TASI Public Lecture - Wednesday, June 3 “The Promise of Quantum Computing”
The Theoretical Advanced Study Institute in Particle Physics (TASI) presents a Public Lecture,
“The Promise of Quantum Computing”
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
7:30 p.m.
DUAN G1B30
Presented by: Christian Bauer,Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Abstract: Quantum computers offer a fundamentally different approach to computation, one that harnesses the principles of quantum mechanics to tackle problems that are difficult or even impossible to address with classical techniques. In this talk, I will explain what makes a quantum computer quantum, starting from the basic rules of quantum mechanics that underlie its operation. I will then discuss how algorithms can exploit these rules to achieve significant speedups over the best-known classical algorithms, illustrating this with a concrete example: Grover's algorithm for unstructured search. Finally, I will argue that probably the most important potential application of quantum computers is the direct simulation of quantum mechanical systems. This is particularly true for high-energy physics, where understanding phenomena such as hadronization and the nature of dark matter requires solving problems some aspects of which lie far beyond the reach of classical computation. I will also discuss where we currently stand in realizing this potential, and what the key open challenges are.