Since the development of quantum physics in the early part of the 1900s, this field of study has made remarkable contributions to our civilization. Some of these advances include lasers, light-emitting diodes (LED), sensors, spectroscopy, quantum dots, quantum gravity and quantum entanglements. In 1998, the NASA Langley Research Center established a quantum technology committee to monitor the progress in this area and initiated research to determine the potential of quantum technology for future NASA missions. The areas of interest in quantum technology at NASA included fundamental quantum-optics materials associated with quantum dots and quantum wells, device-oriented photonic crystals, smart optics, quantum conductors, quantum information and computing, teleportation theorem, and quantum energetics. A brief review of the work performed, the progress made in advancing these technologies, and the potential NASA applications of quantum technology will be presented.
Since the development of quantum physics in the early part of the 1900s, this field of study has made remarkable contributions to our civilization. Some of these advances include lasers, light-emitting diodes (LED), sensors, spectroscopy, quantum dots, quantum gravity and quantum entanglements. In 1998, the NASA Langley Research Center established a quantum technology committee to monitor the progress in this area and initiated research to determine the potential of quantum technology for future NASA missions. The areas of interest in quantum technology at NASA included fundamental quantum-optics materials associated with quantum dots and quantum wells, device-oriented photonic crystals, smart optics, quantum conductors, quantum information and computing, teleportation theorem, and quantum energetics. A brief review of the work performed, the progress made in advancing these technologies, and the potential NASA applications of quantum technology will be presented.
As NASA spacecraft explore deeper into the cosmos, speed-of-light-limited signal delays make it increasingly impractical to command missions from Earth. Future spacecraft will need greater onboard computing capacity to mimic human-level intelligence and autonomy. The solution might come from quantum computers, which offer properties of size, power, and robustness that are ideally suited to the space environment. The potential of quantum technologies goes far beyond enhanced computing capacity. Future space missions will involve direct participation of non-NASA scientists. This will necessitate allowing more open access to spacecraft systems via free-space communication links. Quantum cryptography would allow such channels to be made absolutely secure and invulnerable to attack by malevolent hackers. To explore these possibilities, this article describes the progress to date in understanding how quantum computers and related quantum information-processing devices might advance space exploration.
The development of quantum mechanics and quantum physics in general is one of the greatest intellectual achievements of the 20th century. Initially, quantum physicists focused on mathematically describing and understanding the laws of a micro-world, comprised of atoms, molecules and photons. Nuclei and sub-atomic particles were discovered, particle physics evolved, and complex quantum systems in chemistry and solid-state physics are now described in terms of quantum physics. Within a century, quantum physics became the framework, which allows us to describe and predict, albeit with probabilities, the behavior of the microscopic world as we know it. The powerful quantum framework led to revolutionary technical advances for a century, such as semiconductor technology and the entire electronics industry based on it, enabling computers and the information age. The development of lasers found applications in many areas of our current technologies; we use them for printers, storing and retrieving information using CDs, industrial welding, medical surgery, and for range finding and communication purposes. Medical imaging using MRI is now a routine instrument, as are precision measurements using tunneling and atomic force microscopes. Superconducting technologies are used for high magnetic fields and many more current technologies are based on and enabled by the laws of quantum physics. While the framework of quantum physics has thus proven to be extremely successful and powerful, throughout the last century there were many conceptual, and to some extent philosophical, discussions on our understanding of quantum physics. As early as the 1930s, Einstein and Schrödinger realized that quantum physics allows for some peculiar states, which Schrödinger called “entangled”, which have a non-local character and thus do find an easy interpretation in our classical world. It took a few more decades until John Bell conceived a way to quantify such states, which thus became amenable to measurements. Only in the eighties and nineties of the last century did the generation of entangled states, their characterization and their subsequent application become feasible and accessible in laboratories. Early on, Bell states were proposed for applications in quantum communication, employing protocols based on teleportation. Soon, entanglement was recognized to be useful also for sensing, for precision measurements and eventually for quantum information processing. Starting with the early concept of a trapped-ion quantum computer introduced by Ignacio Cirac and Peter Zoller in 1995, many other platforms were proposed for quantum information processing, based on superconducting quantum bits, photonic processes, engineered quantum dots and many more. The first decade of the 21st century saw an explosive development of quantum information physics, which is by now a mature field and increasingly focuses on applications. Worldwide efforts are ongoing to realize quantum networks for secure communication and to implement quantum computers. Enhanced sensing has been demonstrated using advanced quantum states, and quantum simulators have been developed, already tackling problems that are hard to compute with classical computers. While architectures for full-fledged quantum computers are already available, the realization of such computers still requires the routine implementation of error correction, which is not yet available, for full scalability. Currently, noisy intermediate-scale quantum (NISQ) processors are already used for computations and are even accessible via cloud services. Since about 2000, quantum technologies have been developed for many platforms with the aim to surpass the capablities of their classical counterparts. Many such devices now make use of entangled states, which are seen as the new resource for advanced quantum technologies. For this, describing, understanding and generally mastering the generation and manipulation of entanglement is a key element. Moreover, both hardware and software technologies have to be improved in order to better control quantum devices. Mastering quantum phenomena for communication, metrology, simulation and computation purposes is currently one of the hottest topics in science since the wide applicability of quantum technologies will revolutionize these fields. The development of advanced quantum technologies is thus seen worldwide as a strategic area for generating technical knowledge and industrial evolution. This special issue intends to showcase the breadth and impact of the ongoing research in advancing quantum technologies. We have invited a selection of renowned scientists to present their work, and we are confident that this issue will find a broad readership and attract much interest within the scientific community.
In the early decades of the 20th century, the inception of quantum mechanics catalyzed the first quantum revolution, resulting in groundbreaking technological advances, such as nuclear energy, semiconductors, lasers, nuclear magnetic resonance, superconductivity, and global satellite positioning systems. These innovations have promoted significant progress in material civilization, fundamentally changed the way of life and societal landscape of humanity. Since the 1990s, quantum control technology has made significant strides forward, ushering in a rapid evolution of quantum technologies, notably exemplified by quantum information science. This encompasses domains such as quantum communication, quantum computing, and quantum precision measurement, offering paradigm-shifting solutions for enhancing information transmission security, accelerating computational speed, and elevating measurement precision. These advances hold the potential to provide crucial underpinning for national security and the high-quality development of the national economy. The swift progression of quantum information technology heralds the advent of the second quantum revolution. Following nearly three decades of concerted efforts, China’s quantum information technology field as a whole has achieved a leap. Specifically, China presently assumes a prominent international role in both the research and practical application of quantum communication, leading the global domain in quantum computing, and achieving international preeminence or advanced standing across various facets of quantum precision measurement. Presently, it is imperative to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the developmental priorities in the realm of quantum information in China for the forthcoming 5 to 10 years, in alignment with national strategic priorities and the evolving landscape of international competition. This will enable the proactive establishment of next-generation information technology systems that are secure, efficient, autonomous, and controllable.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) develops a broad range of technologies to support space-based quantum sensing and communications, uses the space environment to study fundamental quantum processes to advance our knowledge of physics, and develops algorithms to attack complex science problems that might be solved using quantum computing. This paper describes quantum sensors that NASA has flown on space missions, investments that NASA is making to develop quantum sensors, and possible approaches to employ quantum sensing to study the attributes of distant stars and planets, the Sun, Earth, and fundamental properties of matter.
In the 21st century, the world is full of rapid changes and constant development of technology. The modern rhythm of life requires innovations and revolutionary solutions that would ensure efficiency, safety, and stability in various spheres of activity. In this context, quantum technologies come to the fore and provide unparalleled opportunities to transform our world. The relevance of research and study of quantum technologies is growing every day. They already today have the potential to change our understanding of cleaning processes, cryptography, telecommunications, medicine, and other industries. Understanding the principles of quantum physics and the possibilities of their implementation in practical application becomes necessary due to the rapid progress of scientific research in this area. This research paper aims to review the literature and analyze the prospects and applications of quantum technologies. It will be a valuable source of information for researchers, scientists, engineers, and all those interested in the future development of these advanced technologies. In this framework, the main principles of quantum physics will be developed; its advantages differ from classical technologies and demonstrative application in various fields. Current challenges and obstacles to the introduction of quantum technologies, as well as ways to overcome them, will also be highlighted. It is expected that this work will help readers gain a deeper understanding of the essence of quantum technologies and their impact on the modern world. It will encourage further research, contributing to the development and improvement of these powerful tools.
Abstract The materials challenge is often a major hurdle for translating good ideas in science into technologies. This is no different in the arena of quantum technologies which has seen a resurgence of interest in the last decade. This perspective provides a unique insight into the recent collaborative works by research groups in Singapore to surmount key quantum materials and processing bottlenecks that have impeded quantum technologies in the areas of sensing, computing, and communications. We highlight recent important materials related breakthroughs that have made possible novel advancements such as integrated ion traps, light frequency conversion, highly efficient cryogenic contacts to atomically thin quantum devices, and gate defined quantum dots, to name just a few. We also discuss the potential applications and conclude with our perspective on the remaining challenges to be addressed and the prospects enabled by these materials advances for future collaborations and co-developments to advance quantum technologies.