compromise blockchain and internet security. Unfortunately, there is much misinformation and confusion about these topics. I will elaborate on how to begin to understand them.

Difficult Journeys

It can take several centuries or millennia to complete some theories. For example, the understanding of atoms and irrational numbers came only after protracted periods of struggle. Quantum physics is only a century old, and not surprisingly, still has unresolved issues such as the question of the correct interpretation.

Proposed Interpretations

The most common interpretation of quantum physics is the Copenhagen interpretation. It claims that animals, such as cats, can exist in zombie like states that are somehow both dead and alive. Another popular interpretation is the Many Worlds interpretation. It claims there are countless parallel universes with several more being created every second.

One of these outlandish interpretations might be correct. They might also not be correct. Unfortunately, they are often presented as settled science. For example, here is the famous quantum physicist Werner Heisenberg stating implausible unproven dogma:

“[T]he idea of an objective real world whose smallest parts exist objectively in the same sense as stones or trees exist, independently of whether or not we observe them… is impossible[.]”

Saner Theories

Fortunately, there are valid interpretations that are less remarkable. My suggestion is to investigate the Pilot Wave interpretation. It makes the modest claim that all particles are accompanied by special waves that determine all motions. This can explain the same phenomena, yet, it is much less popular. Consider the following by the famous quantum physicist John Bell:

“This idea seems to me so natural and simple… that it is a great mystery to me that it was so generally ignored.”

Quantum Computers

Quantum computers are like massively parallel conventional computers. The potential parallelization is truly astounding. Quantum computers may be built that are equivalent to more computers than there are atoms in the universe! To begin to understand this, consider an orchestra. All listeners hear a single sound wave formed from all the instruments. There is no limit to the number of instruments that can contribute to the sound wave. Furthermore, a synthesizer can simulate countless orchestras. Likewise, quantum computers try to create versions of the aforementioned special waves corresponding to trillions of computers working together. The goal is to get the results of computations, from these special waves, without building the corresponding huge parallel computers. Note that quantum computers can do some but not all types of parallel processing.

Information Security

The reason blockchains and the internet are potentially at risk, from future quantum computers, is because their security relies on certain tasks remaining intractable. Thwarting quantum computer attacks requires switching to quantum computer resistant cryptography.

Conclusion

It is possible to begin to understand quantum physics and quantum computers. Quantum physics is a relatively new theory and hence there is much chaos that needs to be avoided. The Pilot Wave interpretation may help with understanding these ideas and their potential impact on blockchain technologies.

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Acknowledgements

I would like to thank IOHK (Input Output Hong Kong) for funding this effort.

License

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International License.