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Quantum Year 2025
August 12, 2024
Children decide early in
life to become
scientists when they find that
topics such as the
Pythagorean theorem and the
hydrological cycle are more interesting and more important than
knowing which state is noted for corn (It's
Iowa, where 12.8 million
acres were
planted in March 28, 2024).[1] My
childhood was notable for witnessing the
launch of the first
artificial Earth satellite,
Sputnik 1,[2] and the introduction of
New Math. It also encompassed the
International Geophysical Year (IGY), an
international collaboration for
Earth science studies from July, 1957 to December, 1958.
The only
scientific data from the Sputnik 1 mission was its
indirect measurement of
Earth's atmospheric density inferred from its
orbital lifetime. However, the
Explorer 1 satellite, launched on February 1, 1958, discovered the
Van Allen radiation belt. Among the topic areas of the IGY were studies of
cosmic rays,
geomagnetism, the
ionosphere, and
solar activity. The collaborations of the IGY led to the
Antarctic Treaty, which reserved
Antarctica for
peaceful scientific
research.
The solar cycle from 1900 to 2019. The International Geophysical Year coincided with the peak of solar cycle 19 in March, 1958. The plotted data are the number of daily sunspots. As a clear sign that the heavens were not as perfect as theologians would later believe, spots on the Sun were mentioned by the ancient Greek philosopher, Theophrastus (c.371-c.287 BC), around 300 BC. The first scientific observations of sunspots were made in 1128 by English astronomer, Thomas Harriot (c.1560-1621). The solar cycle was not described scientifically until the mid-19th century. (Image from Climate.gov using data from the WDC-SILSO, Royal Observatory of Belgium. Click for larger image.)
Fast forward nearly seventy
years, and the
United Nations proclaimed on June 7, 2024, that the year, 2025, will be the
International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ).[3-7]
Max Planck (1858-1947) discovered in 1900 that
energy was
quantized, a discovery that earned him the 1918
Nobel Prize in Physics. Today, more than a
century later,
quantum mechanics is still
mysterious, As
CERN most
succinctly states in its
press release on IYQ, "Today, thanks to
pioneering theoretical and
experimental efforts to understand this complex
realm,
physicists can confidently
navigate through such apparently
irrational concepts."[5] The study of quantum mechanics has lead to many significant
applications that include the
transistor,
semiconductor devices based on
quantum tunnelling,
sensitive magnetometers,
lasers; and, perhaps one day, fast
quantum computers.
Aside from the aforementioned International Geophysical Year, there have been other science-themed International Years, such as the
International Year of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements, featured in a
previous article (150 Years of the Periodic Table, March 11, 2019), the 2014
International Year of Crystallography, and the 2025
International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies.[7] The year selected for IYQ is the
centenary of
Werner Heisenberg's mathematical description of quantum mechanics,[7] but it might also have been based on 125 years since Max Planck's original discovery.
According to the proclamation, the year long IYQ will "be observed through activities at all levels aimed at increasing
public awareness of the importance of quantum science and applications," that includes activities in
education from
elementary schools through
universities.[3-4] An IYQ
consortium will organize
regional,
national, and international
outreach events, activities, and
programming about quantum science in the hope of inspiring later
generations of quantum science
practitioners.[3-4]
The official logo for the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology is apparently copyrighted,[3] which makes it difficult for bloggers to illustrate their articles. I designed this public domain version of the logo based on a public domain illustration of the wavefunction of a quantum particle in a two dimensional potential well by Keenan Pepper, available at Wikimedia Commons. (Click for larger image, or download the SVG source file.)
The
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is the lead agency for IYQ, and the
American Physical Society will administer an international consortium for promotion, and it invites
scientific societies,
academic institutions,
philanthropic organizations, and others to contribute to the initiative.[4] IYQ has been
endorsed by the
International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP), the
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC), the
International Union of Crystallography (IUCr), and the
International Union of History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (IUHPST).[3] Along with the American Physical Society, other IYQ partners include the
German Physical Society (Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft, DPG), the Chinese Optical Society, the
Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), the
Optical Society of America (now named Optica).[4]
Aside from its significant role in
society-changing devices such as the transistor and laser, quantum science and technology might aid in future quests for development of
renewable energy, along with other
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in
climate,
clean water,
food safety, and
food security.[3-4] While it still has a long way to prove itself, quantum computing might offer advancements in
drug discovery and
process optimization.[5]
Klaus Richter, DPG president and a
professor at the
University of Regensburg (Regensburg, Germany), states that "Quantum mechanics is a prime example of the practical impact that an
abstract physical theory can have."[7] An
opening ceremony is planned for January 14, 2025, in
Berlin, Germany.[7]
An example of quantum mechanics - The energy levels
in a helium-neon laser. Two of my high school classmates tried to build a helium-neon laser as a science fair project using the Brewster window construction common at that time. Considering the obstacles that needed to be overcome, such as the high voltage excitation and obtaining the proper gas mixture, it was no wonder that their device didn't work. (Wikimedia Commons image by XuPanda. Click for larger image.)
References:
- 2024 Corn Planted Area, Thousands of Acres and Percent Change from Previous Year, March 28, 2024, United States Department of Agriculture Website.
- Steve Garber, Sputnik and The Dawn of the Space Age, October 10, 2007, NASA Website.
- International Year of Quantum Science and Technology Website.
- The United Nations Proclaims 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, American Physical Society press release, June 07, 2024.
- Antonella Del Rosso, "CERN welcomes International Year of Quantum Science and Technology," CERN Press Release, June 12, 2024.
- The quantum revolution, YouTube video by CERN, May 4, 2024.
- Michael Banks, "It's official: United Nations declares 2025 the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology," Physics World, June 10, 2024.
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