EXPLORING THE UNKNOWN:QUANTUM COMPUTING FOR THE CURIOUS MIND

By: Aly Diana

Full comic can be accessed on https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/the-talk-3

Anything quantum scares me—like, totally scares me. But lately, I’ve decided that it’s time to explore things that scare me and try to understand them, hoping they become less terrifying. Spoiler alert: it doesn’t make things any less scary. Instead, it turns into this wild ride of “scary but interesting.” So here I am, sharing what I’ve learned so far.

Let’s look closer of the important concepts: super-position, entanglement, and decoherence.

Superposition means that a quantum bit (qubit) can exist in multiple states simultaneously. In classical computing, a bit can only be 0 or 1. A qubit, however, can be both 0 and 1 at the same time, like a spinning coin that’s neither heads nor tails but something in between. This enables quantum computers to perform many calculations simultaneously, making them incredibly powerful problem solvers. Entanglement means when two qubits become entangled, the state of one qubit directly affects the state of the other—even if they are miles apart. Imagine two synchronized clocks where changing the time on one instantaneously changes the time on the other, no matter the distance between them. This property allows quantum computers to process complex interconnected data with unparalleled efficiency. But there’s a major challenge: decoherence. Qubits are extremely sensitive to environmental disturbances like temperature changes or electromagnetic noise. Just as a spinning top wobbles and falls when bumped, qubits lose their quantum state when affected by external factors. Preventing decoherence is essential for ensuring accurate and reliable computations in quantum systems, and researchers are hard at work developing solutions to stabilize qubits.

Despite the challenges, quantum computing holds immense potential to transform healthcare in amazing ways:

  1. Drug Discovery: Quantum computers can model complex molecular interactions far better than classical computers, speeding up the search for new medications for conditions like cancer and Alzheimer’s.
  2. Personalized Medicine: Because everyone’s genes affect how they respond to treatments, analyzing massive amounts of genetic data quickly is crucial. Quantum systems can identi-fy patterns that help doctors tailor treatments to individual patients.
  3. Advanced Diagnostics: Quantum-enhanced machine learning can sift through complex medical imaging data, such as MRI scans, to detect subtle early signs of diseases that might be missed by conventional analysis.
  4. Optimizing Clinical Trials: Clinical trials are a complicated puzzle of patient demographics, genetic variations, and treatment protocols. Quantum algorithms can optimize these fac-tors simultaneously, making trials more efficient and increasing their chances of success.

Quantum computing holds so many promises for the future. As researchers keep finding ways to stabilize qubits and fight decoherence, we’re moving closer to a future where medicine becomes faster, smarter, and more personalized. Exploring quantum concepts might still scare me—but it’s the exciting kind of scary. And who knows? Maybe diving into the things that intimidate us the most is how we discover the most fascinating breakthroughs.

References

  • Chow JCL. Quantum Computing in Medicine. Med Sci (Basel). 2024 Nov 17;12(4):67.
  • Durant TJS, Knight E, Nelson B, Dudgeon S, Lee SJ, Wal-liman D, Young HP, Ohno-Machado L, Schulz WL. A primer for quantum computing and its applications to healthcare and biomedical research. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2024 Aug 1;31(8):1774–1784.
  • Gamble S. Quantum Computing: What It Is, Why We Want It, and How We’re Trying to Get It. In: National Academy of Engineering. Frontiers of Engineering: Reports on Leading-Edge Engineering from the 2018 Symposium. Washington (DC): National Academies Press (US); 2019 Jan 28.
  • Jeyaraman N, Jeyaraman M, Yadav S, Ramasubramanian S, Balaji S. Revolutionizing Healthcare: The Emerging Role of Quantum Computing in Enhancing Medical Technology and Treatment. Cureus. 2024 Aug 22;16(8):e67486.
  • PhDComics. The Most Awesome Animation About Quantum Computers You Will Ever See [Internet]. 2013 Aug 22 [cited Year Month Day]. Available from: https://quantumfrontiers.com/2013/08/22/the-most-awesome-animation-about-quantum-computers-you-will-ever-see/

Leave a reply