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The quantum world is one of mystery, perhaps best summed up by Albert Einstein who said quantum entanglement was spooky action at a distance. Some of the greatest physics experiments in history have shown us that our common sense physical laws may not quite apply in the quantum realm.

To better understand the workings of the quantum realm, we need to go back to quantums roots, which can be traced to Isaac Newton in the 17th century.

Newtons seminal Principia Mathematica laid the foundation for classical mechanics and the understanding of the physical world. He believed that white light was composed of a stream of colored particles. But that did not explain how it could be reflected and refracted.

Around the same time, Dutch scientist Christiaan Huygens developed the wave theory of light, which did explain these phenomena. Some 100 years later, British polymath Thomas Young also challenged Newtons theory of light, with his famous double-slit experiment. As we now understand it, light behaves like a wave and like a particle. The wave-particle duality of light was affirmed by Albert Einstein in his singular paper on the photoelectric effect that won him the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics.

Meanwhile, Austrian physicist Erwin Schrodingers wave equation expressed the possible position of electrons mathematically.He explained that while we may not know the exact location of an electron, it is still possible to know the probability of its location. Schrodinger laid the foundation for quantum mechanics and played a crucial role in the development of the quantum computer.

In classical computing, bits, which are the basic unit of data, are expressed in either zeros or ones. By contrast, quantum computers use quantum bits or qubits, which consist of both zeros and ones at the same time. This characteristic of being in multiple states simultaneously, also known as superposition, is one of the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics.

Unlike classical computers that can take years to solve complex problems, quantum computers leverage the laws of quantum mechanics to make calculations and solve equations in seconds. The ability to process massive amounts of data at super speed allows quantum computers to manage highly challenging tasks such as optimization problems, data analysis, and simulations.

With their ability to tackle complex problems that were challenging for classical computers, it was only a matter of time that quantum computers disrupted the world.

About a decade ago, there were only a handful of quantum computers around the world. In 2018, this number jumped to over 100. According to a recent report by McKinsey, in 2022, investors poured USD 2.35 billion into quantum technology start-ups, which include companies in quantum computing, communications, and sensing.

One of the early applications of quantum technology was in the development of quantum sensors. The objective was to solve GPS issues such as inaccuracy, a lack of local knowledge, loss of signal, and even jamming. Quantum navigation systems can enhance navigation accuracy in challenging environments. Quantum sensors are also used for bioimaging purposes in the healthcare industry.

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Quantum computing, and why you need to care - I by IMD - I by IMD