Quantum computers use quantum mechanical phenomena to process data represented by qubits instead of bits. They bombard information molecules with radiation to perform algorithmic operations, but the probabilistic nature of quantum mechanics requires multiple runs for accurate results. Quantum computing offers advantages in factorization, simulation, and database searching. The average seek time is much faster than conventional computers, making it useful for larger problems. With ongoing research and funding, breakthroughs and applications are expected.
A quantum computer is any device that uses quantum mechanical phenomena to execute algorithms. Because quantum computers have fundamentally different computational properties than conventional computers, the data contained in quantum computers is referred to as qubits rather than bits. In conventional computers, data is represented by microscopic grooves on a hard drive. In a quantum computer, data is represented by the quantum properties of a given molecule or set of molecules.
Instead of performing calculations by fetching data from a hard drive and processing it using an integrated circuit full of logic gates, quantum computers process data by bombarding the information molecule with short pulses of radiation. Each bombardment cycle represents an algorithmic operation on the data contained within the molecule. When the algorithm finishes, the quantum state of the molecule is measured, a process which in itself influences the final result. This is due to the fundamentally uncertain nature of quantum mechanics.
To get around this difficulty, quantum computing algorithms are run multiple times and the weighted average of the output asymptotically approaches the correct answer. Since quantum mechanical phenomena are inherently probabilistic rather than deterministic, a well-defined answer on the first try is not possible.
Quantum computers possess certain capabilities that classical computers lack. Quantum computing allows for the rapid factorization of large numbers (an explicit threat to conventional cryptographic techniques), the most accurate simulation of quantum phenomena, and very efficient database searching.
For any search space of size n nodes, where each node represents a possible solution to a problem, there is only one possible solution, and each node must be checked individually for properties that correspond to a correct solution, quantum computing gives fantastic acceleration. In conventional computers, the mean search time is the time it takes to check each node multiplied by the number of nodes (n) divided by two (the solution is likely to be found about halfway through the search). In quantum computers, the average seek time is the time it takes to check each node multiplied by the square root of n. This confers a huge advantage that only becomes more impressive when bigger problems are considered.
It is not yet possible to conceive of all applications of mature quantum computers. The most qubits ever contained in a quantum computing system is 7. As quantum computing research continues rapidly with many millions of dollars in funding, it will only be a matter of time before a critical breakthrough occurs and impressive applications are invented. .
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