Scott Aaronson, MIT, "Computational Complexity, and Fundamental Physics"

Computational complexity theory -- the study of what is and isn't feasibly computable -- has been giving us new insights into the nature of physical law.  Professor Aaronson will present his personal view of quantum computing's key ideas, status, and prospects, placing the attempt to build practical quantum computers in the broader context of the quest to understand the ultimate physical limits of computation.  He’ll end by explaining a striking connection, made within the last few years, between quantum computing and Stephen Hawking's black-hole information-loss problem.