Three scientists who set the basis for comprehending quantum particles' strange "entangling" behavior have been awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics. Alain Aspect of France, Anton Zeilinger of Austria, and John Clauser of the United States were recognized for their research on the nature of entangled quantum particles. Such particles behave as a single unit even though they are far apart, defying the logic of our ordinary world. Engineers are actively working on leveraging this strange behavior in a variety of innovative technologies, such as quantum computing and quantum cryptography, a potentially unbreakable method of secure information coding.
The origins of quantum theory may be traced back to the renowned scientists of the early twentieth century, such as Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr. However, the three recent Nobel Prize laureates reflect a generation that bridged the gap between theory and real experiments and applications.
In a news conference on Tuesday (Oct.4), Eva Olsson, a member of the Nobel Committee for Physics, said, "Quantum information science is a vibrant and rapidly developing field." It offers a wide range of possible applications, including secure data transport, quantum computing, and sensing technologies. This year's Nobel Prize in Physics recognizes the seminal work and research of the key people who took on the issues and tackled them in laboratories.
Quantum cryptography is one of the most established uses of quantum technology, taking advantage of the fact that changes to one particle in an entangled system influence the other. Secret message encryption keys can therefore be embedded into the quantum states of such particles. These keys may be safely shared between the parties involved in the communication process since any interception of the secret keys by a third party would modify the quantum state of the particles and render the keys invalid. China performed quantum key distribution through satellites for the first time in 2016 as part of its Quantum Experiments at Space Scale program. Since then, countries all around the world have begun to create comparable technology.
The emerging discipline of quantum computing is perhaps the most high-profile application of entangled quantum particles. Quantum computers encode information into quantum states of particles, which can result in massive increases in information processing speed. Scientists predict that once operational, quantum computers would speed up medicine research, and material science, and enhance climate change modeling and weather forecasting, among other things.
According to Anders Irbäck, chair of the Nobel Committee for Physics, it is becoming increasingly evident that a new type of quantum technology is emerging. We can see that the laureates' work with entangled states is extremely important, even beyond the fundamental problems of quantum mechanics interpretation.
According to Penelope Lewis, a chief publishing officer of the American Institute of Science publishing department, "this prize demonstrates the fundamental beauty of physics." Aspect, Clauser, and Zeilinger's pioneering discoveries in quantum entanglement propelled quantum mechanics from its philosophical roots nearly a century ago to the current day. Their experiments paved the way for extraordinary discoveries in quantum computing and encryption, technologies that have the potential to change the world.