Abstract:
Nobel Laureate Richard Feynman once proclaimed that 'If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don't understand quantum mechanics." Decades later, the science of quantum information continues to demonstrate that Feynman's proclamation could not be more true. The more we discover, the more we realize that our intuition can often be dreadfully unreliable.
In this seminar, I survey two contemporary research topics at the Center for Quantum Technology that seem to defy intuition [1-3]. In one, I introduce the notion of discord, and how it may challenge the standard intuition that quantum technologies generally require environments of minimal noise. In the other, I show how the innocent task of trying to construct the simplest theories of reality may reveal a source of irreversibly in the quantum mechanics.
The seminar is informal and designed to introduce enthusiastic students, both undergraduate and graduate, to an array of puzzling open questions. It will assume only basic knowledge of quantum information and be accessible to a diverse audience. Students who are interested in starting undergraduate or PhD projects in the more foundations aspects of quantum information are strongly recommended to attend.


Related References:

[1] Nature Physics 8, 671�675
[2] Nature Photonics 6, 724�725
[3] Nature Communications 3, Article number: 762
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Short Bio: