Unlocking Quantum Physics Through Computational Complexity with Dorit Aharonov 🔍

Stanford University
APPLIED PHYSICS/PHYSICS COLLOQUIUM

Tuesday, February 4, 2020
4:30 p.m. on campus in Hewlett Teaching Center, Rm. 200

Dorit Aharonov
Hebrew University

“Quantum Physics from a computational complexity angle”

Quantum computation is just around the corner, maybe; or it may take a few decades to see the true technological revolution it offers. Who knows.
In any case, the field had already reshaped the way we think of quantum physics. Computational complexity notions such as quantum NP and interactive proofs shed light on old physics questions such as relaxation times and the nature of entanglement in ground states; as well as on how we understand what a quantum measurement really is. I will provide some examples of recent lines of research in quantum computation, which demonstrate how this blending of the computational complexity language into the heart of quantum physics can lead to some interesting new insights and questions.