Distributed by Films Media Group, 132 West 31st St., 17th Floor, New York, NY 10001; 800-257-5126Produced by Kate Dart & BBC FilmsDirected by Kate Dart2013, DVD, color, 50 min. Proceeding from the reality that codes and encryptions are at the heart of our computing, and so at the heart of our increasingly online society, this film showcases various scientists and mathematicians who are working to understand, break, or strengthen these codes – and sometimes trying to do all three at the same time. Starting with exploitations of cracks in software systems, first on the individual then the national scale, and then moving into exploring quantum mechanics, each of the people in this documentary act as brief guides to not only what is possible in cryptography, but how ongoing experimentation (both legal and illegal) is pushing the boundaries of how codes can be hacked, and how better codes can be created. The structure of the documentary benefits from being straightforward, starting with simple codes and hacks, then progressing towards more complexity and science-based cryptography in the middle, and ending with the applications of all these methods in the criminal, then geopolitical world. Each featured interviewee gets 7-8 minutes to tell their story. Some are personal, like the journalist who works for Wired magazine and got his online life hacked and deleted, while others are mostly theoretical, like the head of a lab at MIT who can prove mathematically how to keep a code’s key secret by encoding it onto photons and comparing those photons pre- and post-transmission. Some stories are a mix of both, like the mathematician at UC-Berkeley whose dissertation was to both postulate and then to build a “basic” working quantum computer. The filmmakers have done a good job selecting interesting stories within all these types to present. While the interviewees and their stories are the stars of this film, the effects occasionally threaten to overshadow them. The effects budget must have been significant, as throughout the documentary many effects shots (most of them effective but some of them quite corny) visualize or elaborate the micro-level electric or quantum events “happening” around these computations. It makes for a slick production that high school and college students may enjoy, but except in cases where the visualizations are the most effective way to understand a concept (e.g. the encoded photons) it doesn’t add all that much to the overall film. Still, for a brief spin through the world of online cryptography, this documentary keeps its high-level concepts grounded and explained very well for a general, non-scientist audience.
Distributed by Films Media Group, 132 West 31st St., 17th Floor, New York, NY 10001; 800-257-5126Produced by Kate Dart & BBC FilmsDirected by Kate Dart2013, DVD, color, 50 min. Proceeding from the reality that codes and encryptions are at the heart of our computing, and so at the heart of our increasingly online society, this film showcases various scientists and mathematicians who are working to understand, break, or strengthen these codes – and sometimes trying to do all three at the same time. Starting with exploitations of cracks in software systems, first on the individual then the national scale, and then moving into exploring quantum mechanics, each of the people in this documentary act as brief guides to not only what is possible in cryptography, but how ongoing experimentation (both legal and illegal) is pushing the boundaries of how codes can be hacked, and how better codes can be created. The structure of the documentary benefits from being straightforward, starting with simple codes and hacks, then progressing towards more complexity and science-based cryptography in the middle, and ending with the applications of all these methods in the criminal, then geopolitical world. Each featured interviewee gets 7-8 minutes to tell their story. Some are personal, like the journalist who works for Wired magazine and got his online life hacked and deleted, while others are mostly theoretical, like the head of a lab at MIT who can prove mathematically how to keep a code’s key secret by encoding it onto photons and comparing those photons pre- and post-transmission. Some stories are a mix of both, like the mathematician at UC-Berkeley whose dissertation was to both postulate and then to build a “basic” working quantum computer. The filmmakers have done a good job selecting interesting stories within all these types to present. While the interviewees and their stories are the stars of this film, the effects occasionally threaten to overshadow them. The effects budget must have been significant, as throughout the documentary many effects shots (most of them effective but some of them quite corny) visualize or elaborate the micro-level electric or quantum events “happening” around these computations. It makes for a slick production that high school and college students may enjoy, but except in cases where the visualizations are the most effective way to understand a concept (e.g. the encoded photons) it doesn’t add all that much to the overall film. Still, for a brief spin through the world of online cryptography, this documentary keeps its high-level concepts grounded and explained very well for a general, non-scientist audience.
Distributed by Films Media Group, PO Box 2053, Princeton, New Jersey 08543-2053; 800-257-5126Produced by Derek Diorio/Electric SkyDirected by Chris Mullington2009, DVD, color, 52 min. This video attempts to provide a complete and popular (i.e. non-mathematical) survey of quantum physics from Schrödinger to the present day including quantum computation, wave/particle duality, entanglement, superposition, the EPR Paradox, Schrödinger’s Cat, the double slit experiment, and the “noisy observer effect”, all in 52 minutes. And that is precisely the problem. As the DVD case notes state, these topics “flash by like mile markers on this high-speed journey to the realm of quantum teleportation, quantum cryptography, and quantum computing.” Unfortunately, the mile markers are flashing by too quickly for anyone not already familiar with these advanced and often puzzling principles and will be oversimplified for anyone who is conversant with quantum theories. Hence, it is difficult to establish an audience for this video. There is a dizzying array of 18 quantum scientists narrating the video, making it difficult to concentrate on what they are saying, especially since most of them seem intent on speaking as fast as possible. The first three quarters of the video uses rapid cuts and dazzling graphics to the point that it seemed more like a music video than an instructional one. This reviewer is sympathetic to attempts to appeal to student culture, but the extremely fast cuts were unwatchable and incomprehensible at times. A great deal of effort was spent in developing some truly clever illustrations of these principles, using both live action and animation. If each mini-segment could have been slowed down to half its speed and expanded to provide a more thorough explanation, then each segment on its own could have been excellent. Just from the credits at the end of the video, a large production team clearly spent a lot of time making the video. Ironically, the best segment of the entire video is at the very end where it slows down significantly and focuses on quantum computing and its possible applications that could transform our science and our society. Instructors interested in a good, simple introduction to quantum computing might want to preview this last portion to see if it would be suitable for their needs. Public performance rights are included.
A product is on the way that relies on the quantum properties of photons to keep out eavesdroppers. All of them. The battle between codemakers and codebreakers is centuries old, but at the start of the 21st century, could it finally be drawing to a close? Physicists are putting the finishing touches to a method of encrypting messages that is more secure than anything that has gone before. Unlike the ciphers of the past, this new method has the potential to be absolutely unbreakable, not just practically unbreakable, but theoretically unbreakable. Mathematicians believe they can prove it. Central to the technique are the strange laws of quantum mechanics. Already experimental messages encrypted using quantum mechanics are being sent over tens of kilometers of optical fibers and received securely. Researchers are confident that it will not be long before ultra-secret messages are routinely transmitted in this way. But while quantum cryptography may be perfect in theory, practical considerations introduce security loopholes that an eavesdropper can exploit. The seriousness of these is still unclear, and physicists believe they can plug most of the holes with more efficient equipment. Still, enough cracks remain to maintain a healthy interest among cryptographers.
A concise, no-frills introduction to quantum computation and quantum cryptography for non-experts. Rather than concentrating on stories about scientists and philosophical concepts, Quantum Bits and Quantum Secrets: How Quantum Physics is revolutionizing Codes and Computers provides a step-by-step approach to quantum information. Starting from the idea of quantum cryptography, it presents the basic principles of quantum mechanics and explains how this can be used to make cryptography absolutely secure against eavesdropping. Subsequently, the most important quantum algorithms are explained and technical problems in realizing quantum computers are discussed, followed by a presentation of recent experimentssome of which are found here in a textbook for the first time. Easily accessible for undergraduates and graduatesespecially those studying subjects other than physicswho need an introduction to this rapidly developing topic.
Distributed by Films Media Group, 132 West 31st St., 17th Floor, New York, NY 10001; 800-257-5126Produced by Sabrina Maniscalco, Marco TumbioloDirected by Marco Tumbiolo2012, DVD, color, 41 min. Quantum theory is one of the crowning achievements of twentieth century physics, but it's also one of the least understandable to the layperson. Unfortunately, this film requires repeated viewings for the viewer to glean any understanding of light or quantum physics. A team of European researchers, including the 2012 winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics, is introduced one at a time over heroic music that would not be out of place in a blockbuster superhero movie. Since most scientists are not native English speakers, the subtitles are essential. These scientists are enthusiastic about their work, and they thoughtfully gaze at and show off equipment in their laboratories. What is the goal of all this activity and what does the behavior they observe tell us about the universe? Fragments of research are described, but no systematic connection is drawn among them nor is there an explanation of how it supports quantum physics. Prof. Serge Haroche, co-winner of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics, talks about his work studying the interaction of matter and light. His interview from 26:36 to 31:07 is the most illuminating segment, with background and history missing in most of the film. In other sections, counterintuitive quantum phenomena are described, e.g., a light can be on and off simultaneously or an atom can go right and left at the same time, without further explanation. In the new field of quantum computing a bit can be zero and one simultaneously, but why is this useful? The phenomenon of entanglement appears halfway through the film with only a little discussion of what it is and why it's important to these researchers. There is a great deal of lovely classical music as we hear at different times strings, a piano, a sublime vocal duet from the opera Lakme, and Papageno and Papagena from The Magic Flute. In one sequence, a photon is pronounced dead, and we hear part of Mozart's Requiem Mass. There are many lovely visual sequences, but they don't always relate to what is being described. The film was sponsored by the Finnish Cultural Foundation Science Workshop on Entanglement. According to the director's web site, "The documentary tells one of the mysteries that have fascinated humanity since the beginning, that is the nature of light." The film little more than whets the viewer's appetite for more explanation and context.
Distributed by Films for the Humanities & Sciences, PO Box 2053, Princeton, NJ 08543-2053; 800-257-5126Produced by Candace Cameron, Shauna Jetty, Toni SherwoodDirected by Toni Sherwood2001, VHS, color, 53 min. This involving documentary presents a postdoctoral physics student’s attempt to measure heat flow at a quantum level. If successful, the experiment is a small step on the path to quantum computing. Keith Schwab’s three years of checking and rechecking results, and evaluating intermediate failures ends successfully. Tight interviews with Schwab, his advisors at Berkeley and Caltech, and fellow graduate students are honest and forthright. All freely express doubts, professional criticism and fear of failure. Their insight into what it takes to succeed is as important to the film's success as the actual experiment. The film also captures the elegance of pure science and satisfaction of carrying a project through to completion. Schwab accurately compares designing his experimental heat-conducting sample to creating a work of art. Unfortunately, the film is somewhat weakened by Schwab’s reality-television style confessional monologues about his failed marriage. The filmmakers obviously wanted to add drama by depicting the project’s pressures on the participants’ personal lives. These forced scenes cheapen an otherwise honest and compelling effort. The filmmakers do well on an obviously tight budget. Opening footage of Schwab quietly connecting his sample to the refrigerator help establish the theme of scientist as artist. Editing is crisp and clean. Cutting between Schwab’s initial failures in the lab and his participation in a shooting competition nicely portrays his tension and frustration. The Uncertainty Principle would make an interesting addition to a career resources collection for students considering advanced degrees in the sciences, and also a general undergraduate science collection.