“There are many challenges humanity is facing right now. Let’s just think about the pandemic. Many of us are eagerly awaiting the vaccine – it is in development, but it will take some time. Perhaps, if we had more technologies available, we could speed up development. But beyond that, there are other challenges today and there will be even more in the future. “ And one of the possible ways to addressing these challenges is the use of quantum computers , whose fields of application range from chemistry to pharmacology, from physics to cryptography, passing through many other sectors that have a direct and real impact on the lives of all of us. Many examples were presented in a conference that IBM organized to show how quantum computers are already changing many research realities .

Quantum computers as simulators of nature to understand the Universe

The speech given at the beginning of the article is by Heike Riel , lead researcher of IBM Research Quantum for Europe and Africa.His perspective is not only technical, but an that’s very practical: Riel gives many examples of technologies that are made possible by quantum computers.

“Among the challenges that await us are the search for more efficient nitrogen fixation processes to create ammonia-based fertilizers, new catalysts to convert CO2 into hydrocarbons in an efficient and targeted way, new electrolytes for lithium-air batteries that can withstand the thousands of charging cycles required for the aviation sector, or new classes of antibiotics to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria “, Heike Riel says. “To find solutions to these problems we have to simulate the processes of nature, but this is very difficult on traditional computers because nature is quantum. “

The first idea was Richard Feynman in 1981: “I’m not happy with the analyzes that only use classical theory, because nature is not classical, damn it, and if you want to do a simulation of nature, you better face it quantum. “

The problem lies in the complexity of the calculations to be performed to simulate even relatively simple molecules: “calculating the properties of small molecules such as caffeine is impossible with the classical computers of today, but it will also be with the classical computers of tomorrow. Quantum computers are needed to tackle these problems. “ Riel continues: “These computers can seem strange, but they are no longer an element of the imagination: however small they are, they are real, they are here among us. And these early computers were instrumental in developing the first algorithms, driving research and development, and attracting capable new talent to this industry to apply quantum computers to real, impactful problems. “

SPDO / TDP / DRAO / Swinburne Astronomy Productions – SKA Project Development Office and Swinburne Astronomy Productions

A practical example of the use of quantum computers is that of the Square Kilometer Array , the largest and most sensitive radio telescope in the world, currently under construction in Australia and South Africa. The project will generate enormous amounts of data when complete: it is estimated that 1 exabyte, or one million, will be produced every day of terabytes. “A few years f The Netherlands and IBM have joined forces to address this great challenge of processing the large amount of data generated by the Square Kilometer Array. Together with the Dutch Institute of Radio Astronomy, Astron, we have developed new technologies for radio astronomy. “

However, the world of astronomy is constantly evolving: “now we have started a collaboration with ‘University of Maastricht to support the exploration of the Universe with the Einstein telescope, which will be aided by quantum computers “, concludes Riel .

Benno Broer , CEO and founder of Qu & Co , confirms what Feynman had predicted: “chemistry is quantum and to predict the properties of molecules and materials it is necessary to simulate the dynamics of the electrons that define these properties and this can be done carefully only taking into account the inherently quantum nature of these objects. But these simulations are quite heavy on traditional computers and that means that many important properties are beyond the reach of today’s computers. “

On the other hand, however, quantum computers operate at the same level and the hope is therefore to shorten the computation times to a level that can perform the simulations in the real world and in such a way as to make them useful for the development of new molecules and new materials .

In search of gravitational waves with quantum computers

Gideon Koekoek , assistant professor at Maastricht University, explains how he is using quantum computers to detect gravitational waves : “what we discovered a few years ago is that Einstein he was right: the collision of black holes and neutron stars produces gravitational waves that travel through time and space and that we can now measure. But the equations we have to solve are extremely difficult, just as it is difficult to find them in the data we collect. “

To better identify them, the Einstein telescope is under construction , a much more sensitive detector than those currently available to the scientific community. The hope is to obtain more data and, therefore, to be able to better understand how these cosmic phenomena occur.

Finding collisions, however, is an undertaking that recalls the proverbial search for the needle in a haystack. “ If you have two black holes colliding, what might gravitational waves look like? They are described by an equation, but then you have to find it in the data. To do this we use a technique called matched filtering : all possible combinations of mass, rotational speed and all other properties are tried and attempts are made hoping to find a match. But this method is very expensive: it takes a long time to find the waves in the data. And the situation will get worse with the arrival of new instruments: next generation telescopes will be several hundred times more sensitive than we have now. “

The impact of the arrival of new telescopes on the amount of data available is tangible: “the result is that you now calculate take a couple of months will take hundreds if not thousands of years [con i computer tradizionali]. The problem we hope to solve with IBM’s quantum computers is this: how can we speed up the search for gravitational waves in this huge amount of data that we expect to have between 15 years, when will the Einstein telescope go into operation? “

The horizon seems distant, because fifteen years is a long time, but it is closer than you think: the problem is to be ready when the telescope starts working , so that you can use it right away. data analysis requires years of work to be developed and must often anticipate the evolution of the hardware on which they will have to be performed.

Alberto Di Meglio, head of ‘Quantum Computers Initiative of CERN, recalls how scientific research is a multi-generational effort that must guard are to the future: “CERN must look to the next twenty, thirty, forty years . We need to start creating knowledge for the next generation of researchers now, so that they can use these tools in the future. “ Di Meglio sta coordinating research efforts for the use of quantum computers in high particle physics: states that CERN is currently using them to work on the Higgs boson.

Riel also adds an interesting point of view regarding corporate research: “in principle, problems can also be solved with a blackboard and a piece of chalk, but having the quantum hardware working makes a big difference because you can run tests on the algorithms and notice, for example, that there are problems because you have not taken into account the errors present in the system. At the moment the solutions that can be found are mostly those of the models, but once you know the algorithms you have an advantage for the future , you are ahead of the competition. You have the knowledge to understand for which problems the algorithms found can be applied, you know which problems are most critical and for which quantum computers can be used, because they cannot be used for all problems. Starting now means having a big advantage in terms of know how .”

For how distant problems may seem and with a limited impact on our daily lives, it is good to remember that these researches are of particular importance because they allow to develop methods and technologies that are also useful in other fields : the technologies developed to analyze some photographs taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, for example, have proved to be useful for analyzing mammograms and identifying tumors in stages precocious, so as to save many lives.

And the sper even with quantum computers is that they can accelerate the discovery of new materials and that can lead to the development of new data analysis techniques that have a real and tangible impact on our lives: drugs that cure better and with fewer side effects, batteries for means more capacious and less polluting electric plants to produce, more effective fertilizers and with less heavy effects on the environment. At the moment we are talking about hopes but, as Riel said, the foundations of the future are now being laid: it is good that they are solid, so that they can help us overcome the great challenges that await us.