IC Colloquium: Understanding quantum computation through restrictions
By : Dominik Hangleiter - University of Maryland
IC/SB Faculty candidate
Abstract
The promise of quantum computation rests on their exponential advantage for very specific tasks including in particular applications in cryptography and the simulation of physical systems. Understanding the scenarios in which we can hope for quantum speedups is therefore not only of foundational significance but also important for the search of future applications. In this talk, I will motivate the study of restricted quantum computations as a means to obtain such understanding. I will exemplify this approach with a focus on two settings. First, I will discuss the quantum advantage of the restricted computational models realized by actual quantum computing devices, and elaborate such a study for a logical quantum processor based on reconfigurable atom arrays. Second, I will discuss the complexity of simulating quantum systems which can undergo only a limited amount of interference. In doing so, I will highlight how a physics and a computer science approach can give us complementary perspectives on these problems. I close with an outlook on the exciting questions that await investigation in the context of restricted quantum computers.
Bio
I am a quantum scientist working at the interface between computer science, mathematics, physics, and the philosophy of science, working as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Maryland, College Park. In my research, I explore the potential of quantum computing devices from the perspective of computational complexity and classical simulation algorithms, and try to understand the physical mechanisms underlying their speedups. In collaboration with experimental groups, I have developed and applied resource-efficient characterization tools to help improve those devices. Besides scienctific research, I also enjoy thinking about methodological aspects of science from a philosophical point of view. I studied physics, philosophy, and mathematics in Konstanz, Oxford and Munich, and received my Ph.D. from Freie Universität Berlin. In the past years, I spent some time in Berkeley, California, where I participated in programmes at the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, and currently live in Washington DC.
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IC/SB Faculty candidate
Abstract
The promise of quantum computation rests on their exponential advantage for very specific tasks including in particular applications in cryptography and the simulation of physical systems. Understanding the scenarios in which we can hope for quantum speedups is therefore not only of foundational significance but also important for the search of future applications. In this talk, I will motivate the study of restricted quantum computations as a means to obtain such understanding. I will exemplify this approach with a focus on two settings. First, I will discuss the quantum advantage of the restricted computational models realized by actual quantum computing devices, and elaborate such a study for a logical quantum processor based on reconfigurable atom arrays. Second, I will discuss the complexity of simulating quantum systems which can undergo only a limited amount of interference. In doing so, I will highlight how a physics and a computer science approach can give us complementary perspectives on these problems. I close with an outlook on the exciting questions that await investigation in the context of restricted quantum computers.
Bio
I am a quantum scientist working at the interface between computer science, mathematics, physics, and the philosophy of science, working as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Maryland, College Park. In my research, I explore the potential of quantum computing devices from the perspective of computational complexity and classical simulation algorithms, and try to understand the physical mechanisms underlying their speedups. In collaboration with experimental groups, I have developed and applied resource-efficient characterization tools to help improve those devices. Besides scienctific research, I also enjoy thinking about methodological aspects of science from a philosophical point of view. I studied physics, philosophy, and mathematics in Konstanz, Oxford and Munich, and received my Ph.D. from Freie Universität Berlin. In the past years, I spent some time in Berkeley, California, where I participated in programmes at the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing, and currently live in Washington DC.
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Practical information
- General public
- Free
Contact
- Host: Zoë Holmes