I’m Maria, a PhD student researching the foundations of quantum information at the University of Oxford and an intern at IBM Quantum. Even today, combining those thought experiments with the tools of modern quantum computing can give both quantum novices and experts alike a whole new understanding of some of the most fundamental, perplexing, and seemingly paradoxical concepts in quantum mechanics. These kinds of scenarios have played a crucial role in the evolution of quantum theory since its inception, with physicists since Albert Einstein using them to craft our understanding of quantum’s counterintuitive principles. The above scenario is an example of a thought experiment, also known as a gedankenexperiment. Quantumly, however, things get a little more interesting. The laws of classical physics do not allow you to build a “bomb tester” that can check the contents of the box without potentially causing it to explode. Classically, this challenge is impossible. Your challenge is to work out whether there is a bomb in the box without exploding it. If this bomb interacts with anything, if it is hit by even a single photon of light, it will explode. All you know is that it’s either empty or it contains a highly sensitive bomb. Imagine someone gives you a box, and you can’t see what’s inside. By Maria Violaris, PhD student at the University of Oxford
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March 2023
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