Quantum Computing Day 1: Introduction to Quantum Computing

Google Tech Talks
December, 6 2007

ABSTRACT

This tech talk series explores the enormous opportunities afforded by the emerging field of quantum computing. The exploitation of quantum phenomena not only offers tremendous speed-ups for important algorithms but may also prove key to achieving genuine synthetic intelligence. We argue that understanding higher brain function requires references to quantum mechanics as well. These talks look at the topic of quantum computing from mathematical, engineering and neurobiological perspectives, and we attempt to present the material so that the base concepts can be understood by listeners with no background in quantum physics.

This first talk of the series introduces the basic concepts of quantum computing. We start by looking at the difference in describing a classical and a quantum mechanical system. The talk discusses the Turing machine in quantum mechanical terms and introduces the notion of a qubit. We study the gate model of quantum computing and look at the famous quantum algorithms of Deutsch, Grover and Shor. Finally we talk about decoherence and how it destroys superposition states which is the main obstacle to building large scale quantum computers. We clarify widely held misconceptions about decoherence and explain that environmental interaction tends to choose a basis in state space in which the system decoheres while leaving coherences in other coordinate systems intact.

Speaker: Hartmut Neven

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[MrBurstingfoam]

@ericharris666 "Hindenburg uncertainty"? Is that where you can't know both the exact position and the exact velocity of an enormous burning German airship?

[sexyloser]

Google needs to re-upload these videos in HD.

Not being able to see the equations behind the theory puts a damper on any understanding.

[insane3alien]

did me good! Had been studying the basic quantum mechanics and encountered fascinating terms related to quantum computing frequently..the three days of these talks left me better..

[mitchTwitch]

so you only have to send 1 bit through the processor and it runs on all your super positioned bits still in ram ?

[lvll138inrs]

how exactly does a quantam computer predict the future?

[peternicholls88]

Already saw this video. Where is the new research?

[DarkAnimeWindSlayer]

Quantum computer will be so powerful that it can predict the future >:3

[harvestsun]

Lol @ the guy at 47:12... He clearly was not paying much attention.

[BigMTBrain]

@MrTeaB - A Q computer by itself? No. However, imagine a hybrid (binary/quantum) computer 100 years from now. The conventional (binary) side will be literally HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of times faster than today's fastest supercomputer. It alone would whip a Go grandmaster silly. I'll even predict that a conventional computer (at least 100 times today's best) will do so using Chess like algorithms in about 10 to 20 years. In 50 to 100 years, hybrids will be playing games beyond human comprehension.

[MrTeaB]

@BigMTBrain but could a quantum computer beat a grandmaster at go?

[BigMTBrain]

@ObserversParadox - (p2) The IBM Blue Brain project (/watch?v=8iDR8Z-e_GU) is working towards emulating a tiny part of a rat's brain. In the US, a full cat's brain. Still others, the human brain. They are all proceeding on a fundamental/modularity approach where any of the fundamentals or module-level components can be experimented with to create many "intelligence" paradigms. These coupled with quantum computers will be well beyond the awareness and intelligence of total humanity in < 100 yrs.