John Preskill Kicks Off the Columbia Quantum Initiative Distinguished Speaker Series

On October 13 and 14, Columbia University welcomed John Preskill for the first Columbia Quantum Initiative (CQI) Distinguished Speaker Series. Preskill, the Richard P. Feynman Professor of Physics at the California Institute of Technology, was invited by Henry Yuen, assistant professor of computer science at Columbia, with the support of the CQI task force members to bring distinguished researchers to campus to share their expertise in quantum science and technology with the Columbia community. 

On October 13, Preskill gave a public lecture in Davis Auditorium titled, “Quantum Computing and the Entanglement Frontier.” The event was a no-physics-required talk on the basics of quantum entanglement and how this unique feature of quantum mechanics may one day help quantum computers solve otherwise intractable problems.

On October 14, Preskill gave a second, more technical seminar titled “Learning in a Quantum World” to Columbia affiliates at the Center for Theoretical Physics in Pupin Hall. Here, he discussed how quantum states can be converted into their classical shadows, and how machine learning algorithms can use those shadows to address different quantum problems.

In addition to his two talks, Preskill met with faculty members and their groups, toured several of Columbia’s quantum laboratories, and had lunch with a group of students and postdoctoral fellows.

The CQI task force is currently planning the next installment of its Distinguished Speaker series, intended for sometime during the spring semester. Subscribe to the CQI Newsletter or bookmark the Event page for the announcement.