Quantum Coherence

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What Does Quantum Coherence Mean?

The term ‘quantum coherence’ represents the idea of a superpositioning that is at the heart of quantum mechanics and quantum computing. Specifically, quantum coherence contemplates a situation where an object’s wave property is split in two, and the two waves coherently interfere with each other.

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Techopedia Explains Quantum Coherence

Quantum coherence is based on the idea that all objects have wave-like properties. It's in many ways similar to the concept of quantum entanglement, which involves the shared states of two quantum particles instead of two quantum waves of a single particle.

With that in mind, quantum coherence has any number of applications to the general concept of quantum mechanics. The superpositioning concept allows for the theoretical construction of a system built on qubits, which can have an array of values, either 1, or 0, or an indeterminate value.

Interestingly, physicists have built a consensus that quantum coherence and quantum entanglement are operationally equivalent, or that the two kinds of superpositioning have applications to quantum computing that are in some ways equal or equivalent.

Look for ideas like quantum coherence to continue to move the ball forward in terms of quantum computing design.

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Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist
Margaret Rouse
Technology Specialist

Margaret is an award-winning writer and educator known for her ability to explain complex technical topics to a non-technical business audience. Over the past twenty years, her IT definitions have been published by Que in an encyclopedia of technology terms and cited in articles in the New York Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, ZDNet, PC Magazine, and Discovery Magazine. She joined Techopedia in 2011. Margaret’s idea of ​​a fun day is to help IT and business professionals to learn to speak each other’s highly specialized languages.