Quantum Optics Laboratory

Quantum walks are the quantum analogues of the classical random walks.  It is expected that they could provide us with a new paradigm for solving complex problems more efficiently.  In fact they have already inspired efficient algorithms in quantum computations, quantum search, quantum simulations of classical and quantum phenomena, exponentially faster hitting process in graphs, entanglement generation, network characterization, etc.  Efforts to implement quantum walks have also sparked interesting ideas in atom optics, quantum optics, cavity QED etc.

In this talk I shall present the basic ideas of this new area of physics. Potential applications and experimental implementations will be briefly discussed.