A wide range of real-world applications, such as quantum cryptography, have been made possible by our growing understanding of entangled photons.
The 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics in Physics was given to three researchers who lay the foundation for understanding the peculiar “entangling” behaviour of quantum particles.
For their research into the nature of entangled quantum particles, American John Clauser, Austrian Anton Zeilinger, and French physicist Alain Aspect received awards.
Such particles behave as a single unit even though they are far apart, defying the logic of normal reality. A variety of ground-breaking technologies, such as quantum computing and quantum cryptography, a theoretically unbreakable method of secure information coding, are now being developed by engineers by taking advantage of this peculiar behaviour.
The pioneers of the early 20th century in physics, such as Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr, laid the foundation for quantum theory. The three recent Nobel Prize winners, however, helped to close the gap between theory and real-world trials and applications.
“The study of quantum information is a thriving and expanding discipline. It could have a wide range of effects on technologies like quantum computing, sensing, and secure information transfer “At a news conference on Tuesday, Eva Olsson, a member of the Nobel Committee for Physics, noted (Oct.4). The breakthrough effort and scientific achievements of the key players who accepted the challenges and overcame them in laboratories are recognised by this year’s Nobel Prize in Physics.
Quantum cryptography, which makes use of the fact that modifications made to one particle in an entangled system impact the other, is one of the most developed uses of quantum technology. Therefore, the quantum states of such particles can be used to encode encryption keys to secret messages. Because any disclosure of the secret keys to a third party would automatically alter the quantum state of the particles and render the keys useless, these keys can be securely exchanged amongst the parties involved in the communication process.
China made the first satellite-based quantum key distribution demonstration in 2016 as part of its Quantum Experiments at Space Scale programme. Since then, comparable technologies have been developed in several nations.
Entangled quantum particles are being used in the developing field of quantum computing, which is possibly their most well-known use. Information processing speed can increase dramatically with the use of quantum computers, which store information in the quantum states of particles.
Once operational, quantum computers are expected to speed up medicine and material research, improve climate change modelling, and enhance weather forecasting, among other things.
The Nobel Committee for Physics’ Anders Irbäck stated in a statement that “it has become increasingly obvious that a new sort of quantum technology is emerging.” Even outside the core issues surrounding the interpretation of quantum physics, it is clear that the laureates’ work with entangled states is very significant.
Penelope Lewis, the head of the publishing division of the American Institute of Science, said in a statement that the award “demonstrates the fundamental beauty of physics.” “Aspect, Clauser, and Zeilinger’s groundbreaking research on quantum entanglement is credited with bringing quantum mechanics from its philosophical roots, which date back almost a century, to the present. Their research paved the way for amazing developments in quantum computing and cryptography, fields with the potential to revolutionise contemporary society.”
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