An A.D. White Professors-at-Large keynote public event

Michel Devoret (A.D. White Professor-at-Large at Cornell; University of California at Santa Barbara; and Google Quantum AI) will present the keynote public lecture, “Physics of Information” on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, at 4:30pm, 201 Schwartz Auditorium, Rockefeller Hall. Open to all. 

Abstract: It is often said that we live in an “information society”. But what exactly is meant by information? A sequence of symbols 0 and 1? Currently, in the most miniaturized computer, a binary digit, commonly called a bit, is a complex physical device with billions of interacting particles. What happens to information processing when each bit is carried by a single quantum particle, such as an atom, an electron or a photon? Conversely, can we see the movement of elementary particles as a calculation that the universe is performing? The physics of the last thirty years has been particularly rich in the development of ideas and experiments that have illustrated the crucial role of information in physical laws. A new type of computer, the quantum computer, still in the prototype phase, has been invented. This lecture, which is aimed at non-specialists, will explain the merits of such quantum machines and some of the questions they can tackle.  In particular, one fascinating aspect of their operation, namely their crucial quantum error-correction capability, will be discussed.

Bio: Michel Devoret is an internationally recognized and highly distinguished physicist, renowned for his extensive history of impactful accomplishments in the field of quantum physics, including his discovery of superconducting artificial atoms, which set the stage for the development of superconducting qubits, one of the most competitive prospective platforms for quantum computing. Following this discovery, his laboratory has continued to pioneer the physics, both basic and applied, of superconducting circuits for quantum information science and technology over the last two and a half decades.

Devoret is a Professor at University at Santa Barbara and Chief Scientist at Google Quantum AI. He was previously the F.W. Beinecke Professor of Applied Physics at Yale University, where he had been from 2002-24. He also acted as an advisor to the French Government, in part having served as the Director of Research, Head of the Quantronics Group, CEA-Saclay, France from 1995-2002. He has received several notable international awards for his research, including the 2021 Micius Quantum Prize award, focusing on the observation of quantum effects in superconducting devices, for his leading role in pioneering superconducting quantum circuits and qubits.

This event is part of an A.D. White Professors-at-Large (ADW-PAL) visit and is cosponsored by the School of Applied and Engineering Physics. Devoret was appointed as an A.D. White Professor-at-Large (ADW-PAL) in 2023. He visits campus as an ADW-PAL Nov. 18-22, 2024.