BCS Edinburgh Branch

Quantum Computation (the most massively parallel processor?)

Dr John Snowdon

Department of Physics, Heriot-Watt University

Wednesday 14 March 2001. 6.45pm

Apex European Hotel, Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh
NB Changed Venue & later start


Quantum computation has been hailed both as a method of unimaginably increasing computing resources and as a means of understanding certain aspects of he quantum theory itself. As a means of computation there are both theoretical and technological problems in abundance. It is difficult to build and operate quantum gates (especially in any manner that appears scalable) and it is not easy to see how such gates can give a large performance increase over anything other than a small range of problems. Despite this, interest in the subject is high, and the possibilities for demanding new research are good in both the engineering and computer science communities.