Author: David Hutchinson, Professor in Theoretical Physics, University of Otago

As part of a major reform of the science sector, the government plans to set up a research organisation focused on emerging technologies, including quantum technologies. The first quantum revolution – based on understanding how electrons behave in semiconductors to make computer chips possible – brought us computers and smart phones. We are now in the middle of the second wave of quantum capabilities, which heralds quantum computing, enhanced sensing systems and secure communication technologies. New Zealand has a strong history in quantum physics, tracing back to Ernest Rutherford’s pioneering investigations of the structure of the atom. More recently, quantum-optics…