Supervisor: Nikolaj Thomas Zinner

In recent years quantum computers have grown exponentially in size and by far surpassed the number of qubits where the quantum computer should be able to outperform a classical computer. So why have they not? The short answer is decoherence.

Decoherence is a consequence of the qubits making up the quantum computer interacting with some unknown degrees of freedom. This lack of knowledge leaks into the computer preventing it from getting the right result.

In this colloquium we will go through the underlying principles of decoherence and what causes it. First we will discuss the basics of quantum computing and statistical physics. Then we will see how decoherence is a direct consequence of the union of these subjects. Finally a solution to decoherence will be presented.