Thursday, April 23, 2025, 16:00
OSGA/EG06 a/b
Mathieu Pellen, Freiburg University
Abstract:
Quantum computing promises dramatic improvements in solving complex problems
and may unlock quantum advantages in real-world applications. At the same time,
high-energy physics is an extremely computationally demanding field, with
billions of CPU hours required each year to interpret data from the Large
Hadron Collider. Moreover, modern simulations of high-energy collisions rely
primarily on perturbative calculations in quantum field theory, making
therefore the link to a fundamental quantum computational framework
particularly intriguing. It is therefore natural to ask whether quantum
computing can help overcome some of the current computational bottlenecks in
high-energy physics.
In this presentation, after an introduction to the basic ideas of quantum
computing and high-energy physics, I review the current state of the field for
quantum-computing applications in high-energy physics. To that end, I will
discuss how quantum algorithms may be applied to several key aspects of
collider simulations, including cross-section calculations, parton-shower
simulations, and the computation of amplitudes in quantum-field-theory.
Finally, I will discuss the extent to which these applications can be
implemented on current quantum hardware as well as the prospects for future
quantum advantage in high-energy physics.