Computer game tests human understanding of quantum physics

Nature : Creating video games to fold proteins, map quantum circuits, and solve other puzzles in science is becoming a popular area of research. Now Jacob Sherson of Aarhus University, Denmark, and his colleagues have created a game called Quantum Moves that addresses a key question in quantum computing: How quickly can a laser move an atom between containment wells without altering the atom’s quantum state? Players are tasked with moving a sloshing liquid between two wells by moving the wells toward each other. The catch is that the liquid doesn’t behave like a liquid; instead, the liquid is controlled by the laws of quantum mechanics, which allow it to do such things as tunnel between the wells. Sherson’s team can then compare the movements of the player-controlled wells to real-world attempts at moving atoms between containment wells. After analyzing the gameplay of about 300 people, the researchers found that more than half of the human solutions beat the computer algorithms that are normally used for solving the problem.