Quantum mechanics was the driving force behind the great technological revolutions of the second half of the 20th century, at the heart of the transistor, the laser and navigation systems, among others. However, these innovations did not exploit the most subtle concepts, those that caused so much debate among the founders of quantum mechanics : quantum superposition and entanglement. These concepts, which even today contradict our intuitions, open the way to new ways of encoding and manipulating information. Observing and exploiting them, however, requires an unprecedented degree of control over physical systems.
The last few decades of research in quantum physics, applied to a wide variety of systems ranging from light to atoms to semiconductor and superconductor components, have progressively enabled us to manipulate elementary quantum systems pure , and to demonstrate and control quantum superposition and entanglement. It is now possible to generate light photon by photon, synthesize artificial matter atom by atom, sculpt artificial atoms with the tools of microelectronics, and entangle photons and natural or artificial atoms.
Today, these scientific advances are enabling us to develop the first applications exploiting entanglement and superposition. These include the development of quantum processors that can perform calculations inaccessible to current supercomputers, the implementation of communication protocols secured by the fundamental laws of quantum mechanics, and the development of sensors with ultimate sensitivity, facilitating the detection of gravitational waves, for example. The applications are numerous, covering fields linked to digital sovereignty, but also promising new scientific discoveries.
We will endeavor to describe the beginnings of this adventure, where fundamental research and technological developments are resolutely moving forward together. It's a field that's booming internationally, where a certain poetry and aesthetics mingle daily with extreme scientific ambitions and intense competition, commensurate with the stakes.
