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The First Practical Use For Quantum Computers: Chemistry (technologyreview.com)
"The first quantum computer to start paying its way with useful work in the real world looks likely to do so by helping chemists," writes MIT Technology Review, "trying to do things like improve batteries or electronics." An anonymous reader quotes their report:
So far, simulating molecules and reactions is the use case for early, small quantum computers sketched out in most detail by researchers developing the new kind of algorithms needed for such machines... "From the point of view of what is theoretically proven, chemistry is ahead," says Scott Crowder, chief technology officer for the IBM division that today sells hardware including supercomputers and hopes to add cloud-hosted quantum computers to its product line-up in the next few years...
Researchers have long used simulations of molecules and chemical reactions to aid research into things like new materials, drugs, or industrial catalysts. The tactic can reduce time spent on physical experiments and scientific dead ends, and it accounts for a significant proportion of the workload of the world's supercomputers. Yet the payoffs are limited because even the most powerful supercomputers cannot perfectly re-create all the complex quantum behaviors of atoms and electrons in even relatively small molecules, says Alan Aspuru-Guzik, a chemistry professor at Harvard. He's looking forward to the day simulations on quantum computers can accelerate his research group's efforts to find new light-emitting molecules for displays, for example, and batteries suitable for grid-scale energy storage.
Microsoft is already focusing on chemistry and materials science in its quantum algorithm effort, saying a hybrid system combining conventional computers with a small quantum computer "has great promise for studying molecules." Meanwhile, the article argues that breaking encryption, "although a genuine threat, is one of the most distant applications of the technology, because the algorithms involved would require an extremely large quantum processor."
Researchers have long used simulations of molecules and chemical reactions to aid research into things like new materials, drugs, or industrial catalysts. The tactic can reduce time spent on physical experiments and scientific dead ends, and it accounts for a significant proportion of the workload of the world's supercomputers. Yet the payoffs are limited because even the most powerful supercomputers cannot perfectly re-create all the complex quantum behaviors of atoms and electrons in even relatively small molecules, says Alan Aspuru-Guzik, a chemistry professor at Harvard. He's looking forward to the day simulations on quantum computers can accelerate his research group's efforts to find new light-emitting molecules for displays, for example, and batteries suitable for grid-scale energy storage.
Microsoft is already focusing on chemistry and materials science in its quantum algorithm effort, saying a hybrid system combining conventional computers with a small quantum computer "has great promise for studying molecules." Meanwhile, the article argues that breaking encryption, "although a genuine threat, is one of the most distant applications of the technology, because the algorithms involved would require an extremely large quantum processor."
So... we use a quantum computer to simulate... a quantum computer? LOL
But nothing report here is particularly new. It has been known for quite some time now that breaking encryption takes a lot of qubits, whereas quantum chemistry can be accelerated with relative modest qubits amounts, assuming they can implement universal QC gate model operations.
It'll be like that 'Fringe' episode where the terrorist uses a quantum computer to create a toxin from three (four?) chemicals? I think it made the skin cover up the eyes, nostrils, and mouth.
What I really want to see is a drug with the painkilling potency of fentanyl, the high of marijuana, the alertness from meth, and the ability to remain cognitively and physically functional (like nicotine), and none of the negative side effects. With a price of $0.05 per pill, and available at your friendly CVS and Walgreens, over-the-counter. Bonus points if it has a 12-24 hour half life with a rapidly increasing tolerance, preventing serious abuse.
I mean, people will try to abuse it, but... wouldn't this be a nice type of drug to have after work?
I was tempted to suggest adding LSD, but there can be... unpleasant consequences if too many people are using it at the same time. It's not good when too many people (hundreds of millions) are perceiving reality in non-standard ways.
Physics is just a subset of chemistry. Matter, energy, and the forces between them are the fundamental topics of chemistry. Physics just applied them at a larger scale.
So I guess we are not counting the NSA's code breaking quantum computer. Why not? I might be classified as secret, but it's hardly secret.
I'm an American. I love this country and the freedoms that we used to have.
Back in the days of classical physics, the state of an electron could be represented by a single point in six dimensional space. But, thanks to quantum physics, we now need a point in infinite dimensional space to represent the state of a single electron.
Physics is a superset of chemistry.
If God forks the Universe every time you roll a die, he'd better have a damned good memory.
Slashdot is probably thoroughly greased by the foul Redmond beast.
Simulating quantum computers, of course!
Sent as ripples into the electromagnetic field. No single photon has been harmed in the process.
I am becoming increasingly worried that qubits are vaporware. We have yet to see any "real" quantum hardware, just stuff like DWave which appears to be interesting but superconductive magnetic bonding rather than quantum entanglement. Now that some of the big players like Intel are getting into it, we'll find out what's real.
This is backwards. Physics encompasses it all. Physics isn't just baseball trajectories and planetary orbits, it is also the subatomic realm, and all the forces including those that are responsible for chemical interactions.
Chemistry focuses at the molecular level. Physics is everything else. Sort of...
This is backwards. Physics encompasses it all. Physics isn't just baseball trajectories and planetary orbits, it is also the subatomic realm, and all the forces including those that are responsible for chemical interactions.
It's all just a special case of mathematics
It's all just a special case of mathematics
Which is just one branch of science.
captcha: forked
Slashdotters will still have to rely on Tinder.
Have gnu, will travel.
Mathematics is just a way to describe reality. It's just a language, essentially. It isn't reality itself, though. An English description of a dog isn't the dog itself. Likewise, the mathematical equations describing a physical phenomenon aren't the phenomenon itself. Physics and chemistry use mathematics to describe reality. But the maths aren't reality.
This has been the idea from the beginning.
to allude to the concept of bits and making logic gates second class citizens not to be mentioned.
The left wants others to change and as a YouTuber calling himself Sargon of Akkad noted refuse to change themselves. The right, ascribe to outdated notions of the what reality is. I, on the otherâ hand, attempt to learn about reality as it really is and use that information to make changes I prefer.
Physics is a superset of chemistry.
I guess that depends if you're talking to a physicist or a chemist.
If I can be modded down for being a troll, can I be modded up for being an orc, or a balrog?
There's nuclear and particle physics which is working with subatomic particles, elements and isotopes.
Basic physics involves rules of motion, energy exchange including photons and electrons.
Basic chemistry involves working with molecules and atomic bonding.
Astrophysics involves astronomy and stellar processes, so that involves both nuclear physics and chemistry.
The first practical use of quantum computers was scaring cryptographers and causing them to invent post-quantum cryptography to protect our information. The amazing thing is that they managed to do this without physically existing.
Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
Chemistry is applied physics
Erf.
No. Mathematics is used to make models that describe reality. But those models are not reality. Reality is not mathematics.
-- Cheers!
Really ? you seem very certain of that.