With Physics World’s first ever Quantum Week running on 14–18 June, staff at (or with links to) the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, UK, have devised a fun quiz to see how much you really know about all things quantum. There are no prizes, and the answers are given below. No cheating! (And if you’d like to find out how Physics World online editor Hamish Johnston did on the quiz, take a listen to the 10 June episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast.)

1. What was the name of the scientist who proposed the principle behind the “dilution refrigerator” while working at the Atomic Research Energy Establishment on Harwell Campus in the early 1950s?
A. André Heinz B. Heinz London C. Heinz Rome D. Fritz Mendelssohn

2. What was the name of the company, owned by de Beers, that launched the world’s first quantum-grade diamond?
A. Blue Nile B. Rio Tinto C. Element Six D. Hatton Garden Jewellers

3. What does the acronym NISQC stand for?
A. near-term intermediate-scale quantum computer B. nuclear isotopic spin quantum computer C. noisy intermediate-scale quantum computer  D. nano-integrated superconducting quantum computer

4. The Science and Technology Facilities Council’s cryogenics team repurposed a cryocooler developed for the Planck space mission for the Quantum Imaging Hub in Glasgow. What temperature does the Planck cooler cool down to?
A. 4 K B. 0.4 K C. 40 K D. 0.04 K

5. RAL Space’s quantum space laboratory exploits ultracold atoms cooled by lasers. What is the “effective temperature” of these atoms measured in?
A. kelvin B. millikelvin C. microkelvin D. nanokelvin

6. What is the maximum number of qubits that a quantum computer has so far ever been built with?
A. 1000 B. 65 C. 91 D. 750

7. Jonathan Jones and Michele Mosca built an early quantum computer at the University of Oxford in 1998. It was the first to have how many qubits?
A. one B. two C. three D. four

8. The UK Quantum Computing and Simulation Hub, led by the University of Oxford, is developing quantum computers based on what technology?
A. ion traps B. superconducting circuits C. colour centres in diamond D. all of the above

9. Tim Radford’s 2018 book The Consolations of Physics (Or, the Solace of Quantum) is about
A. The physics of the James Bond movie Quantum of Solace. B. Quantum physics for people learning alone. C. How not to fail a quantum-physics exam. D. The Voyager space mission and beyond.

10. And finally, what was the name of Schrödinger’s cat?
A. Tangle B. Kitty C. Quanto D. Albert

 

Stuck for the answers? We’ve listed them below.

With thanks to Dan Metcalfe, John Vandore and Monika Zemla (Harwell Science and Innovation Campus), Simon Plant (National Quantum Computing Centre) and Rupesh Srivastava (University of Oxford).

 

1. B 2. C 3. C  4. A  5. C [though they hope to achieve D in the near future]  6. B [at IBM] 7. B 8. D 9. D 10. There is no answer. Everybody gets a point!