Bringing the quantum computation into reality requires not only building but also correctly programming it to run a quantum algorithm. To obtain asymptotic advantage over classical algorithms, quantum algorithms rely on the ability of data in quantum superposition to exhibit phenomena such as interference and entanglement. An implementation of the algorithm as a program must correctly orchestrate these phenomena in qubits. In this talk, Charles Yuan, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, will show how the basic programming abstractions upon which many quantum algorithms rely can fail to work correctly or efficiently on a quantum computer.

Sponsored by the Computer Science and Physics and Astronomy Departments, this event is free and open to the public.