Quantum Posts

Every time you use a smartphone, you rely on quantum mechanics. The transistors in the chip, the laser in the camera, the LED in the display, the GPS calculating your position—all depend on quantum physics. Without quantum mechanics, there is no modern technology.

"When will quantum computers be useful?"

In 1900, Max Planck introduced the quantum to explain blackbody radiation. He didn't believe it was real—just a mathematical trick. A century later, quantum mechanics is the most precisely tested theory in physics, verified to parts per trillion. Yet physicists still argue about what it means.

In 2017, Chinese scientists held a video call between Beijing and Vienna.⁶ The call itself was ordinary. What made it extraordinary was the encryption: keys generated by quantum mechanics and distributed via a satellite called Micius.¹