Many Scientists Believe Quantum Will Enjoy Its First Real Commercial Success in Sensing
(AnalyticsInsight) Many scientists believe that quantum will enjoy its first real commercial success in sensing. That’s because sensing can avail the very characteristic that makes building a quantum computer so difficult-the extraordinary sensitivity of quantum states to the environment.
The potential impact of quantum sensors is broad and considerable, from ultra-high-precision microscopy, positioning systems, clocks, gravitational, electrical, and magnetic field sensors to an optical resolution beyond the wavelength limit.
Whether they respond to the gravitational pull of buried objects or picking up magnetic fields from the human brain, quantum sensors can recognize a wide range of tiny signals across the world. Some physicists believe that gravity-measuring quantum sensors, in particular, will become widespread quickly.
The gravitational-wave observatory Ligo is now implementing squeezed quantum states in its next generation of detectors. The quantum enhancement will allow for observation of gravitational waves originating from sources at ten times longer distances than before.
Quantum sensors are also predicted to enable detailed mapping of the underground, autonomous driving, medical progress, brain-machine interfaces, detection of minor traces of explosives and poisons, and improved imaging technologies both at short and long distances.
Quantum sensors utilize quantum states for measurements. They capitalize on the fact that quantum states are susceptible to disturbances meaning they also can become vulnerable to measuring instruments.
Measurement devices that exploit quantum properties have been around for a while. What can now be considered new is that individual quantum systems, like atoms and photons, are increasingly used as measurement probes. The entanglement and manipulation of quantum states are used to improve the sensitivity, even beyond the limit set by a conventional formulation of the quantum mechanical uncertainty principle.
See Inside Quantum Technology “Quantum Sensors Market” Report.
