Academician Guo Guangcan: Poor publicity and exaggeration of hype, causing strange talks in the quantum world

Author:Scientific network Time:2022.06.16

Text | Guo Guangcan (Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Editor

"In trouble, quantum mechanics." In recent years, the word "quantum" has become mysterious and "magical power", and everything is available. What changes can quantum mechanics bring to human life? What revolution can it bring to human science? This urgently requires professionals in the field of quantum technology to see the clouds.

Guo Guangcan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is the pioneer of quantum science research in my country. He promoted the development of quantum optics in my country, and he took the lead in conducting research when quantum information was still in the budding period and cultivated the team. In his long -term research and exploration, he also personally committed the science of quantum information knowledge and struggled with exaggerated unreasonable publicity. After hearing a lot of strange talk about quantum, Guo Guangcan chose to stand up and speak.

Guo Guangcan

I began to be committed to quantum optical research in the early 1980s, and in the early 1990s, it expanded to the field of quantum information that had just sprouted. At that time, the domestic academic community's research on the field of quantum information was quite cold. The people even regarded quantum mechanics as the holy relics that were high in the academic hall, and stayed away.

In recent years, with the rapid development of quantum informatics and the vigorous publicity of the media, "quantum" has become a topic of people. People even portray the "quantum phenomenon" mysterious, as if everything that is difficult to solve in the world can be attributed to "quantum entanglement".

In particular, individual scholars' false exaggerations, and the continuous hype of some media have caused the currently strange talk about the "quantum world", which has aroused fierce debate from all walks of life.

What true and useful technology can quantum mechanics provide human beings? Which of the current propaganda quantum phenomena is scientific prediction and which are the nothingness of nothing people fabricated? Under the urging of friends in the academic world, I brought various discussions into ten issues, talked about personal opinions, and formed the "Quantum Ten Questions" online popular science articles. Later, these articles were published in the "Physics" publications sponsored by the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Institute of Physics and the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Those who are interested can read it.

The birth of quantum information marks that human society will move from classic technology to a new era of quantum technology, commonly known as "second quantum revolution".

In the first quantum revolution, human beings developed computers, the Internet, etc. based on the principles of quantum mechanics, and promoted the prosperity of human society for half a century. Modern information technology is a classic technology of quantum mechanics.

The second quantum revolution will open up quantum -based quantum technology for human beings. Its performance breaks through the physical limit of classic technologies, and promotes information technology to a new stage of development, which will definitely prompt human society to change dramatically.

However, quantum information is by no means universal. In order to avoid misleading, I answered two issues that are common and more "shocking" about quantum technology here.

Guo Guangcan

The first question is to use quantum technology to transmit people instantly to other planets (or anywhere) in science fiction movies?

This involves the theory of "full -free quantum invisibility", which is not described here. The answer to this question is that the idea of invisible macro -objects is not only facing difficulty in being able to reach in theory, but also in theory that there are only unclear places. What's more serious, people are not only macro -objects, but also living creatures. Can life and emotions be described in "quantum state"? The answer so far is negative.

Take a step back, even if it can realize the invisible transmission of macro objects (not), at best, it can only transmit non -life objects such as Monai, and the quantum world will never allow any information to transmit any information. It is just a myth that wants to transfer people to other planets instantly.

The second question, is the quantum password really safe?

There is no absolute thing, and so is the quantum password. Earlier, physicists proposed a number of quantum password agreements (such as BB84), and from information theory to prove that such protocols were absolutely safe, inspiring many scientists to join the "quantum password" research ranks.

But people quickly discovered that any real physical system could not meet the ideal conditions required by the quantum password protocol. There are various physical loopholes, so that the actual quantum password system developed cannot reach "absolute security", and it can only be "relatively safe".

Although, you can work hard to block all kinds of physical loopholes, and even propose new password protocols with stronger security (such as "equipment irrelevant quantum password protocol", etc., but in the end Absolutely "safe.

However, this relatively secure quantum password is also actual available. Because as long as the real quantum password system can be verified to resist the current attacks, it can be determined that this type of quantum password is safe and can be used for reality. However, it should be pointed out that in the era of quantum technology, there is no absolute security confidentiality system, and there is no indestructible deciphering method. Information security offensive and defensive will enter a new stage of "quantum confrontation".

The above two issues also show that the quantum world is indeed amazing and mysterious, but it is not a panacea.

Quantum technology should not become a "monster basket" because of its wonderfulness. My suggestion is that if you are really interested in quantum science, it is best to read related scientific readings, and you should not talk about it.

Especially young people. Quantum information technology is a new technology for human society in the future. Therefore, in order to welcome the advent of the new era of human society, it is necessary to popularize the basic knowledge of quantum mechanics and quantum informatics in the younger generation -I think that even if you do not engage in quantum technology related in the future As a citizen of the new era, it must also have the basic knowledge of quantum mechanics. Of course, if you are interested in research on quantum information technology, you must further practice related courses for quantum mechanics and quantum informatics.

This article is selected from Academician Guo Guangcan's new book "Subvert -Welcome to the Second Quantum Revolution", which was published by my authorization and review. ("China Newspaper" reporter Zhao Guangli comprehensively organized)

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