Dr. F.C. Kohli Centre of Excellence

Perspectives in Mathematical Sciences

January 10–February 4, 2022

Monday, 31 January 2022, 19:30 IST

Ronald de Wolf, QuSoft, Centrum Wiskunde and Informatica (CWI) and University of Amsterdam

Title Quantum computing (Video Recording)

Abstract

The field of quantum computing studies computers based on quantum-mechanical effects such as superposition, interference, and entanglement. We will give an overview of this field, first describing in some detail what quantum computers are and then focusing on computational tasks where we know they could be much better (faster, safer, …) than classical computers, in particular in the areas of cryptography, optimization, and simulation of quantum systems. This talk is mostly from the perspective of theoretical computer science, but we will also briefly discuss the current state of the art in physically realizing such computers in the lab.

About the speaker

Ronald de Wolf studied computer science and philosophy at the Erasmus University Rotterdam, with a focus on logic-based machine learning. He obtained his PhD in 2001 from the University of Amsterdam and CWI (advised by Harry Buhrman and Paul Vitanyi) on a thesis about quantum computation and communication complexity, for which he received the 2003 ERCIM Cor Baayen Award. Subsequently he worked as a postdoctoral researcher at UC Berkeley. Currently he is a senior researcher at CWI and full professor at the University of Amsterdam. He works on quantum computing, focusing on algorithms, complexity theory, and the applications of quantum information to other areas.