Using Computational Methods to Understand Correlated Quantum Systems
Herbert Fotso University at Albany
Sept. 21, 2017 at 3:30 PM in Rm. 109 Nicholson Hall. Host by Juana Moreno
Correlated quantum systems have the potential to significantly transform the world
around us. In order to harness this potential, a detailed understanding of their behavior
is needed. However, the many degrees of freedom that confer to these systems their
rich properties have also made them rather elusive to a theoretical understanding
that is based on previously well established analytical methods. Computational approaches
have, as a result, played an essential role. I will highlight the success of computational
approaches and also identify some of their current limitations. Useful as they may
be, the scope of these methods is still restricted and may ultimately be tied to,
as postulated by Richard Feynman over 30 years ago, the fact that classical computers
are being used to study quantum systems. Today, a new avenue is being explored in
which quantum simulators and quantum computing may alter this paradigm. I will introduce
quantum simulators and quantum computers from this perspective and also discuss some
of the challenges that need to be overcome in this effort.