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Why is Quantum Mechanics So Hard to Describe?: A Computational Lens on the Problem

Abstract

Why is quantum mechanics so hard to describe? In this talk, Chinmay Nirkhe will argue that this mystery can be explained through a computational lens. Nirkhe will introduce a perspective on quantum mechanics inspired by theoretical computer science and complexity theory, asking questions like: How hard is it to describe a quantum state? How hard is it for a (quantum) computer to certify properties of physical systems like local Hamiltonians? These questions naturally lead to QMA, the quantum analogue of NP (from complexity theory), where proofs themselves are quantum states and familiar ideas like verification and efficiency take on surprising new meanings.

Nirkhe will sketch recent research ideas (by him and the community) showing how quantum states can hide information in ways that defeat classical reasoning, how circuit depth and query complexity limit what we can learn about them, and what differentiates quantum proofs and states from their classical counterparts. The goal of this seminar is to invite thinking about quantum mechanics and physics from a new computational vantage point.