Quantum Computing and the Limits of the Efficiently Computable - 2011 Buhl Lecture

Scott Aaronson discusses the capabilities and limitations of quantum computing and what they mean for computational complexity theory.

Scott Aaronson, an expert in the realm of computational complexity theory and the founder of ComplexityZoo.com online encyclopedia of computational complexity theory delivered Carnegie Mellon University's 2011 Buhl Lecture. In his lecture titled "Quantum Computing and the Limits of the Efficiently Computable," Aaronson discusses what quantum computers are, whether they can be built on a large scale, and what's known today about their capabilities and limitations. He goes beyond quantum computers to touch on speculative models of computation, including closed time-like curves and nonlinearities in the Schrodinger equation — an equation that describes how the quantum state of a physical system changes in time. An associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Aaronson's work on the subject of quantum computing has included limitations of quantum algorithms in the black-box model, the learnability of quantum states, and quantum versus classical proofs and advice. He writes a popular blog (www.scottaaronson.com/blog). For more on the Buhl Lectures, visit: cmu.edu/physics/seminars-and-events/buhl-lectures/