Computing with Quantum Entanglement

Quantum mechanics describes the physical world around us with exquisite precision, with no known violations of the theory. Ironically, this precision comes with additional baggage: the theory permits the existence of a host of complex, delicate entangled states of the physical world, many of which have yet to be produced or observed. The debate of whether quantum entanglement fully captures the underlying nature of the physical world and is an engineering resource is reaching a critical moment. Quantum processors based on superconducting circuitry have recently demonstrated computing power on par with the most advanced classical supercomputers for select problems.  Current hardware is, however, prone to errors from materials defects, imperfect control systems, and the leakage of quantum information into unwanted modes in the solid-state. I will describe approaches to maximize the computing power of imperfect qubits, and will raise fundamental physics questions that can be probed with advances in quantum information processing. 

Bio Irfan Siddiqi is Professor and Chair of Physics at UC Berkeley and a Faculty Scientist at LBNL. He directs Berkeley’s Quantum Nanoelectronics Lab and Advanced Quantum Testbed, with groundbreaking contributions to the fields of superconducting quantum circuits, including dispersive single-shot readout of superconducting quantum bits, and near-quantum-limited amplification. Honors include the APS Valley Prize and the Joseph F. Keithley Award.