Ignacio Cirac and Adolfo Plasencia
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780262036016
- eISBN:
- 9780262339308
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262036016.003.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Technology and Society
In this dialogue, the physicist Ignacio Cirac, director of the Theoretical Division of the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, outlines why quantum physics has brought about a much greater ...
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In this dialogue, the physicist Ignacio Cirac, director of the Theoretical Division of the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, outlines why quantum physics has brought about a much greater change than that caused by Einstein’s theory of relativity, how quantum physics takes free will into account and how it combines with philosophy. He describes why quantum theory defines “everything else,” yet is unable to define itself. Explaining how, together with Peter Zoller, he developed and presented the first theoretical description of a quantum computing architecture based on trapped ions, and, how this quantum architecture will be viable and capable of performing calculations we cannot perform at present. Their quantum computer calculates in qubits, which would require at least 100,000 qubits to function, rising to 1,000,000 if error correction is implemented. It will be able to perform calculations previously unachievable and create encrypted messages impossible to decipher. Building a functional quantum computer still requires a huge technological change, which has yet to come about. Lastly, Cirac explains the differences between European and American visions of science and why mathematicians are even more conservative than physicists.Less
In this dialogue, the physicist Ignacio Cirac, director of the Theoretical Division of the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics, outlines why quantum physics has brought about a much greater change than that caused by Einstein’s theory of relativity, how quantum physics takes free will into account and how it combines with philosophy. He describes why quantum theory defines “everything else,” yet is unable to define itself. Explaining how, together with Peter Zoller, he developed and presented the first theoretical description of a quantum computing architecture based on trapped ions, and, how this quantum architecture will be viable and capable of performing calculations we cannot perform at present. Their quantum computer calculates in qubits, which would require at least 100,000 qubits to function, rising to 1,000,000 if error correction is implemented. It will be able to perform calculations previously unachievable and create encrypted messages impossible to decipher. Building a functional quantum computer still requires a huge technological change, which has yet to come about. Lastly, Cirac explains the differences between European and American visions of science and why mathematicians are even more conservative than physicists.
Pablo Jarillo-Herrero and Adolfo Plasencia
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780262036016
- eISBN:
- 9780262339308
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- The MIT Press
- DOI:
- 10.7551/mitpress/9780262036016.003.0006
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Technology and Society
In this dialogue, the physicist Pablo Jarillo-Herrero outlines his scientific career path, which started out in theoretical high-energy physics on a cosmological scale. Later he was drawn to ...
More
In this dialogue, the physicist Pablo Jarillo-Herrero outlines his scientific career path, which started out in theoretical high-energy physics on a cosmological scale. Later he was drawn to experimental science and condensed material physics, which is his current area of research. He talks about his intense relationship with mathematics, only surpassed by his passion for physics, and their connection with experiment and reality—the first thing he looks for. Pablo goes on to reflect on how philosophers can help to bring a perspective to many issues related to quantum physics. He believes that physicists of today should be open to the possibility that what seems to be impossible may be possible. He moves on to discuss his current research with graphene and its two-dimensional ‘family’ of materials. This research also includes the quantum transport of electrons, topological insulators, and the ‘ultra-relativistic’ behavior of particles inside these materials; the finest materials to have ever or are ever likely to exist.Less
In this dialogue, the physicist Pablo Jarillo-Herrero outlines his scientific career path, which started out in theoretical high-energy physics on a cosmological scale. Later he was drawn to experimental science and condensed material physics, which is his current area of research. He talks about his intense relationship with mathematics, only surpassed by his passion for physics, and their connection with experiment and reality—the first thing he looks for. Pablo goes on to reflect on how philosophers can help to bring a perspective to many issues related to quantum physics. He believes that physicists of today should be open to the possibility that what seems to be impossible may be possible. He moves on to discuss his current research with graphene and its two-dimensional ‘family’ of materials. This research also includes the quantum transport of electrons, topological insulators, and the ‘ultra-relativistic’ behavior of particles inside these materials; the finest materials to have ever or are ever likely to exist.
