Quantum Computing

Co-sponsored by Texas Instruments

Speakers: Dr. Peter Shor, Bell Laboratories
Dr. Seth Lloyd, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Computer hardware performance is bumping up against natural limits imposed by the laws of physics. Quantum physics offers a tantalizing possibility: the construction of qualitatively new types of logic gates and absolutely secure cryptosystems. In theory, quantum computers can conduct massively parallel computation--not by having many processors working in parallel--but by having a quantum processor performing a single command operating on a coherent superposition of many different numbers simultaneously. An algorithm for this type of computing that factors large numbers, thereby breaking the widely used RSA cryptosystem, has recently been discovered, but questions remain as to whether a computer can be built that can run a quantum algorithm. If developed, the implications for the future of computing are astounding and revolutionary. The recent and potential developments will be explored in this seminar.