Relevance: Science & Technology (GS-3) • Source: The Hindu; Google Willow experiment; science reports

News 

Google used its 65-qubit “Willow” quantum processor to study how quantum information spreads and then comes back together. This study is called Quantum Echoes.

What is the Quantum Echoes experiment? 

Scientists sent a tiny disturbance into an entangled group of qubits and then listened for its “echo.”

•  This helps them understand how information behaves in quantum systems.
• It is not designed to break encryption.

What is Q-Day? 

Q-Day is the future day when a powerful quantum computer may break today’s common encryption systems (like RSA).

•  Q-Day is not near because we still need millions of stable, error-corrected qubits.

Quantum computers – 

• Use qubits, which can be 0 and 1 at the same time (superposition).
• Qubits can be linked (entanglement), letting quantum machines test many possibilities at once.
• This makes them powerful for special tasks, but today’s machines are still small and noisy.
  

Q. Which of the following is correct about Quantum Echoes?

1. It studies how quantum information spreads and refocuses.
   
2. It shows that current quantum processors can already break RSA-2048 encryption.
   
3. Q-Day requires far larger fault-tolerant quantum computers.
   

Select the correct answer:
A. 1 and 3 only
B. 1 only
C. 2 and 3 only
D. 1, 2 and 3

Answer: A