Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) Executive Director Raymond Laflamme talked quantum computing with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during a tour of Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI) on Friday, April 15, 2016. Their conversation went on to seed a social media sensation that garnered headlines around the world.
Following the tour, the Prime Minister announced $50 million in funding to Perimeter and then held a media availability. During the scrum, a reporter jokingly mentioned a question about quantum computing before asking about Canada’s mission against ISIL. The Prime Minister’s answer went viral:
His response, according to Laflamme, showed that Trudeau had a base understanding of quantum computing and knew the important questions facing quantum research. In a Macleans.ca article, Laflamme noted that the Prime Minister asked student Lauren Hayward “Why don’t we have high temperature superconducting systems yet?” These systems are an important research endeavor and many IQC researchers are working to bring superconductors to higher temperatures. Laflamme was surprised and delighted that Trudeau was interested and curious about the field.
“A normal computer has either power going through the wire or not: 1 or a 0, they are binary systems. What quantum states allow for is much more complex information to be encoded into a single bit. A regular computer bit is either a 1 or a 0, on or off. A quantum state can be much more complex than that, because as we know, things can be both a particle and a wave at the same time, and the uncertainty around quantum states allows us to encode more information into a much smaller computer. That’s what’s exciting about quantum computing!”
Trudeau’s comments quickly spread around the world with social media, newspapers, magazines, blogs and television stations sharing the brief explanation.
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