I. Think of some examples (at least one) of recent advancement in Physics. You should evaluate them by
their contribution to everyday life and to science.
II. Read the following text and fill in the gaps.
Scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and at Google _________ (report) on
Wednesday in the journal Nature that they ___________ (made) a significant advance that brings them
a step closer to developing a quantum computer.
Researches ________________ (pursue) the development of computers that exploit quantum
mechanical effects since the 1990s, because of their potential to vastly expand the performance of
conventional computers. This goal has long remained out of reach, however, because the computers are
composed of basic elements known as qubits that have remained, despite decades of engineering
research, highly unstable.
In contrast to a bit, which is the basic element of a conventional computer and can represent either a
zero or a one, a qubit can exist in a state known as superposition, in which it can represent both a zero
and a one simultaneously.
If the qubits are then placed in an entangled state – physically separate but acting with many other
qubits as if connected – they can represent a vast number of values simultaneously. To date, matrices of
qubits that are simultaneously in superposition and entangled have eluded scientists because they are
ephemeral, with the encoded information dissipating within microseconds.
The university and Google researchers ________ (report), however, that they _____________(succeed)
in creating an error-correction system that stabilized a fragile array of nine qubits. The researchers said
that they ___________________ (accomplish) this by creating circuits in which additional qubits were
used to observe the state of the computing qubits without altering their state. But an important asteriks
remains, according to scientists who ______________ (read) an early version of the paper. The Nature
paper __________________ (state) that researchers __________________ (succeed) in preserving
only the limited “classical” states, rather than the more complex quantum information that would be
needed to create a system that outperforms today's computers.
The importance of advance is that the scientists _________________ (develop) evidence that the
system becomes more stable as they interconnect more qubits in the error-checking array. This
_________ (suggest) that far longer arrays of qubits, composed of thousands or tens of thousands of
qubits, might be able to control the errors that have until now bedeviled scientists. “We have for the
first time in the long history of quantum computing an actual device, where we can test all our ideas
about error detection”, said Rami Barends, a quantum electronics engineer at Google and one of the
authors of the paper. Julian Kelly, another Google quantum electronics engineer, said there ________
(remain) significant challenges in manufacturing materials for quantum computing.
In some cases, the scientists are able ______________ (rely) on existing semiconductor technology, but
there are many steps for which they ____________________ (have/invent) approaches. The research
__________ (report) by scientists working in the laboratory of John M. Martinis, a physicist at the
university. In September, Google ___________ (announce) it would join efforts to build a quantum
computer as part of recently established Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory. Under that
agreement, Dr. Martinis joined Google while keeping his teaching role, and members of his laboratory
became Google employees.
While the researchers _____________ (describe) their new circuit as a significant advance, they
___________ (acknowledge) that they _____________( yet/not solve) all the problems that prevented
the building of a working quantum computer. “While the basical physical processes behind quantum
error corrections are feasible, many challenges remain, such as improving the logic operations behind
error correction and testing protection from phase-flip errors”, the scientists _________ (note) in a
statement posted on the company's website.
In a discussion of the Nature paper on his website, the M.I.T. physicist Scott Aaronson __________
(suggest) that the achievement represented about half the progress required to build a fully functional
quantum computer.
Google is not the only company _______________ (collaborate) with academic researchers in
advancing quantum computing. IBM is working with scientists at Yale and Microsoft is working
separately with researchers at the University of California, Santa Barbara, _____________ (support)
the Station Q research laboratory it created there in 2006.
(source:http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/05/science/quantum-computing-nature-google-uc-santa-barbara.html?
module=ArrowsNav&contentCollection=Science&action=keypress&region=FixedLeft&pgtype=article, accessed on 26.04.2015)
III. Discuss in pairs and answer following questions.
1. What do you think about quantum computers?
2. Will there be possibilities for working quantum computer to be made and to resemble classical
computers? What will be their main differences?
3. What is the main advantage of a quantum computer?