Presenter:

Kaushik Seshadreesan, PhD
Assistant Professor, School of Computing and Information at the University of Pittsburgh

Café Sci: The Story of Quantum Entanglement—From Theory to Technology

Quantum entanglement, the phenomenon where two or more particles behave like one unit—dancing in tandem to any beat—even when separated by large distances, is one of the most profound and truly astounding ideas of quantum physics. It bemused Albert Einstein, who is famously said to have dismissed it as “spooky action at a distance”, only to be proven wrong several decades later. Although still quite spooky to hear about the first time, quantum entanglement is fairly well understood today. It is also central to a quantum information revolution that is currently underway to develop novel technologies for computing, sensing, and communications. The Nobel Prize in Physics for the year 2022 was awarded to Alain Aspect, John Clauser and Anton Zeilinger for shining light on the nature of quantum entanglement by performing pioneering experiments with entangled light particles—photons. In this talk, we will demystify the phenomenon of quantum entanglement, talk about the experiments with entangled photons including quantum teleportation, and the quantum information processing technologies that are being developed by leveraging quantum entanglement.

About Kaushik Seshadreesan

Kaushik Seshadreesan is an Assistant Professor at the University of Pittsburgh, in the Department of Informatics and Networked Systems, School of Computing and Information. Kaushik obtained his PhD in Physics from Louisiana State University under the supervision of Jonathan P. Dowling with a dissertation at the interface of quantum optics and quantum information and estimation theories. Kaushik then held postdoctoral and research scientist positions at the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, and the Wyant College of Optical Sciences at the University of Arizona before joining U. Pittsburgh in the fall of 2021. Kaushik holds an M.Sc. in Physics and B.E. in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani, India. Kaushik's research broadly lies in quantum information science and technologies spanning quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum communications.

Register for Café Sci

The event is FREE to attend, but preregistration is required! Carnegie Science Center would like to continue to offer programs like Café Sci, Women in STEM, and others. Please consider making a donation when you register. Once you sign up, you’ll get an email confirmation. Have a question for Dr. Seshadreesan? You’ll be able to type your questions in the Q&A section during the presentation!

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