Read Online The Omega Theory by Mark Alpert - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Mark Alpert
Tags: Physics Teachers
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computer’s keyboard.” She pointed at one of the laptops sitting on the desk in front of Lucille. “This computer has a microprocessor with four gigabytes of RAM, so it can perform calculations on four billion bytes of data. That’s more than enough memory to run a spreadsheet program or display a YouTube video. But a quantum computer could do much more.”
“How so?”
“Remember how I said that each ion can point up or down? Well, imagine that the up orientation is zero, and down is one. If you look at it that way, each ion contains one bit of information, because it can be either one or zero. A string of eight ions, some up and some down, contains a byte of information. And we can change the information contained in the string by firing a laser beam at the ions, which flips their orientation. But here’s the best part.” Monique paused to take a breath. “When you’re dealing with individual ions, all the crazy rules of quantum theory apply. Particles are waves and waves are particles, and nothing is completely precise or predictable. And one of the crazy consequences of quantum theory is that we can put an ion into something called a superposition state. In this state, the ion is pointing up and down at the same time.”
Lucille made a face. “What? That’s impossible.”
“It sounds impossible, but it’s true. An ion in superposition is like a schizophrenic—it’s one and zero. It holds two values simultaneously. Now imagine putting two ions into that state. They hold four values at the same time—one/one, zero/zero, one/zero, and zero/one. And a string of three ions in superposition holds eight values simultaneously. You see the pattern?”
Lucille thought about it for a moment. Then she nodded. “Yeah, I do. Every time you add another ion to the string, you double the amount of data the string can hold.”
“Right again. The capacity increases exponentially, so a quantum computer with a relatively modest number of ions can hold an extraordinary amount of data. And when those ions interact and start exchanging their data, they’re actually performing an enormous number of calculations simultaneously. If you could build a quantum computer with just a hundred trapped ions—and that’s definitely feasible within the next decade—it could perform trillions upon trillions of calculations at once. It could accomplish certain tasks billions of times faster than the best conventional computers in the world.”
“What kinds of tasks? Anything that DARPA might be interested in?”
“Oh yeah, plenty. A quantum computer would be ideal for searching through large databases, looking for patterns hidden inside gigabytes of noise. Or creating computer simulations of extremely complex phenomena, such as the shock wave that triggers a nuclear explosion. But the thing that DARPA’s most interested in is code breaking. A quantum computer could break public-key codes, which are now considered unbreakable. Those are the codes used on the Internet for encrypting credit-card numbers. And the military uses the same encryption scheme on some of its classified data networks.”
Lucille nodded again. She retrieved the shiny, glass-topped ion trap from Monique and studied it for a while, holding it up to the light.
David stared at it, too, wondering what the hell Jacob had been doing. Even back in the days when they were in grad school together, Jacob had been unusually secretive about his research projects. It was an extreme case of professional caution: Jacob had been deathly afraid that another grad student or postdoc would steal his ideas. Although he’d freely shared all the details of his personal life, often regaling David with elaborate descriptions of his sexual adventures—he’d been a real Don Juan in those days—Jacob never talked about his research. When it came to his work, he trusted no one.
David stepped toward the desk, intending to tell Lucille about this. Just then, however, the office
“How so?”
“Remember how I said that each ion can point up or down? Well, imagine that the up orientation is zero, and down is one. If you look at it that way, each ion contains one bit of information, because it can be either one or zero. A string of eight ions, some up and some down, contains a byte of information. And we can change the information contained in the string by firing a laser beam at the ions, which flips their orientation. But here’s the best part.” Monique paused to take a breath. “When you’re dealing with individual ions, all the crazy rules of quantum theory apply. Particles are waves and waves are particles, and nothing is completely precise or predictable. And one of the crazy consequences of quantum theory is that we can put an ion into something called a superposition state. In this state, the ion is pointing up and down at the same time.”
Lucille made a face. “What? That’s impossible.”
“It sounds impossible, but it’s true. An ion in superposition is like a schizophrenic—it’s one and zero. It holds two values simultaneously. Now imagine putting two ions into that state. They hold four values at the same time—one/one, zero/zero, one/zero, and zero/one. And a string of three ions in superposition holds eight values simultaneously. You see the pattern?”
Lucille thought about it for a moment. Then she nodded. “Yeah, I do. Every time you add another ion to the string, you double the amount of data the string can hold.”
“Right again. The capacity increases exponentially, so a quantum computer with a relatively modest number of ions can hold an extraordinary amount of data. And when those ions interact and start exchanging their data, they’re actually performing an enormous number of calculations simultaneously. If you could build a quantum computer with just a hundred trapped ions—and that’s definitely feasible within the next decade—it could perform trillions upon trillions of calculations at once. It could accomplish certain tasks billions of times faster than the best conventional computers in the world.”
“What kinds of tasks? Anything that DARPA might be interested in?”
“Oh yeah, plenty. A quantum computer would be ideal for searching through large databases, looking for patterns hidden inside gigabytes of noise. Or creating computer simulations of extremely complex phenomena, such as the shock wave that triggers a nuclear explosion. But the thing that DARPA’s most interested in is code breaking. A quantum computer could break public-key codes, which are now considered unbreakable. Those are the codes used on the Internet for encrypting credit-card numbers. And the military uses the same encryption scheme on some of its classified data networks.”
Lucille nodded again. She retrieved the shiny, glass-topped ion trap from Monique and studied it for a while, holding it up to the light.
David stared at it, too, wondering what the hell Jacob had been doing. Even back in the days when they were in grad school together, Jacob had been unusually secretive about his research projects. It was an extreme case of professional caution: Jacob had been deathly afraid that another grad student or postdoc would steal his ideas. Although he’d freely shared all the details of his personal life, often regaling David with elaborate descriptions of his sexual adventures—he’d been a real Don Juan in those days—Jacob never talked about his research. When it came to his work, he trusted no one.
David stepped toward the desk, intending to tell Lucille about this. Just then, however, the office
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