By Ralf Ostner, Chinese-English-German translator, based in Munich, Germany

The European Union, United States, China, Japan are preparing for the so-called 2nd quantum revolution. The EU plans to invest 1 billion Euros in research for the next 10 years, starting in 2018.

A broad community of industries, research institutes and scientists aim for Europe to stand at the forefront of bringing transformative advances to science, industry and society, by creating new commercial opportunities to address global challenges that provide strategic capabilities for security and seeds as yet un-imagined capabilities for the future.

Europe’s capabilities could lead to long-term economic, scientific and societal benefits for a more sustainable, productive, entrepreneurial and secure EU.

Quantum physics was created in Europe in the first decades of the 20th century by young physicists – Bohr, Planck, Einstein, Heisenberg, Schrödinger, Pauli, Dirac, Curie, and De Broglie.

Europe still plays a leading role with in regards to a broader research scope, linking fundamental and applied sciences and engineering.

The top institutions can be found Europe-wide, covering basic physics to electronics and computer science. €0.5 billion had been invested over the last 20 years.

The EU Future and Emerging Technology (FET) program has fostered a European scientific community with world-class scientific and technical expertise.

Short-term goals (1-5 years):

Develop core technology of quantum signal repeaters that work with cryptography capability and eavesdropping detection, enabling long-distance point-to-point quantum-secure links.

Discover new algorithms, protocols and fields of application for quantum simulators, computers and communication networks, to analyze and design useful chemical processes.

Medium-term goals (5-10 years):

Realize versatile simulators of material magnetism and of such electronic properties as superconductivity, supporting the development and design of new materials with exotic properties.

Simplify quantum sensors so they can be produced at lower costs for larger-volume applications, such as manufacturing, automotive, construction and geo-surveying.

Long-term goals (>10 years):

Create a secure and fast quantum internet connecting major cities in Europe using quantum repeaters running quantum communication protocols.

Build a universal quantum computer to demonstrate the resolution of a problem that, with current techniques on a supercomputer, would take longer than the age of the universe.

Integrate quantum sensors with consumer applications, such as integrated photonic or solid-state devices for mobile devices.

More EU companies have shown a stronger interest in quantum research, including companies: Airbus Defence and Space, Alcatel Lucent, ASML, Bosch, IBM, Nokia, IMEC, Safran, Siemens and Thales.

High-tech SMEs, like e2v, Gooch & Housego, ID Quantique, M Squared Lasers, Muquans, Single Quantum and Toptica, occupy leading positions in their specific markets.

Europe holds a key position in global value chains for the semiconductor, electronics and optical industries. Quantum technologies can make an economic impact with companies looking to deliver devices engineered for use and manufactured within a commercial environment.

They will drive higher-volume productions, reduce costs and stimulate growth of new applications and markets.

Governments are raising their strategic and economic ambitions, while many non-European industries have already invested significant amounts, both inside and outside Europe.

Beijing has placed significant efforts and investments into quantum technology research, along with presenting breathtaking technological projects. The QUESS quantum satellite will be developed in cooperation with European countries.

China is becoming a world leader in such technology; a satellite that delivers quantum communications to act as a cornerstone for translating cutting-edge research into a strategic asset for the nation.

It will be launched in July 2016. Chief scientist Pan Jianwei said QUESS will complete China’s growing quantum communications network, which includes a 2,000-kilometer-long network between Beijing and Shanghai.

QUESS’s function is to test the phenomena of quantum entanglement. Operated by the China Academy of Sciences, the 500kg satellite contains a quantum key communicator, quantum entanglement emitter, entanglement source, processing unit, and a laser communicator.

QUESS will relay transmissions between two ground stations (one in China, and the other in Europe) transmitting quantum keys. Pan said the distances involved (QUESS orbits at an altitude of 1,000km) would be ideal for testing quantum teleportation of photons.

The Austrian Academy of Sciences will provide optical receivers for European ground stations. Yet the strangest detail of the announcement had to do with the satellite the group had selected in the first place.

They claimed to have used CHAMP, a German satellite that was de-orbited in 2010. A breakthrough in quantum technology has earned China’s top science accolade as Chinese President Xi Jinping handed the State Natural Science Award (first class) to Pan Jianwei’s team in Beijing.

Pan’s team at the University of Science and Technology of China in Hefei, Anhui province, set a world record in terms of quantum teleportation, or sending quantum information – for example, the exact state of an atom – from one place to another.

The revolutionary technology is expected to pave the way for developing unbreakable quantum communication networks, as well as building a quantum computer billions of times faster than current supercomputers.

International cooperation is growing. Among important conferences would be the EMN Meeting on Quantum Technology, which had been attended by international scientists and researchers on April 14-17, 2015 in Beijing.

The EMN Meetings include five annual gatherings: EMN Fall (Orlando), EMN Spring (Las Vegas), EMN Summer (Cancun), EMN East (Beijing), and EMN Open (Chengdu); mainly held in China and USA.

With the new EU flagship initiative in quantum technology, other countries may likely start similar initiatives to expand into international competitions and cooperation in the quantum technology research field. The cooperation between China and EU would gain new momentum as well.

 

( The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Panview or CCTV.com. )

Article at CCTV website:

http://english.cctv.com/2016/05/25/ARTIMFGOhdDbVQ5wBYnmrX0x160525.shtml

 

Chinesische Übersetzung:

外眼看中国：中国、欧盟等国将迎来第二次量子革命时代

【熊猫观察原创】欧盟、美国、中国和日本等国正在开启第二次量子力学革命。欧盟计划投资10亿英镑，拟于2018年开始为期十年的相关研究。大量的企业、研究机构和科学家期望欧洲能率先给科学、工业以及社会带来变革，创造更多的商机来应对全球安全方面的挑战。欧洲在该领域的实力将会创造长期的经济、科学和社会价值，同时也会使欧盟更为持久和安全。

量子物理学在20世纪初期最先由年轻的物理学家玻尔、 普朗克、爱因斯坦、海森堡、薛定谔、泡利，狄拉克，居里，德布罗意创立。

欧洲至今在该领域仍处于领先地位：研究范围更广，并将其与基础科学、应用科学和工程相关联。欧洲有一些涵盖基础物理、电子以及计算机科学的顶尖级研究机构。在过去的20年里，欧洲在这些领域投资5亿英镑。欧盟未来和新兴科技项目培养了一支拥有世界一流科技知识的科学家团队。

短期目标 （1-5 年）

发展量子信号中继器核心技术，并使之与加密技术和窃听检测相结合，从而达到远程点对点的量子安全链接。发现新的计算方法、量子模拟器、计算机以及通信网络的应用领域，以此来分析和设计有用的化学工序。

中期目标 （5-10 年）

实现材料磁性以及具有电子属性和多样性的超导体模拟器，支持新材料的开发和设计。简化量子传感器，从而降低其在生产大容量应用的成本，如制造、 汽车、 建筑和地质测量。

长期目标 ( > 10 年)

创建安全且快速的量子网络，并与欧洲使用量子中继器运行和量子通信的主要城市相连接。建立一个普遍的量子计算机来解决问题，而超级计算机现有的技术无法实现。将量子感应器和消费者应用程序相结合，如用于移动设备的集成光子或固态设备。

越来越多的欧盟公司对量子研究表现出浓厚兴趣，其中包括：空客、阿尔卡特朗讯、阿斯麦公、博世、IBM、诺基亚、比利时微电子中心，赛峰集团、西门子和泰雷兹等公司。一些高科技中小企业也在其特定的市场占据主导地位。

欧洲在半导体、电子和光学工业的全球价值链中处于关键地位。量子技术可给设备制造公司带来经济价值。他们将进行高容量生产，降低成本，促进新的应用和市场的增长。

中国在量子技术的研究方面投入了大量的资金和精力，并提出了一些令人赞叹的科技项目。中国在该领域的技术正在迈向世界一流行列。传送量子通信卫星将成为中国前沿研究向战略资产转移的基石。

中国将与欧洲国家合作开发QUESS 量子卫星。该卫星预计将于2016年7月发射。首席科学家潘建伟表示，QUESS 将建成中国的量子通信网络，能覆盖北京和上海之间的2000 公里网络。

QUESS 的功能是用来测试的量子现象。该卫星由中国科学院研发，重达500公斤，包含量子密钥通信、量子发射器、处理单元和激光通信器。QUESS 将分别在位于中国和欧洲的两个地面监测站之间进行接转和传输量子密钥。潘建伟说，QUESS 轨道位于海拔 1，000米，这将是测试量子隐形传态光子的理想距离。

奥地利科学院将为欧洲地面站提供光接收机。中国科学家在量子技术上的突破为中国赢得了最高科学荣誉。中国国家主席习近平在北京给潘建伟团队颁发了国家自然科学奖 。

位于安徽省合肥市中国科技大学的潘建伟团队在量子隐形传态或发送量子信息方面创造了世界记录。例如，一个原子的确切状态，原子从一个地方转移到另一个地方。该项革命性的技术预计将为发展牢固的量子通信网络，以及构建比目前的超级计算机快数十亿次数的量子计算机奠定基础。

国际合作正在进一步展开。能源材料纳米会议和有关量子技术的会议已于2015年4月14-17日在北京召开，来自全球的国际科学家和研究人员参加了此次会议。该会议包括五个年度会议，并分别在中国和美国举行，包括：奥兰多秋季能源材料纳米会议、拉斯维加斯春季能源材料纳米会议、坎昆夏季能源材料纳米会议、北京能源材料纳米会议和成都能源材料纳米会议。

随着欧盟在量子技术方面所取得的不断进展，其它国家可能会采取类似的举措来加入量子技术领域的竞争与合作。中国与欧盟之间的合作将会获得新的动力。

【作者：拉尔夫·奥斯特纳 德国开源资源分析师，中-英-德语翻译】

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