Inside Quantum Computers

In this talk, we move from the roots of classical logic to the emerging world of quantum computing. Starting with simple ideas about how we reason and process information, we gradually shift toward a perspective in which information itself behaves in subtle and surprising ways. Somewhere along the way, between familiar ground and new territory, we’ll try to build an intuitive sense of what lies behind quantum computing and what makes it such a compelling new way to think about computation. No technical background required. Just curiosity.

Quantum computers promise to revolutionize many applications from drug discovery to hacking encryption. But how does a quantum computer work and how can you build one? In this talk we will start from scratch and learn what the fundamental building blocks are and how they are put together into a full machine. You will learn how single atoms can be used to process information and how to put many individual atoms together to build the largest quantum processor in existence. The talk will take you on a journey of lasers, empty space, Swedish physicists, Super Mario and more, and you will leave knowing how these special machines actually work.