The first quantum revolution – understanding and applying physical laws in the microscopic realm – resulted in groundbreaking technologies such as the transistor, solid-state lighting and lasers, and GPS. Today, our ability to use previously untapped quantum effects such as superposition and entanglement is paving the way for a second revolution. This enables a range of applications which can potentially revolutionize the fields of computing, sensing, and communication.
Quantum computers are expected to be able to solve, in a few minutes, problems that are unsolvable by the supercomputers of today and tomorrow. Quantum simulators, which are special-purpose quantum computers, may enable the design of chemical processes, new materials, such as higher-temperature superconductors, and new paradigms in machine learning and artificial intelligence. Through quantum cryptography, data can be protected in a completely secure way that makes eavesdropping impossible. Exploiting quantum entanglement allows the design of clocks and sensors with unprecedented sensitivity and accuracy.
In this seminar, we want to discuss recent advances in quantum technologies. Each presentation will focus on one recent scientific publication and provide the necessary background on the respective subfield.
Course modalities
Each participant will present one topic in a 30-minutes presentation. During preparation, participants will meet at least twice with the topic supervisor (one of the lecturers) to discuss their questions and receive feedback on their planned presentation. With the presentation, a max. 2-page handout with the most important take-home messages and contents of the presentation should be provided. For master students in physics, the seminar can be counted towards the mandatory Oberseminar module in the specializations Theory or Optics, depending on the presentation topic. Please clarify this with the lecturers, when choosing the topic.
Literature
