Computer Science Distinguished Lecture – From Einstein’s Curiosity to Quantum Information Technology

Abstract:

The quantum mechanics established at the beginning of the last century is one of the greatest scientific revolutions in human history. The first quantum revolution spawned with quantum mechanics brought about the invention of major technologies such as atomic energy, semiconductors, lasers, nuclear magnetic resonance, superconductivity, and global satellite positioning systems, which greatly changed the way of life and social outlook. With the deepening of experimental research on fundamental problems of quantum mechanics such as quantum superposition and quantum entanglement, physicists have developed ground-breaking technologies for coherent manipulation of quantum systems. This consequently leads to the emerging quantum information sciences including quantum communication, quantum computation and quantum metrology. While quantum communication can ensure secure information exchange, quantum computation can greatly enhance the computing power, and quantum metrology can greatly enhance the precision of measurements. The rapid development of quantum information science marked the rise of the second quantum revolution.

In the field of quantum communication, through the successful implementation of the “Micius” quantum scientific experimental satellite and the long-distance optical fiber quantum secure communication backbone network “Beijing-Shanghai trunk line”, the first world ground-space integrated large-scale quantum communication network has been constructed. In the field of quantum computation, the optical quantum computing prototype “Jiuzhang” of 76 photons has recently been realized. According to the known optimal classical algorithm, “Jiuzhang” processes the Gaussian Bose sampling problem 100 trillion times faster than the current fastest supercomputer “Fugaku”, which marks that China has successfully achieved the milestone of “supremacy in quantum computing”.

上世紀初建立的量子力學是人類歷史上最偉大的科學革命之一。隨著量子力學的建立而催生的第一次量子革命，帶來了原子能、半導體、激光、核磁共振、超導和全球衛星定位系統等重大技術的發明，從根本上改變了人類的生活方式和社會面貌。隨著對量子疊加、量子糾纏等量子力學基本問題實驗研究的深入，自上世紀九十年代以來，量子調控技術的巨大進步使得人們可以對光子、原子等微觀粒子進行主動的精確操縱，從而誕生了量子信息科學。量子信息科學包括量子通信、量子計算、量子精密測量等方向，可以在保障信息安全、提高運算速度、提升測量精度等方面突破經典技術的瓶頸。量子信息科學的迅猛發展標誌著第二次量子革命的興起。

在量子通信領域，通過“墨子號”量子科學實驗衛星和遠距離光纖量子保密通信骨幹網“京滬幹線”的成功實施，中國構建了首個天地一體的廣域量子通信網絡雛形。在量子計算領域，近期實現了76個光子的量子計算原型機“九章”。根據現有最優的經典算法，“九章”處理高斯玻色取樣問題的速度比目前最快的超級計算機“富嶽”快100萬億倍，標誌著中國成功達到了“量子計算優越性”的里程碑。

About the speaker:

Jian-Wei Pan, born on 11 March 1970, received his Bachelor (1992) and Master (1995) in Physics from the University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, and his PhD (1999) from the University of Vienna. He is currently a Professor of Physics of the University of Science and Technology of China, an Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and a Fellow of the World Academy of Sciences (TWAS). He serves as the Director of the CAS Center for Excellence in Quantum Information and Quantum Physics, and the Chief Scientist for the Quantum Science Satellite Project. Jian-Wei Pan’s research fields focus on quantum foundations, quantum optics and quantum information. He has authored more than 300 articles which have attracted more than 40000 citations (Google scholar). Pan has won Fresnel Prize from European Physical Society, Quantum Communications Award, First Prize of National Prize for Natural Sciences of China, Willis E. Lamb Award for Laser Science and Quantum Optics, Newcomb Cleveland Prize form American Association for the Advancement of Science, R. W. Wood Prize from Optical Society of America, Micius Quantum Prize and Zeiss Research Award, and was selected by Nature as “People of the Year” in 2017 who “took quantum communication to space and back”.

潘建偉，1970年3月生，浙江東陽人。 1999年獲奧地利維也納大學實驗物理博士學位。中國科學技術大學常務副校長、教授，中國科學院院士，發展中國家科學院院士，奧地利科學院外籍院士，中科院量子信息與量子科技創新研究院院長。

潘建偉教授主要從事量子光學、量子信息和量子力學基礎問題檢驗等方面的研究。作為國際上量子信息實驗研究領域的開拓者之一，他是該領域有重要國際影響力的科學家。利用量子光學手段，他在量子調控領域取得了一系列有重要意義的研究成果，尤其是他關於量子通信、量子計算和多光子糾纏操縱的系統性創新工作使得量子信息實驗研究成為近年來物理學發展最迅速的方向之一。其研究成果曾多次入選英國《自然》雜誌評選的年度重大科學事件、美國《科學》雜誌評選的“年度十大科技進展”、英國物理學會評選的“年度物理學重大進展”、美國物理學會評選的“年度物理學重大事件”以及兩院院士評選的“中國年度十大科技進展新聞”。