Knots, World-Lines, and Quantum Computation | Steve Simon | TEDxOxford

 

In this talk Professor Simon describes the connection between knots of string and certain elementary particles, and how this connection could enable quantum computers - a revolutionary type of computing device. Beginning with the notion of Einsteinian "world-lines" - the paths traced by particles as they move through space-time - he explains that experiments on elementary particles give information about the knots formed by the particles' paths. This information is not easily calculated on any conventional computing device, thus showing that the quantum particles themselves have some sort of "higher" computational ability. The realization that quantum particles have computational ability opens the door for using these particles, and these knots, for doing other computations that would be impossible on any computer currently in existence.

 

View more videos