Content

1. Track record
2. In 100 years, quantum physics has touched every aspect of our lives

Track record

 Why in News ?

• A fire broke out in two air-conditioned (AC) coaches of the Tatanagar–Ernakulam Express near Yelamanchili, Andhra Pradesh.
• The toll remained low (one passenger) due to:
  • early alarm by a passenger
  • crew response & emergency chain use
  • diversion to a loop line with platform
  • timely assistance from agencies and existing safety systems.
• Incident highlights persistent fire-risk concerns in AC coaches and the need to upgrade detection, suppression, and evacuation protocols.

Relevance  

GS-III | Infrastructure, Disaster Management, Technology & Safety

• Public transport safety as a critical infrastructure and risk-mitigation challenge
• Shift from reactive accident response → preventive, risk-anticipatory governance
• Role of technology (detection, suppression, sensors, predictive monitoring)
• Fire accidents as 10–20% of total rail accidents despite ↓ 70% fall in overall accidents
• Need for design-level safety engineering & redundancy in AC coaches

Practice Question

• “Despite significant improvement in overall railway safety indicators, fire accidents remain a persistent risk, especially in AC coaches.” Discuss the systemic vulnerabilities and suggest a technology- and governance-led strategy to build a risk-anticipatory safety culture in Indian Railways.(250 Words)

Basic Context — Rail Safety Trend

• Overall safety performance has improved sharply over a decade.
• Accidents in 2024–25: down by >70% compared to 10 years ago.
• However:
  • major accidents fluctuate year-to-year
  • fire accidents form 10–20% of total accidents annually
  • causes include rolling-stock defects, wiring faults, passenger-borne inflammables.

Facts & Data — Fire Safety Measures

• Fire & Smoke Detection Systems installed in ~20,000 AC coaches (as per 2023–24 Annual Report).
• Target: coverage of all AC coaches including new stock.
• Fire extinguishers fitted in all AC and non-AC coaches.
• In this incident:
  • alarm system activated
  • coach mechanic, bed-roll staff, TTE alerted passengers
  • portable extinguishers used, limiting spread before full dousing.
• Fire was contained in ~2 hours.

Why AC Coaches Need Higher Safety Standards ?

• Closed, insulated compartments → smoke retention risk.
• Higher electrical load (HVAC, lighting, charging points).
• Flammable furnishings & luggage increase burn intensity.
• Night-time fires → reduced reaction time + evacuation difficulty.

Risk Analysis — Likely Systemic Vulnerabilities

• Residual wiring / insulation faults in older stock
• Passenger carriage of inflammables
• Gaps in early-stage suppression capability
• Crew training variance across zones
• Evacuation & crowd-management constraints at night

Policy & Technology Priorities — Way Forward

• Fixed / automatic fire-suppression systems in AC coaches
  • capable of dousing electrical & thermal fires
  • trigger-based activation to stop flashover spread.
• Full roll-out of detection systems to 100% AC fleet + periodic audits.
• Fire-safe coach design standards
  • low-smoke / flame-retardant interiors
  • protected wiring channels & redundancy.
• AI / sensor-based health monitoring
  • predictive alerts on heating, cable load, bearing temperatures.
• Strict enforcement against inflammable luggage
  • scanning in sensitive routes, awareness + penalties.
• Crew & passenger readiness
  • standardised night-evacuation drills, signage, briefing protocols.
• Independent safety review mechanism
  • post-incident learning loops across zones.

In safety-critical public transport, “no feature is too expensive” compared to loss of life.

Impact & Governance Perspective

• Reinforces shift from accident-reactive to risk-anticipatory safety culture.
• Aligns with:
  • infrastructure resilience
  • human-factor training
  • technology-enabled safety modernisation.
• Essential for high-speed expansion, passenger trust, and service reliability.

Takeaways

• Accidents ↓ >70% in 10 years (2024–25 vs baseline)
• Fire incidents = ~10–20% of accidents annually
• ~20,000 AC coaches fitted with fire/smoke detection (target = full coverage)
• Policy need: automatic suppression + stricter inflammable-luggage controls + design upgrades

In 100 years, quantum physics has touched every aspect of our lives

Why in News ?

• 2025 marks a century-long journey of modern quantum physics, tracing back to:
  • Werner Heisenberg’s matrix mechanics (1925)
  • followed by contributions from Schrödinger, Bohr, Born, Dirac, Pauli, and others
• The UN earlier declared 2025 the “Year of Quantum Science and Technology” to recognise:
  • the transformation of science, technology, economy, and daily life through quantum principles.
• The article reflects on how quantum theory moved from abstraction to real-world innovation shaping:
  • electronics, computing, communication, materials, medicine, national security, and emerging quantum industries.

Relevance  

GS-III | Science & Technology — Basics, Applications, Innovation

• Foundation of modern electronics, semiconductors, lasers, sensors, MRI, GPS, photonics
• Transition from abstract theory → technology backbone (first quantum revolution)
• Emerging frontier fields — quantum computing, communication, sensing, materials (second quantum revolution)
• Role of precision technologies, cybersecurity, AI acceleration, climate & material science

Practice Question

• “Quantum physics has moved from abstract theory to the backbone of modern technology.”
  Explain with examples how quantum principles underpin everyday technologies, and assess the opportunities and challenges of the second quantum revolution.(250 Words )

What is Quantum Physics?

• Studies matter and energy at atomic & subatomic scales.
• Key principles:
  • Wave–particle duality (particles exhibit wave-like behaviour)
  • Quantisation of energy
  • Uncertainty principle (limits to simultaneous measurement of position & momentum)
  • Superposition & entanglement (multiple states; correlated particles)
• Counterintuitive nature is why Richard Feynman famously said:
  “No one understands quantum mechanics.”

Historical Evolution — Facts & Timeline

• 1900 — Max Planck introduces quantised energy to explain black-body radiation.
• 1905 — Einstein explains photoelectric effect → photons.
• 1925 — Heisenberg develops matrix mechanics.
• 1926 — Schrödinger proposes wave mechanics.
• 1927 — Born’s probabilistic interpretation of wavefunction.
• 1927 — Copenhagen interpretation (Bohr–Heisenberg).
• 1930s–1950s — Dirac, Pauli, Fermi advance quantum field theory.
• Post-war era → quantum principles drive electronics revolution.

Key shift: From abstract theory → technological foundation of the 20th & 21st centuries.

Where Quantum Physics Shows Up in Daily Life?

The “first quantum revolution” powered technologies based on semiconductors, photon behaviour, atomic physics:

• Transistors & microchips → modern computers & smartphones
• Lasers → telecom fibre optics, barcode scanners, surgery
• MRI & PET scans → quantum spin & nuclear magnetic resonance
• LEDs, solar cells, sensors, atomic clocks
• GPS timing & navigation
• Chemical & materials engineering
• Digital cameras & photodetectors

Almost every modern device rests on quantum principles, even if invisible to users.

Second Quantum Revolution — Emerging Frontier Technologies

Modern research now exploits superposition & entanglement directly:

• Quantum computing
  • solves optimisation, cryptography, molecular simulation problems
• Quantum communication & encryption
  • ultra-secure networks (QKD)
• Quantum sensing & metrology
  • ultra-precise measurement, navigation, climate & mineral mapping
• Quantum materials
  • superconductors, graphene, topological insulators

Global race underway — strategic, economic, and security implications.

India’s Quantum Push — Facts & Policy Context

• National Quantum Mission (NQM), India (2023–2031)
  Outlay: ₹6,003 crore
  • goals: quantum computing, secure communication, sensing, materials
• Establishment of Quantum Technology hubs in IITs, IISc & research centres
• DRDO–ISRO–MeitY projects in quantum communication pilots & satellites
• Start-up ecosystem in QKD, cryogenic hardware, photonics

Why Quantum Matters ? — Strategic & Developmental Significance

• Economic value creation in:
  • pharma, logistics, finance, climate modelling, AI acceleration
• National security
  • post-quantum cryptography, secure warfare networks
• Scientific competitiveness
  • leadership in emerging-tech value chains
• Sovereignty in high-tech ecosystems

Challenges & Debates 

• Hardware scalability, decoherence, cryogenic constraints
• Talent, research-to-industry translation gaps
• Ethical & governance issues in crypto, defence, data security
• Risk of quantum divide between nations

Quick Facts

• 1925 — Heisenberg’s matrix mechanics → foundation of modern quantum theory
• Technologies derived: semiconductors, lasers, MRI, GPS, solar cells, sensors
• Second quantum revolution → computing, cryptography, sensing, materials
• India NQM outlay: ₹6,003 crore (2023–31)