Briana Sandru

QUANTUM PHYSICS
▪ Science Fiction vs. Science Fact
▪ Quantum Physics
▪ Quantum Physics Principles
▪ Quantum Key Distribution
▪ Quantum Technology In the Real World
▪ Drawbacks of Quantum Technology
▪ Quantum Physics and Spirituality
• Bibliography

Image from Freepik

Science Fiction vs. Science Fact •1
Parallel universes, teleportation, multiple versions of oneself …
This sounds more like science fiction, rather than science fact.
But strangely enough, quantum physics seems to actually offer explanations
for some of these ideas.

Image from Freepik

Quantum Physics •2
Quantum physics appeared out of the necessity of explaining phenomenon which did not follow the rules of
classic physics.
It is a branch of physics that studies the behavior of very small particles, such as atoms and subatomic
particles like electrons and photons.
At atomic and subatomic level, matter and energy can be thought of as discrete packets, or quanta, which
gave the name to this type of physics.
Quantum Physics Principles •3
Wave-particle duality Uncertainty principle
Light and matter have properties of This means that two properties of a
particles or waves, depending on particle - position and velocity, cannot
how they are measured. both be precisely known at the same
In quantum physics, time. If we precisely measure the
there are a few basic position of an electron, for example,
concepts: we do not know its speed.

Superposition Entanglement Observation influences the results

A particle can be in multiple states at Two or more particles are connected Simply observing an event influences
the same time; for example, a bit can in such a way that they can be its outcome. This particular principle is
take a value of 0 or 1; quantum thought of as a single system, even if used successfully in cryptography
physics tells us that a qubit can have they are very far apart. Knowing the algorithms in order to ensure the
both values at the same time, as well state of one particle automatically security and privacy of
as all values in between the two tells us the state of the other. communication.
states. 1
1
0
0
Quantum Key Distribution •4
One classic example which combines superposition, entanglement and the observer effect is the quantum
key distribution, which is actually used in current applications for enabling secure communication.

If Mary wants to talk to John, they have a shared random secret key known only to them, which then can be
used to encrypt and decrypt messages. The data that will be transmitted is made up of qubits and either
superposition (which allows for all possible values between 0 and 1) or entanglement (which views the qubits
as a single system and knowing the state of one bit means the state of the other is also known) can be used
to send it from one user to the other. Sophie

?
Mary John

Message (qubits)

If Sophie wants to eavesdrop on the conversation, then she would have to measure the state of the qubits, but
her observation of them will alter their states. Which means Sophie cannot decipher the message and both Mary
and John become aware someone is listening.
Quantum Technology In the Real World •5
Almost all fields can benefit from applying quantum physics principles. Here are a few examples where quantum
technology is currently used:
Quantum Computing Electronics
Quantum computers use qubits, which can be in states of Many modern electronic devices are designed
superposition. While bits can only have the binary values of
using quantum mechanics, such as: lasers, electron
0 or 1, qubits can exist as a superposition of 0 and 1. This
microscopes, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
means qubits can exist as multiple states of 0s and 1s at the
devices and the components used in computing
same time, made possible by entanglement. Programmers
can manipulate the superposition of qubits in order to solve hardware.
problems that classical computing cannot finalize effectively,
such as searching unsorted databases or integer
factorization.

Astronomy
In order to obtain more accurate images,
Medicine astronomers combine the observation power of
different telescopes using a technique called
Neural networks, telomere reduction, drug discovery, DNA
interferometry. Entanglement can be used to
mutations and many other medical fields can benefit from
combine data from telescopes located over wide
quantum physics.
distances.
Drawbacks of Quantum Technology •6
If quantum technology is so efficient, why is it not found in every office, school, factory or home?
? Because even though it is a very promising technology, it has several drawbacks.

Qubits are very sensitive to their environment and even the slightest environmental change
will cause their degradation. Therefore quantum systems require extremely low temperatures
(close to absolute zero) which means using expensive cryogenic equipment.
Also, quantum computers need specialized rooms, in order to be isolated from external
interference.

Even though superposition allows for one qubit to have more than one state, the current
technology does not allow more than a maximum number of 1000 qubits, which limits the
computational capacity of the computers.

As far as skilled personnel go, there is a shortage of researchers and engineers with
expertise in quantum mechanics and related fields, limiting the pace of development.
Quantum Physics and Spirituality •7
Another interesting aspect of quantum physics is that it can actually explain certain spiritual practices.

The concept that observation Beyond the scientific aspects of Superposition fuels the Many
changes the result of an experiment entanglement, it fits with the idea Worlds Interpretation theory which
is proven fact in quantum physics. that all human beings are connected says that there is a world associated
The observer effect simply means and what happens to one of us, has with each possible outcome of a
that the physical world around us is effect on others as well. taken decision. So, the idea of
influenced by our thoughts and what taking responsibility for our actions
we pay attention to. Many religions because they have consequences
and spiritual beliefs teach that not now has a scientific basis.
only our actions are important, but
also our thoughts.
Bibliography

https://scienceexchange.caltech.edu/topics/quantum-science-explained/quantum-physics
https://builtin.com/hardware/quantum-computing-applications
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10342414/
https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/life-sciences/our-insights/pharmas-digital-rx-quantum-computing-in-
drug-research-and-development
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/quantum-astronomy-could-create-telescopes-hundreds-of-
kilometers-wide/
https://www.sdxcentral.com/security/quantum/definitions/what-are-the-disadvantages-of-quantum-
computing/

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/http://quantum.phys.unm.edu/466-
17/QuantumMechanicsWeinberg.pdf

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