Nobel Awarded For Quantum Computing

"The Nobel Prize in physics was awarded to Alain Aspect, John F. Clauser and Anton Zeilinger as joint winners for their work in quantum computing, an emerging field that promises to solve problems too complex for existing supercomputers.

The trio's work was cited by the Nobel committee as having laid the foundation for a "new era of quantum technology," enabling the construction of quantum computers and networks, the improvement of measurements and the development of secure quantum-encrypted communication.

"This prize reflects the importance of the awardees' experiments to our fundamental understanding of quantum mechanics as well as to emerging technologies such as quantum computers and quantum communication," said Frances Hellman, president of the American Physical Society, which works to advance the field of physics. "The work is a great example of the best of physics -- exploring the truth and beauty of the universe while also laying the foundation for technologies that improve life on Earth."

The 10 million Swedish kronor award, equivalent to $918,000, will be split evenly between Dr. Aspect of the Universite Paris-Saclay and Ecole Polytechnique in France, Dr. Clauser, whose research was done when he was at Columbia University, and Dr. Zeilinger of the University of Vienna in Austria.

Each of the physicists has conducted what the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences referred to as "groundbreaking experiments" using entangled quantum states, where two or more particles are affected by what happens to others even if they are separated by long distances.

Dr. Clauser said in an interview Tuesday with the Associated Press that his work on quantum mechanics shows that you can't confine information to a closed volume, "like a little box that sits on your desk," though even he can't say why.

"Most people would assume that nature is made out of stuff distributed throughout space and time," Dr. Clauser said. "And that appears not to be the case."

For decades, physicists were faced with the question of whether these entangled particles reacted that way because of unknown characteristics that could affect the outcome of experiments. In the 1960s, John Stewart Bell developed a theorem that could be used to show whether these hypothetical characteristics determined the connection between the particles.

Dr. Clauser, 79, built on Bell's theories, in particular by developing a practical experiment that proved that "hidden variable" theories couldn't replace that of quantum mechanics. Dr. Aspect is credited with closing an important loophole in Dr. Clauser's work.

A research group led by Dr. Zeilinger conducted experiments that helped establish a phenomenon called "quantum teleportation," which allows a quantum state to transfer from one particle to another even at a distance. Together, the trio's work has set the stage for practical applications of quantum and entanglement theories.

Quantum computing promises to solve complex problems that existing supercomputers are unable to handle, such as understanding patterns in the folding of human proteins to discover new drugs, how the Earth's climate is changing, or maximizing shipping routes for several hundred tankers.

Existing quantum computers are smaller and require less energy than supercomputers. An IBM quantum processor chip is slightly larger than ones found in laptops.” [1]

1.  U.S. News: Nobel Awarded For Quantum Computing
Katz, Benjamin; Niiler, Eric. 
Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]. 05 Oct 2022: A.3.

E.U. Moves Ahead With Plan to Limit Russia’s Oil Revenue

 

"BRUSSELS — European Union negotiators reached an agreement late Tuesday on capping the price of Russian oil as part of a fresh package of sanctions aimed at punishing Moscow, several diplomats involved in the talks said.

Greece, Malta and Cyprus — maritime nations that would be most affected by the cap — received assurances that their business interests would be preserved, the diplomats said. The countries had been holding up what would be the eighth sanctions package the European Union has adopted since the start of the year because of worries that a price cap on Russian oil exported outside the bloc would affect their shipping, insurance and other industries, the diplomats said.

With oil prices at a high, Russia is raking in billions of dollars in revenue, even as it sells smaller quantities. The cap — part of a broad plan pushed by the Biden administration that the Group of 7 nations agreed to last month — is intended to set the price of Russian oil lower than where it is today, but still above cost. The U.S. Treasury calculates that the cap would deprive the Kremlin of tens of billions of dollars annually.

The E.U. oil price cap is only one piece of a complex global puzzle. To make the measure effective, and cut Russian revenue, the United States, Europe and their allies would need to convince India and China, which buy substantial quantities of Russian oil, only to purchase it at the agreed upon price. Experts say that even with willing partners, the cap could be hard to implement.

OPEC Plus, the oil production group led by Saudi Arabia, is another complicating factor. The group is expected to announce a cut in output on Wednesday, a move aimed at keeping the price of crude worldwide higher.

The E.U. sanctions package is set to go through the final approval process on Wednesday and is not expected to change substantially.

Under the new rules, companies involved in the shipping of Russian oil — including shipowners, insurers and underwriters — would be on the hook for ensuring that the oil they are helping to transport is being sold at or below the price cap. If they are caught helping Russia sell at a higher price, they could face lawsuits in their home countries for violating sanctions.

Russian crude will come under an embargo in most of the European Union on Dec. 5, and petroleum products will follow in February. The price cap on shipments to non-E.U. countries has long been championed by U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen as a necessary complement to the European oil embargo.

Under the E.U. deal, Greece, Malta and Cyprus will be permitted to continue shipping Russian oil. Had they not agreed to place their companies at the forefront of applying the price cap, they would have been forbidden from shipping or insuring Russian oil cargo outside the European Union, a huge hit for major industries.

More than half of the tankers now shipping Russia’s oil are Greek-owned. And the financial services that underpin that trade — including insurance, reinsurance and letters of credit — are overwhelmingly based in the European Union and Britain.

The G7 nations championed the price cap at the United States’ behest. Its member nations that do not belong to the European Union — the United States, Britain, Canada and Japan — are expected to enact laws similar to the European Union’s to enforce it.

The E.U. sanctions document foresees that the European Union, along with the G7 countries and their partners that agree to the price cap, form a committee to decide what price Russian oil should be sold at. The committee would meet regularly, and the price would change based on the market price."

 

https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/10/05/world/russia-ukraine-war-news

Kokius idiotus mes renkam į valdžią

 

G. Landsbergis linki prezidentui sėkmės vyksiančioje Europos vadovų taryboje: kaip kiekvienas elektros vartotojas – laukiu prezidento, atvežančio man pigios elektros kišenėje.