Breaking Heisenberg: Controlling the Quantum World

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Speaker(s): Ivan Deutsch

The quantum information revolution has taught us that quantum mechanics is not a paler version of its classical counterpart, hindered by intrinsic uncertainty and random measurement outcomes. Au contraire! A machine whose operation takes full advantage of the laws of quantum mechanics has information processing capabilities well beyond those that are restricted to essentially classical laws. To harness this power requires new methods for control and measurement, so that we can make quantum systems do our bidding, rather than what comes naturally.

In this colloquium, I will give an introduction to the basics of quantum information science and progress in the control/measurement tools that make this possible. In particular, I will describe a quantum information processing testbed, consisting of ensembles of spin in ultracold atoms gases at near absolute zero temperatures. It’s a Back-to-the-Future vacuum-tube technology!

Colloquium

Junior and senior physics majors attend our biweekly colloquium series, held on Tuesday afternoons at 4:30 p.m. in Shanahan B460. The talks are open to all students and to the public, and are frequently attended by scientists from the other Claremont Colleges, Cal Poly Pomona, and others. The series features speakers from a broad range of institutions and fields of physics.