World Quantum Day is an international initiative dedicated to promoting public understanding of quantum science and technology.Celebrated annually on April 14, the date reflects the first three digits of Planck's constant (expressed as 4.14 × 10 -¹⁵ electronvolt-seconds).The word quantum refers to the smallest discrete unit of a physical quantity that can be exchanged or measured.Quantum science developed during the early 20th century.Pioneers such as Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, and Erwin Schrödinger developed theories explaining how energy and matter behave at atomic and subatomic scales.Medical applications of quantum mechanics include imaging such as ultrasound, magnetic resonance, and positron emission tomography; tissue imaging in microscopy, radiation therapy, and nuclear medicine; drug discovery; quantum communication and cybersecurity; education and public outreach, decision-making, and the development of new computational systems.In this review, we present an updated overview of quantum computing based on an extensive literature review using the databases PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus.
World Quantum Day is an international initiative dedicated to promoting public understanding of quantum science and technology.Celebrated annually on April 14, the date reflects the first three digits of Planck's constant (expressed as 4.14 × 10 -¹⁵ electronvolt-seconds).The word quantum refers to the smallest discrete unit of a physical quantity that can be exchanged or measured.Quantum science developed during the early 20th century.Pioneers such as Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, and Erwin Schrödinger developed theories explaining how energy and matter behave at atomic and subatomic scales.Medical applications of quantum mechanics include imaging such as ultrasound, magnetic resonance, and positron emission tomography; tissue imaging in microscopy, radiation therapy, and nuclear medicine; drug discovery; quantum communication and cybersecurity; education and public outreach, decision-making, and the development of new computational systems.In this review, we present an updated overview of quantum computing based on an extensive literature review using the databases PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus.
2025 is the year UNESCO selected to celebrate 100 years of this novel science, quantum mechanics, based on Heisenberg’s “uncertainty principle” discovery. However, quantum mechanics began with the discovery of quantum packets of energy emission formulated by the German physicist Max Planck, and it incorporated additional discoveries and principles from Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr, Heisenberg, Pauli, de Broglie, and many others in the early 1900s. Since then, many advancements and breakthroughs have been made. Such scientific contributions have influenced the culture and technology of humanity from the 20th century onwards, with the first quantum revolutions bringing innovations in technology and engineering, including the omnipresent light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation (Laser), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), microprocessor manufacturing and design for computers and nuclear energy. Thus, at the beginning of the Second Quantum Revolution in the 21st century, amid a new wave of novel quantum technologies promising to create the 5th Industrial Revolution and transform humanity, a brief history of these marvellous sciences is condensed, connecting the wonders of the new quantum technogenesis that is being forged, linking its past with classical mechanics and also with novel relativistic mechanics. Understanding these developments highlights the significance of quantum technologies shaping our future and what lies ahead for us. This article explores technologies that are presently under research and development (R&D) in the quantum physics realm, including quantum computing, quantum cryptography, quantum sensing and metrology, and quantum simulation. It also discusses emerging careers in the quantum field and the unresolved mysteries that continue to challenge scientists. The discussion follows the ancient griot tradition of storytelling, a method that the distinguished physicist, great professor, and Nobel laureate Richard Feynman encouraged us to use to explain complex scientific ideas.
You have probably heard of quantum computing or quantum in general; otherwise, you would not have bought this book. Quantum is a concept from the world of physics, where it goes by the name quantum mechanics. Its development started in the beginning of the 20th century by well-known physicists like Max Planck, Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Albert Einstein, Erwin Schrödinger, Richard Feynman, and many others. Quantum mechanics studies the behavior and properties of nature on an atomic scale. Thanks to the discoveries in the field of quantum mechanics, we can leverage these discoveries and create a new tenor in computer science.
Quantum physics joined the mainstream in the 1920s and 1930s with the general acceptance of the theories of Max Planck, Albert Einstein, Niels Bohr (1885-1962), Erwin Schrödinger (1887-1961), Werner Heisenberg (1901-1976), Paul Dirac (1902-1984), and many other established physicists. Quantum computing is based on quantum physics, with all of its special behaviors and unusual limits. Therefore, quantum computing deals with the behaviors of atomic and subatomic particles. These behaviors are irreducibly random and the measurement of particle characteristics simultaneously, such as position and momentum, to an arbitrary precision is impossible. That is, physical phenomena of small particles do not agree often with our classical intuition. The unusual behavior results from features of quantum mechanics called superposition and interference. In the early 1980s, Richard Feynman (1918-1988) noted that there seemed to be fundamental difficulties in simulating quantum mechanical systems on digital computers, and further suggested that having computers based on the principles of quantum mechanics would overcome those difficulties. Devices that perform quantum information processing are known as quantum computers.
On the occasion of World Quantum Day on April 14, 2025, we not only celebrate the centenary of the advent of quantum theory, but also look forward to its profound impact across disciplines. This day—symbolically named after Planck's constant (h≈4.14 × 10^-15 eV·s)—invites us to break down the traditional boundaries between physics and the social sciences. Quantum theory reveals the nature of probability fluctuations, particle entanglement, and the observer effect, completely overturning our existing understanding of reality. These core concepts are increasingly becoming metaphors and models for understanding complex social phenomena. From "quantum entanglement," which is an analogy for social connections, to the "uncertainty principle," which maps the uncertainty of decision-making, the quantum perspective has opened up new paths for analyzing collective behavior.
Quantum physics emerged from the failures of classical physics to explain many physical phenomena. Quantum physics has contributed immensely to science and underpinned modern technologies. The UN-designated International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (2025) recognizes the centenary of the birth of quantum mechanics as a complete theory and its profound contribution to the first quantum revolution, which has given us computers, mobile phones, lasers, GPS and MRI. Also a second quantum revolution is poised to provide unprecedented computing ability through quantum computers, secure communication with quantum cryptography and ultrasensitive quantum sensing devices for various diagnostic tools.
The United Nations General Assembly has officially designated 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ). This global initiative, supported by UNESCO and co-sponsored by several countries, marks the centenary of quantum sciences, which encompass quantum mechanics, quantum chemistry, and related fields. These disciplines serve as the foundation for fundamental research across the natural sciences. Quantum mechanics provides the theoretical framework for understanding matter and energy at the microscopic scale. While public celebrations of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology often showcase quantum technologies to engage a broader audience, it is crucial to remember that the emergence of quantum theory primarily represented a ground-breaking shift in the basic sciences. This article explores the complex relationship between quantum mechanics and concepts of traditional chemistry, particularly concerning the microscopic world of atoms and molecules. It highlights how quantum mechanics, a holistic and nonlocal theory, features concepts such as entanglement and the indistinguishability of components that challenge classical chemical notions of distinct interatomic interactions and well-defined molecular structures. While quantum mechanics excels at determining the overall stability and dynamics of the system, the article explains that quantum chemistry relies on the classical Born-Oppenheimer approximation to maintain the view of local interactions and identifiable atoms within a molecule. Then, the article discusses the historical development and limitations of transition state theory in explaining chemical reactions, highlighting chemistry’s specific focus on bond breaking and bond making as a fundamental explanatory principle.