YEAR OF QUANTUM SCIENCE
- SCI & TECH
News: UN Declares 2025 International
Year Of Quantum Science And Technology
What's in the news?
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The United
Nations has designated 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and
Technology to increase public awareness about the importance of quantum
science and its applications.
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This year-long, worldwide initiative will feature
activities at all levels.
Backdrop of the
Proclamation:
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The initiative began with a resolution led by Mexico in May 2023.
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By November 2023, nearly 60 countries had
co-sponsored the resolution, and it was adopted by the UNESCO General
Conference.
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In May 2024, Ghana
submitted a draft resolution to the U.N. General Assembly, which was supported
by over 70 countries and officially proclaimed on June 7, 2024.
Why was 2025 Chosen for
this Proclamation?
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The timing aligns with the centenary of Werner Heisenberg’s groundbreaking paper on quantum
mechanics, published in 1925.
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This paper laid the foundation for quantum
mechanics, and Heisenberg was awarded the Nobel
Prize in Physics seven years later.
Organisations Endorsed
the Proclamation:
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The proclamation has received endorsements from
several international scientific organizations, including the International
Union of Pure and Applied Physics, the International Union of Pure and Applied
Chemistry, the International Union of Crystallography, and the International
Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology.
Progress of Quantum
Science:
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Quantum science and technologies, particularly
quantum computers, have been increasingly discussed in public and professional circles.
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While fully operational quantum computers are not
yet available, they are expected to revolutionize
various fields such as electronics, clean energy, and drug development due
to their superior computational capabilities.
India and Quantum
Science:
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The Government of India launched the National Quantum Mission in April 2023,
with a budget of Rs 6,000 crore.
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The mission is implemented by the Department of Science & Technology
(DST) from 2023 to 2031, focuses on four
verticals - quantum computing, quantum communication, quantum sensing and
metrology, and quantum materials and devices.
Significance of
International Year of Quantum Science:
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According to the U.N., the proclamation encourages
individuals, groups, schools, institutions, and governments to use 2025 to raise awareness about quantum science
and technology.
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A steering
committee is planning global initiatives and events to engage audiences
unfamiliar with the importance of this field.
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An opening ceremony is expected to take place on
January 14, 2025, in Berlin.
Go back to basics:
Quantum Science:
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Quantum Science and Technology is an interdisciplinary field that harnesses
the principles of quantum mechanics to develop new technologies with
potentially transformative capabilities.
Fundamentals of Quantum
Computing:
There are three fundamentals of quantum computing - Superposition,
Entanglement and Qubits.
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Superposition - The ability of a particle to hold two “states”
at the same time. It is a fundamental principle where a quantum system can
exist in multiple states simultaneously.
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Entanglement - The strange property of quantum systems. If one
particle is entangled with another and measures the spin of the first one
(which resolves into either value), the entangled particle will instantly
resolve into the same value.
○
Quantum computing uses both of these principles —
superposition and entanglement to solve certain types of problems much faster
than classical computers, particularly for complex simulations, optimization,
cryptography, and searching large databases.
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Qubit or Quantum Bit - A basic unit of quantum
information. It is a two-state quantum-mechanical system, one of the simplest
quantum systems displaying the peculiarity of quantum mechanics.