Physics Utilizing Comp. Tech. or Comp. Tech. Utilizing Physics? (part 1)

There’s no denying the fact that for physicists need computers to do their work and revolutions in computing technology has definitely allowed them to experimentally prove theories that were improvable a
generation ago due to the lack of processing power and computing capabilities.

There’s no denying the fact that for physicists need computers to do their work and revolutions in computing technology has definitely allowed them to experimentally prove theories that were improvable a
generation ago due to the lack of processing power and computing capabilities.

Since this is the first time I’m writing here and I would be writing
about physics and computing and the comfortable symbiosis of both, I’ll just give an overview without going into details of how both have impacted each other.

Theoretical physicists had long utilized the chalk and board method or
using streams of papers and scraps when trying to work out their proof of a theorem. Unfortunately when it comes to doing the analytical proving of their work, that’s where they pull their hair in frustration because you can’t simulate your theory in real life via pen and
paper or chalk and board. But thanks to the advances of computer software, there are now loads of software that allows them to do things like modelling the interaction elementary particles, like predicting the properties and the lifetime of otherwise unobservable sub-particles, that one is unable to get despite using gigantic accelerators. With the advent of quantum physics, computer simulation allows us to see properties that one does not get to witness in a macroscopic world like the tunnelling effect, the sometimes uncharacteristic behaviours of the wavefunctions of heavier nuclei. One can even model how Feynman’s diagramme works in elementary particles or see the workings of statistical mechanics like the classic case of the Brownian motion and relate it to the theory of chaos. We’d never seen quarks before but we can use mathematical softwares to model its properties.

Numerical methods for analytical solutions to physical equations had existed even before computers were used. But their solutions are tedious and frustrating for it involves crunching of numbers by continuous substitution and one sometimes does not get an accuracy needed nor could one predict the convergence ( that is when the theory is solvable) of numbers from a few calculations. With
processing power of an automated number cruncher ( though one still has to know how numerical methods work to estimate its errors), one could build a mathematical model of what were mere equations before that. Therefore certain equations that were deem unsolvable are now so and we can do complex integration and n-order partial differential equation. We could also predict boundaries when certain models break down more accurately.

Astrophysics is one field that definitely has come to age, especially in this technological era. What with all the air and light pollution, looking at the sky through merely an optical telescope is neither
feasible nor practical. Electronics has allowed the building of radio telescope and CCD (Coupled charged detectors) that could detect waves and cosmic rays emanating from the unknown space. Computer technology too has allowed us to detect cosmic rays and quasars, all these supposedly to have to have travelled a long way from a cosmological time frame (read billions and billions of years)
to meet up with us and to tell their stories. From all these data collected from satellites (that provides remote sensing imaging) and telemetric information, astrophysicists are slowly piecing up a story of our cosmological evolution. No doubt errors abound but things are looking brighter. Scientists are also able to form theories of properties of the unknown region like the blackholes, where those who wonder
beyond gets suck into infinitum, never to be seen again. All these by studying properties of the various star systems and their interactions and putting all the calculations into database and modelling them.
Computer technology has allowed scientists to send both manned and
unmanned flights to space and its development has even allowed a layperson enthusiasts to keep in touch with these astronauts and cosmonauts and even with probes by being able to receive data given.

Holography is one subject that both fascinates and enthralls many. One has seen many science-fiction movies depicting what one can do with it. Though we still am a long way away from the Star-Trek like holography which would definitely mean having to utilize quantum technology for such high-bit efficiency, it’s not something too far away. Holography in simple terms, is utilizing of the principles of
optics to store information in a three dimensional format. That is when you look at a holographic picture (as sometimes given out as freebies or appearing on front covers of magazines), it is merely taking pictures of different parts of the same object and combining the information received to give a virtual look-alike. With better and more efficient way of storing information (quantum computing again but more on that next time), perhaps we could render a whole virtual world of 3D.

What is quantum cryptography?

To give you a good story that has been used in many description of what it is, I’ll just take it from this site http://p23.lanl.gov/Quantum/qcrintro.html
:

Two parties (Alice and Bob) start a quantum key-generation procedure by producing their own independent sets of random bits. They possess a quantum channel and a public channel over which they can compare their numbers to distill a common subset. Alice proceeds by preparing a single photon with her laser source for each bit in her set of numbers in one of two possible ways, depending on whether her number is a 0 or a 1. Each photon is then sent over the quantum channel. Bob, who also proceeds through his numbers bit by bit
in synchronization with Alice, performs one of two possible measurements on each photon, depending on whether his number is a 0 or a 1. A photon will never trigger Bob's detector if his number is different from Alice's, but it will trigger the detector with a 50% quantum-mechanical probability if their numbers are the same. Bob labels a number from his set as a "hit" if he detects a photon and then passes this information (but not the number itself) to Alice over the public channel. Alice then labels her numbers that were hits on Bob's end, and a shared secret key emerges as the common set of
hit bits.

An eavesdropper (Eve) can neither "tap" the key transmissions,
owing to the indivisibility of a photon, nor copy them owing to the quantum "no-cloning" theorem. Furthermore, the non-orthogonal nature of the quantum states ensures that if Eve makes her own measurements, she will be detected through the elevated error rate arising from the irreversible "collapse of the wavefunction" that she introduces.

Basically, quantum cryptography utilizes quantum key distribution (QKD)
that one can only understand with some knowledge of quantum physics,where single photon transmission facillitates unbreakable encryption of communication between two islands (see Bob and Alice) over open optical network by allowing key generation only as and when required. Enough said for now.

Physics education has never have it so good. Now with tonnes of software and java applets of virtual simulations of the first principles of physics (where you can actually conduct your experiment and not merely hear your teacher drone on and on), interest of students are more easily aroused and the beauty of the subject with its many advances are more easily illustrated. Check out pages like

http://webassign.net/pasnew/

http://www.kagi.com/pelletier/

http://physicsweb.org/TIPTOP/

http://www.scientium.com/drmatrix/
and

http://www.nasa.gov are
just four of the many good ones.

I’m sure you've had enough for now. So much for a rough overview of what computers can do for physics. Next month, I’ll touch on what
physics can do to the help in computing (aha, that’s where you get your dose of quantum computing and superconductivity). There’s so much to be said but space is lacking. As the series progresses, I’ll take you through a deeper journey of the wonderful world of physics and computers. Have a nice day. (:

1.) The Hack - JesterS

2.) The State of the Hack Awards #1 - MadSaxon

3.) Slackware vs OpenBSD (part 1) - Liquid Sphear

4.) Why Cryptography is Harder Than it Looks - Bruce Schneier

5.) Physics Utilizing Computer Technology or Computer Techology Utilizing Physics? (part 1) - Josette

6.) OsReview : Red Hat Linux 7.0 - L33tdawg