China Is at the Forefront of the Quantum Revolution 中国走在量子革命最前沿

珍妮·惠伦　孙加

More than a decade ago， Chinese physicist Pan Jian-Wei returned home from Europe to help oversee research into some of the most important technology of the 21st century.

At a conference in Shanghai last summer， Pan and his team offered a rare peek at the work he described as a “revolution.”

They spoke of the hacking-resistant1 communications networks they are building across China， the sensors they are designing to see through smog and around corners， and the prototype computers2 that may someday smash the computational power of any existing machine.

All the gear3 is based on quantum technology—an emerging field that could transform information processing and confer big economic and national-security advantages to countries that dominate it. To the dismay of some scientists and officials in the United States， Chinas formidable4 investment is helping it catch up with Western research in the field and， in a few areas， pull ahead.

Beijing is pouring billions into research and development and is offering Chinese scientists big perks5 to return home from Western labs.

Quantum technology seeks to harness6 the distinct properties of atoms， photons7 and electrons to build more powerful tools for processing information.

In 2018， China had nearly twice as many patent filings8 as the United States for quantum technology overall， a category that includes communications and cryptology9 devices， according to market research firm Patinformatics10. The United States， though， leads the world in patents relating to the most prized segment of the field—quantum computers—thanks to heavy investment by IBM， Google， Microsoft and others.

Helping oversee Chinas program is Pan， whom Chinese media call the “father of quantum.” From his labs at the University of Science and Technology of China （USTC）， in Shanghai and Hefei， the 50-year-old leads a team of 130 researchers. In 2017， the journal Nature named him one of “ten people who mattered this year，” saying he had “lit a fire under11 the countrys efforts in quantum technology.”

In his talk at the Shanghai event， Pan detailed how China is harnessing qubits12 to safeguard its communications from hacking—one of the fields in which China appears to have a lead over the West.

Pan and his team are aiming to launch a constellation of13 satellites and a nationwide fiber-optic14 network that use qubits to securely transmit information. An almost 1，300-mile fiber link connecting Beijing， Shanghai and other cities is already up and running. So is a satellite China launched in 2016， which has conducted several prominent experiments， including facilitating15 a hacking-resistant video conference between Beijing and Vienna.

If the technology gains traction16 globally， China could be in a strong position to sell it， given the large number of patents its universities and companies have registered for devices and technology relating to quantum communication and encryption17， according to Patinformatics.

For now， China is lagging behind18 the US tech industry in perhaps the most important race in the field： building a quantum computer.

A fully functioning quantum computer has the potential to be transformative. The exponentially19 greater calculation power could help identify new chemical compounds to treat intractable20 diseases， and eliminate traffic snarls21 by predicting and managing the flow of vehicles.

To get a fully functioning computer—a goal still a decade or more away， most scientists agree—researchers must coax22 a large number of qubits into working together efficiently. Thats difficult because qubits are finicky23 and have the propensity24 to stop functioning at the slightest disturbance， such as a minor change in temperature.

Google and IBM are at the forefront， using superconducting25 circuits to manipulate qubits. In 2018， Google unveiled a quantum processor with 72 qubits， surpassing IBMs previously announced 50-qubit computer.

Chinese researchers so far have reported a 12-qubit processor， using superconducting technology similar to Googles and IBMs.

The leader of that work， USTC professor Zhu Xiaobo， presented his teams results at the Shanghai conference， flashing a picture of their prototype on the screen—a shiny tangle of coaxial cables26 resembling an intricate golden chandelier.

“We are now working on 24 qubits，” Zhu said. “We hope next year we will go to 50， and maybe sometime we will go to quantum supremacy27，” he added， referring to the point at which a quantum computer is able to perform a calculation that existing computers cant. Lu Chaoyang， a young physicist who earned his PhD at Cambridge University， also stepped to the lectern to deliver an update on his teams approach to quantum computing. It relies on photons， which he dubbed28 “fast-flying qubits.”

十多年前，中国物理学家潘建伟从欧洲归国，成为某项21世纪最重要技术研究的总负责人。

去年夏天，在上海某次会议上，潘建伟和团队让公众得以一窥他称之为“革命”的研究内容。

据介绍，他们正在铺设遍布全国的防黑客入侵通信网络，设计能穿透烟雾、绕过拐角的探测传感器，以及几台原型计算机——这些计算机的计算能力，在将来的某一天，会碾压现存的任何机器。

这些设备均基于量子技术。量子技术是目前正嶄露头角的新领域，该领域能彻底改变信息处理的过程，为掌握该技术的国家带来可观的经济收入与国防优势。中国在这一领域中投下了巨额资金，逐步赶上西方同类研究，并在某些方面取得了领先地位。这一点，颇让美国的某些科学家和政府官员惊愕。

北京方面为该技术的研发投下了几十亿的资金，还提供了丰厚的津贴，以吸引中国科学家离开西方国家的实验室，回归祖国。

量子技术的目标是：掌握原子、光子和电子各自的独特性质，用以建造更加强大的信息处理工具。

根据专注市场研究的 “专利信息分析”公司的数据，2018年，中国在量子总体技术（包括通信及密码学设备）方面申请的专利，达到了美国的两倍。但是，在量子技术最有价值的一块——量子计算机方面，美国申请的专利则领先全世界。这多亏了IBM、谷歌、微软及其他公司的大量投资。

中国量子技术项目的总负责人，则是被中国媒体誉为“量子之父”的潘建伟。他现年50岁，来自中国科学技术大学，在上海及合肥均设有实验室，领导着130人的研究团队。2017年，他入选《自然》杂志“全球科学界十大年度人物”，称他“推动了国家在量子技术方面的投入”。

在上海会议上，潘建伟详细介绍了中国如何利用量子比特保障通信安全，杜绝黑客——这正是中国似乎领先西方的领域之一。

潘建伟团队计划发射一系列卫星，同时建设覆盖全国的光纤网络，利用量子比特实现信息安全传输。目前，已有近1300英里的光纤铺设完成并投入使用，连接北京、上海及其他城市。2016年，中国还发射了一颗卫星，利用这颗卫星，团队进行了数项重要实验，其中之一便是协助实现了北京—维也纳之间的防黑客安全视频会议。

据“专利信息分析”公司预测，由于国内大学与公司注册过大量量子通信与加密的设备和技术专利，一旦量子技术开始在全球获得关注和推广，中国在专利出售方面可能处于有利地位。

不过，在可能是这一领域最重要的競赛——量子计算机制造方面，中国仍暂时落后于美国的技术工业。

一台功能完备的量子计算机，有可能彻底改变世界。相比现有计算机，量子计算机的计算能力会以指数级别提高，能识别新的化合物，以治疗棘手的疾病;还能预测和管理车流量，彻底消除交通堵塞。

要造出功能完备的量子计算机——大多数科学家认为，距离实现这一目标还需要十年或更多时间——研究者们必须想办法让大量量子比特一同高效运作。要实现这一点很困难：量子比特对环境十分挑剔，任何微小的扰动——比如温度略有升降——都有可能造成量子比特运作失常。

在这方面，谷歌与IBM公司进展最快。他们利用超导电路来操控量子比特。2018年，谷歌发布了一款72量子比特的量子处理器，超越了IBM此前发布的50量子比特计算机。

目前，中国研究者们公开发布的只有12量子比特的处理器，用的也是跟谷歌与IBM类似的超导技术。

中国量子计算机项目的领头人、中国科大教授朱晓波在上海举行的会议上，展示了所率团队的研究成果。他在大屏幕上播放了团队设计的原型计算机的一张照片——闪亮的同轴电缆错综复杂，仿佛造型繁复的金色枝形吊灯。

“我们正在研发24量子比特的计算机。”朱晓波说。接着，他补充道：“我们希望明年能达到50量子比特，或许将来能取得量子霸权。”量子霸权，指的是量子计算机的计算能力达到某个节点，能够完成现存计算机无法完成的计算任务。在剑桥大学获得博士学位的年轻物理学家陆朝阳也上台发表了演讲。在演讲中，他提到自己团队在量子计算方面的新进展：利用光子——他称之为“高速飞行的量子比特”——进行量子计算。

（译者为“《英语世界》杯”翻译大赛获奖者）

1 hacking-resistant防黑客入侵的。  2 prototype computer原型计算机，指投入量产前的创新样品计算机。  3 gear设备。

4 formidable惊人的。  5 perk津贴，额外补贴。  6 harness控制，掌握。  7 photon光子。  8 patent filing专利申请。  9 cryptology密码学。  10 Patinformatics该公司名称由patent、information、analytics三词合成，意为“专利信息分析”。

11 lit a fire under推动。  12 qubit量子比特，量子信息的计量单位。  13 a constellation of一系列。  14 fiber-optic光纤，光导纤维的简称，由玻璃或塑料制成的纤维，利用光的全内反射原理传输的光传导工具。  15 facilitate协助实现。  16 traction牵引力，此处引申为影响。  17 encryption加密。  18 lag behind落后。

19 exponentially以指数级别地。  20 intractable棘手的。  21 snarl堵塞，混乱。  22 coax设法实现。  23 finicky挑剔的。  24 propensity倾向。  25 superconducting超导的。超导现象指材料在低于某一温度时，电阻变为零的现象，特征是零电阻和完全抗磁性。

26 coaxial cable同轴电缆。  27 supremacy优势，最高地位。  28 dub称为。