Abstract:
Quantum computers could eventually solve problems that would keep today’s fastest supercomputers busy longer than the age of the universe. They are not at that stage yet, but rapid progress is underway. This talk will review how classical computers store information in bits that are either 0 or 1, then introduce qubits, which can exist in a mix of 0 and 1 at the same time, allowing quantum computers to process information in powerful new ways. The practical engineering of superconducting qubits will be discussed, including the need to cool them to temperatures colder than outer space to protect their fragile quantum states. The talk will conclude with an overview of current experiments that point toward future breakthroughs in computing, new materials, and our understanding of nature.
Bios:
Kristin (Kristi) Beck received a B. S. in Physics and B. A. in Mathematics from the University of Rochester, an M.Phil. from the University of Cambridge, and a Ph. D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She is a Staff Scientist in the LLNL Quantum Coherent Device Physics Group and the Director of the Livermore Center for Quantum Science. Prior to joining LLNL, Kristi was a Senior Physicist at the startup quantum computing company, IonQ, after completing a postdoctoral fellowship in the Joint Quantum Institute at the University of Maryland.
Sean O’Kelley received a B. S. in Physics from the University of California, Santa Cruz and a Ph. D. in Physics is from University of California, Berkeley. Sean is a Staff Scientist in the Quantum Coherent Physics group at LLNL. He has dabbled in amateur rocketry and HAM radio, to engineering X-ray machines, to teaching refugees in southeast Asia, to the search for cosmological dark matter, to the unique challenges of quantum computing.
Stan Hitomi received a B. S. in Biology from University of California, Berkeley and a Masters in Athletic Administration from St. Mary's college. He retired in 2020 after 31 years as a teacher, principal, and district administrator for the San Ramon Valley Unified School District. Stan has been at LLNL for over 25 years as an intern, faculty scholar, and former Director of the Edward Teller Education Center.