Tres científicos estadounidenses han sido galardonados con el Premio Nobel de Física por sus descubrimientos sobre el efecto túnel cuántico. Sushmitha Ramakrishnan, periodista de DW Science, explica cómo estos descubrimientos podrían allanar el camino para la próxima generación de tecnologías cuánticas.

Three scientists have received the Nobel Prize in Physics for their research on quantum tunneling, a phenomenon in quantum mechanics where particles can pass through barriers that would be insurmountable in classical physics. This breakthrough has enabled the development of new technologies, making quantum effects observable in everyday devices.

The work has far-reaching implications for fields such as fiber optics, communication, and data security. Quantum encryption, which leverages these principles, could revolutionize data protection and computational speed, potentially leading to more secure and faster devices in the future.

Premio Nobel de Física: ¿Qué es el túnel cuántico?

Y uniéndose a mí en el estudio ahora es DW reportero de la ciencia Sushmita Ramakrishnan. Sushmita, en una frase, en pocas palabras, ¿qué es la física cuántica? Bueno, si fuera tan fácil, no tendríamos 100 años de trabajo en ello. Pero la mecánica cuántica en pocas palabras es observar las propiedades de las partículas subatómicas en su forma de onda. Bien, puedo vivir con eso por el momento. Pero los tres consiguieron el Premio Nobel por su trabajo en mecánica cuántica. ¿Qué destaca de su trabajo? Así que los tres galardonados con el Premio Nobel, lo ganaron por un fenómeno llamado túnel cuántico. Así que la idea de pasar a través de una pared suena a ciencia ficción, pero a nivel subatómico, esto es posible. Esto es lo que hace el tunelaje cuántico. Hay un conjunto de electrones que está aquí. Entre los dos, hay un aislante. Pero de mí a ti, las partículas pueden saltar, o más bien la carga sólo salta. Y esto es lo que es el túnel cuántico. Y esto tiene implicaciones significativas porque ahora podemos usar esta tecnología en dispositivos portátiles. Ya no sólo existe a escala donde no podemos observarlo en un nivel microscópico muy, muy pequeño. No está ahí. Esto se puede observar en los dispositivos portátiles. Y aquí es donde el trabajo de estos científicos juegan un gran papel. ¿Qué tan innovador es esto? En lo que respecta a la investigación en sí, tiene un tremendo impacto en campos como la fibra óptica, la comunicación, la encriptación cuántica, y el futuro de la cuántica en ese sentido se centra en tener este concepto para satisfacer las necesidades prácticas. Así que la cuántica en sí misma es innovadora, pero no es definitivamente nuevo. Ha estado ahí desde hace 100 años. De hecho, este es el año del centenario de la mecánica cuántica, así que no es del todo sorprendente que los científicos lo ganaran por esto. Teníamos el principio de incertidumbre de Heisenberg, La ecuación de onda de Erwin Schrodinger, y todos estos, que son material para camisetas, ha culminado en este tipo de trabajo, que nos lleva a ser capaces de tener dispositivos cuánticos portátiles. Vale, guíame a través de esto. ¿Qué tipo de uso tendrá esto? ¿Qué tipo de dispositivo cuántico de mano podría tener en, digamos, 10, 15 o 100 años? En palabras más sencillas, por ejemplo, la encriptación cuántica se está convirtiendo el futuro de la seguridad de los datos. Una vez que el cifrado cuántico sea una realidad, ya no tendremos bits como ceros y unos. Esto no va a suceder. Vamos a tener medios de encriptación cuántica cada cero, cada uno tendrá múltiples valores, lo que significa que todo lo que hemos estado tratando con en binarios y ordenadores, vamos a tratar con ello en tiempos de ocho veces en su lugar. Así que la velocidad de procesamiento, la velocidad de tener dispositivos computacionales va a aumentar masivamente. Así que probablemente dentro de 20 o 30 años, si la encriptación cuántica se hace realidad, llevarías dispositivos que tiene un protocolo de seguridad muy básico hecho de qubits, bits cuánticos. ¿Entonces es más seguro que todo lo que conocemos ahora? O más peligroso que cualquier cosa que conozcamos ahora porque puede hackear cualquier cosa en cuestión de momentos. Bien, esperemos que los bits peligrosos no se desarrollen demasiado pronto. Muchas gracias, reportera científica Sushmita Ramakrishnan aquí en el estudio conmigo.

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