(PhysicsWorld) Until quite recently there has been a notable absence of mass-produced consumer technology based on uniquely quantum effects. The “first generation” technologies do not directly harness uniquely quantum phenomena such as superposition, uncertainty or entanglement within individual quantum states to perform a task or achieve a result. Such effects lie, instead, in the realm of so-called “second generation” quantum technologies.
Now, a second generation of quantum devices is beginning to move out of physics labs and into the marketplace. This second generation promises to take us into a new era far beyond today’s familiar digital technology landscape.
This is the qubit, the quantum analogue of the digital bit, and if its counter-intuitive properties can be harnessed, the results will lead to advances in varied technologies.
Patent attorney Andrew Fearnside offers a tour with comprehensive explanation through the developing commercial landscape for quantum technologies:
–Time-keeping
–Sensing and measurement
–Imaging
–Secure communications
–Computing and artificial intelligence
The Commercial Landscape for Quantum Technologies
