Prof Ian Walmsley FRS (Imperial College London): Lighting the Quantum Future
Venue: Small Lecture Theatre
Light has a central role in emerging quantum technologies because of its ability to control matter and its unique capacity for displaying quantum features in ambient condition. Non-error corrected optical quantum machines performing specialised tasks have already demonstrated a quantum advantage over the best algorithms running on conventional computers, and practical applications for such machines are being explored. Meanwhile, designs for error-corrected fault-tolerant quantum computers based on light are reducing the performance requirements for individual components and systems, although the engineering challenges are severe. I will outline some recent progress toward scaling photonic quantum simulation and new modes of harnessing light in quantum computing.
See also: Optica Quantum, Vol. 1, Issue 1, pp. 35-40, (2023)