Abstract: This talk will first briefly introduce the background, early history, and so-called “quantum “supremacy” of quantum computers, elaborating on the enormous potential of quantum computers compared to classical computers. Subsequently, the speaker is going to discuss the physical implementation methods of quantum computers, including the concept of quantum bits and the operation of quantum gates. In the third part of the talk, a more detailed analysis of the current major quantum computing candidate systems is conducted. Firstly, ion trap technology has attracted much attention due to its longer coherence time, higher fidelity, and scalability. Secondly, superconducting systems play an important role in the field of quantum computing with their high speed and low noise characteristics. In addition, neutral atoms, as an emerging quantum computing technology, have gradually become an important research direction due to their strong interaction and programmability. Finally, the speaker will also briefly introduce some other promising quantum computing systems.

Bio：Prof. Wang Zidan is currently Chair of Professor in Department of Physics and Head of HK Institute of Quantum Science & Technology at The University of Hong Kong. He received BSc and PhD from University of Science and Technology and Nanjing University on Feb 1982 and Jan 1988, respectively. As a physicist mainly engaged in theoretical research of quantum physics and condensed matter, he has made a series of innovative research achievements in the fields of quantum geometric phases, quantum computing and quantum emulation, and novel topological physics, for which he has received a number of awards and honours, such as National Award in Natural Sciences of China (The 2nd Class, 2013), Croucher Senior Research Fellowship (2007), and Changjiang Scholar-Chair Professorship (overseas, 2004) etc. His representative research accomplishments include (i) pioneering research of geometric quantum computing: proposed for the first time “the unconventional, non-adiabatic geometric quantum computation theory, which has been experimentally implemented by more than ten groups; (ii) theoretical understandings of novel topological quantum materials and physics: his group pioneered also research on time-reversal symmetric topological metals, via establishment of a unified theory to describe topological metals and theoretical prediction of four types of Z2 protected, as well as PT and CP protected, new topological metals; and (iii) he and his collaborators were the first to propose simulating the famous Haldane model (a piece of work for 2016 Nobel Prize in Physics) with cold atomic systems, which may currently remain the only experimental system to have realized this model.