What is the quantum environment?

xmo1 · Mar 16, 2005

When physicists talk about quantum information, quantum computing, or quantum systems, what is included in the word quantum, and what typifies the relationships of those components that would lead to an information field or quantum system? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> DenniSys.com </div>

Saiph · Mar 16, 2005

scales equal to, or less than, the size of an atom are usually involved. Particles and behaviors with quantized energy states (distinct states with no "in between" states allowed) as opposed to continous states of "classical and relativistic" regimes. Information is merely the existence of a particle in one state or another. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> --------------------SaiphMOD@gmail.com -------------------"This is my Timey Wimey Detector. Goes "bing" when there's stuff. It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually. I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

newtonian · Mar 17, 2005

xmo1 - Like a quantum computer? I am not sure what an information field is, and I am not familiar with Saiph's definition. Information storage requires aperiodic sequences, to be distinguished from periodic sequences - i.e. non-repeating vs. repeating. For example, a crystal is periodic, while DNA in contrast , is aperiodic. Quantum systems can be aperiodic - even standard computers use aperiodic sequences. There is quantum theory, and there are certain things which are proven and used - other things are still theory. Examples of quantum states are the spin and charge of quarks. I would have to research quantum computers to respond on that - I know much research has been done in that field - including models similar to DNA.

newtonian · Mar 17, 2005

xmo1 - Here is a little on quantum computers, from the 1999 Britannica volume Science and the future, pp. 363-364 In addition to the creation of a quantum scale version of a logic gate, scientists had just created the first primitive quantum computer. It used the amino acid alanine and the nuclear magnetic properties, which involve quantum states. ?A quantum property called spin describes how a nucleus responds to an external magnetic field. In the researcher?s experiment, one in every million nuclei in the alanine liquid entered a spin state in which its internal magnet was aligned with that of the outside field. Subsequent radio pulses then carried out calculations by exploiting the fact that the spin of a particular nucleus could affect the spin of a different nucleus in the same molecule or in a neighboring one. In all there were as many as four distinct spins in the molecule that thet researchers could control with radio pulses of different frequencies.? - p. 364 The radio frequencies were manipulating quantized spins in carbon atoms in alanine. More complex molecules, like DNA, would allow more complex quantum computing. It also allows superposition, like having both a 0 and a 1 at the same time in a computer. Problems included the instability of superposition, increased by attempted retrieval of information, and the uncertainty principle. I will research further for more up to date info.

xmo1 · Mar 17, 2005

"Physics of the very small" is how someone described quantum mechanics. Is there a difference between particle physics and quantum physics, or are they the same subject? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> DenniSys.com </div>

Saiph · Mar 17, 2005

particle physics is a subset of quantum physics. It also has a dose of nuclear physics in it as well. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> --------------------SaiphMOD@gmail.com -------------------"This is my Timey Wimey Detector. Goes "bing" when there's stuff. It also fries eggs at 30 paces, wether you want it to or not actually. I've learned to stay away from hens: It's not pretty when they blow" -- The Tenth Doctor, "Blink" </div>

xmo1 · Mar 18, 2005

Thank you Saiph and Newtonian. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> DenniSys.com </div>

nexium · Mar 18, 2005

For many who use the terms, they are little more than buzz words which have rather indistinct meaning. Just because humans have had big computing success with binary, we should not assume nature does most things in binary rather than octal or some other base. Neil

newtonian · Mar 20, 2005

ranur - Hi! How are you? I am the former paulharth6, btw. There is a problem on this thread with defining information. Note Shannon's theory for some concrete idea of a definition that fits the original question which relates to utilizing quantum fields in computing, i.e. quantum computers. See my next post for more information on information!

newtonian · Mar 20, 2005

xmo! - Your welcome so far. There is much more - it is a rapidly changing field of science. The following is gleaned from a recent Scientific American artilce: Scientific American, 11/02, pp. 67-75, article entitled "Rules for a Complex Quantum World," by Michael A. Nielsen. In addition to superposition, which I already posted on, there is also entanglement. "Quantum information science has revealed that entanglement is a quantifiable physical resource, like energy, that enables information-processing tasks: some systems have a little entanglement; others have a lot. The more entanglement available, the better suited a system is to quantum information processing. Furthermore, researchers have begun to develop powerful quantitative laws of entanglement (analogous to the laws of thermodynamics governing energy), which provide a set of high-level principles for understanding the behavior of entanglement and describing how we can use it to do information processing." - Sciam, 11/02, p. 68. To review my former post, remember that quantum superposition allows not only the 0 or 1 in classical binary computing, but also superpositions involving both 0 and 1! In contrast to classical computing (i.e. as in present common computers) which use the bit for information, quantum computing uses the qubit or quantum bit. Qubits can not only have superposition but also have entanglement. It used to be thought that quantum particles could either be entangled or not - but it is now known that it is far more complex than that. There can be various degrees of entanglement between no entanglement and 100% entanglement. A rather amazing, to me, thing is how "simple rules can give rise to very rich behavior." (Ibid., p. 68). In fact, it testifies to the intelligence of the creator of the laws governing our universe - from the very large to, in this case, the very small. Scientists

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