Date/Time
Date(s) - 15/03/2024
3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Nelson lecture on Friday March 15th
HH-305 from 3:30-4:30pm

Here are the details:

This is the 2023-24 Nelson lecture held annually in honour of our former colleague Evelyn Nelson.

Speaker: Henry Yuen, Columbia University

Title: A Tale of Turing Machines, Quantum Entanglement, and Operator Algebras

See previous Nelson lectures here 

Abstract: In a recent result known as “MIP* = RE,” ideas from three disparate fields of study — computational complexity theory, quantum information, and operator algebras — have come
together to simultaneously resolve long-standing open problems in each field, including a 45- year old mystery in mathematics known as Connes’ Embedding Problem. In this talk, I will
describe the evolution and convergence of ideas behind MIP* = RE: it starts with three landmark discoveries from the 1930s (Turing’s notion of a universal computing machine, the phenomenon of quantum entanglement, and von Neumann’s theory of operators), and ends with some of the most cutting-edge developments from theoretical computer science and quantum computing. This talk is aimed at a general scientific audience, and will not assume any specialized background in complexity theory, quantum physics, or operator algebras.
Bio: Henry Yuen is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University. His research focuses on the interplay between quantum computing, complexity theory, cryptography, and information theory. Yuen received a BA in mathematics from the University of Southern California in 2010, and received his PhD in computer science at MIT in 2016. He is a recipient of the NSF CAREER award and a Sloan Fellowship.

See the talk through this link