Quantum Technology Overview

John Preskill, Director of the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter, California Institute of Technology, presented an overview of quantum technology at the 2018 Q2B Conference. He indicates that NISQ (Noisy Qubit) systems with 50-100 qubits will be commercially available shortly and they will be useful. However, NISQ at 50-100 qubits will not change the world.

John Preskill indicated that the most important improvement that could be made to advance the field is with better qubits. IonQ touted that they are making better quality than NISQ qubits with trapped ion qubits. IonQ has talked about reaching thousands of qubits by the mid-2020s.

John discussed applications like quantum machine learning and quantum simulation.

Preskill reviewed other quantum technologies like quantum-safe privacy, quantum networks, quantum sensing and quantum radar.

Quantum sensing could double the sensitivity of the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory).

Nextbigfuture has reviewed the many technologies and the project proposals for Gravitational-Wave Observatories beyond LIGO.

Future interferometers such as Voyager will require not only engineering squeezed light, but also sustained R&D programs on optical coatings to better understand and reduce coating thermal noise, to enable ‘cold’ interferometer operation, to manufacture and coat test mass substrates made of new materials (silicon), and to cool and maintain low temperature test masses without introducing displacement noise. Among all these advances, the one domain which has the most immediate need and presents the most complex challenges is reducing coating thermal noise.

Quantum Computing: Progress and Prospects (2018) National Academy of Science (202 pages)

SOURCES – Quantum Computing: Progress and Prospects (2018) National Academy of Science, John Preskill, Youtube, Q2B conference, QCWare

Written By Brian Wang, Nextbigfuture.com