Quantum chemistry on quantum computers
The special properties of quantum computers should make them ideal for accurately modelling chemical systems, Philip Ball discovers
The initial value of quantum computers may well be their tremendous potential for predicting the properties of atoms and molecules – rather than just doing classical computation at faster speeds. And that’s because the inherent ‘quantum weirdness’ of matter at the atomic and sub-atomic levels is only approximated in classical computers, but could be modelled exactly using the quantum computers that are being developed right now.