From black holes to quantum computers - Professor Marika Taylor, 30 October 2024

Marika Taylor is Professor of Maths, Physics and AI, and Pro-Vice Chancellor, at the University of Birmingham. She began her research career studying for a doctorate with Stephen Hawking, and her research interests range from fundamental physics through to the development and use of physics inspired AI. A quantum computer makes use of the quantum states of subatomic particles to store and process information. Quantum computing has the potential to solve certain types of problems much more quickly than standard computers can do, and thus many researchers are working on developing large scale quantum computers. Remarkably, black holes may play a crucial role in understanding how a quantum computer might work: black holes are the most efficient quantum computers that can exist in Nature. In this talk we will explain what black holes might teach us about quantum computing and conversely what quantum information implies for the fundamental properties of black holes.uantum computer makes use of the quantum states of subatomic particles to store and process information. Quantum computing has the potential to solve certain types of problems much more quickly than standard computers can do, and thus many researchers are working on developing large scale quantum computers. Remarkably, black holes may play a crucial role in understanding how a quantum computer might work: black holes are the most efficient quantum computers that can exist in Nature. In this talk we will explain what black holes might teach us about quantum computing and conversely what quantum information implies for the fundamental properties of black holes.