Quantum Walks

The  quantum  analogue  of  a  classical  random  walk,  namely  the quantum walk, has evoked considerable research interest in recent years. Initially   a   mere   intellectual  curiosity,  this   concept   has  now   gained importance as it has. been shown to be an universal primitive for  quantum computing, promising speedup of execution of a variety of tasks.

The talk will begin with a brief introduction  to quantum walks and will then be followed by a description of physical systems that have formed the subject  of investigation  in this context.   Experimental  realizations of quantum walks- by ions, atoms and light- will be discussed.  Finally, the specific  cases of quantum  walk of cold  atoms in real space in a double optical lattice and the quantum walk of light in frequency space will be elaborated upon.