When Physics and Computer Science Collide: A Cross Cultural Extravaganza

Dave Bacon
UW Computer Science and Engineering

In 1994 Peter Shor discovered that computers operating according to quantum principles could efficiently factor integers and hence break many modern cryptosystems.  Since this time researchers from disciplines--physics, computer science, chemistry, and mathematics--have been engaged in building an entirely new discipline now known as quantum information science.  Being a highly interdisciplinary endeavor, quantum information science requires not just mastery of physics or of computer science, but an ability to take insights from both fields across the cultural divide.  In this talk I will discuss how physicists can contribute to the computer science side of quantum computing and how computer scientists can contribute to the physics side of quantum computing via a series of vignettes taken from research in my group here at UW.