Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

What is the difference between a regular computer and a quantum computer? In this clip, Katie Mack, Perimeter Institute’s Hawking Chair in Cosmology and Science Communication, compares the two by explaining how each would find a message hidden within a book inside a massive library.

How far can we go when using AI in physics? From large language models and “next-token prediction” to quantum computing and AI-driven simulations, physicist Roger Melko discusses this rapidly evolving field where imagination may be the only limit.

Quantum computing is an entirely different way of processing information, designed to solve problems that classical computers cannot. @astrokatie.com paints a picture of a quantum warehouse to describe the capabilities of a quantum computer.

Today, AI is helping researchers simulate quantum systems, analyze massive datasets, and even model the behaviour of quantum computers. In this conversation, physicist Roger Melko explores how AI is changing the way physics is done, and what it means for the future of scientific discovery.

From October 19-21, this workshop will bring together the most innovative science communicators helping to connect the public with topics in physics and astronomy. Learn more and make your submission by May 15th: events.perimeterinstitute.ca/event/2128

How did the qubit get its name? Theoretical physicists Benjamin Schumacher and William Wootters tell the story of how the term first came to Schumacher during a car ride with Wootters. Watch the full video youtu.be/fiS-1GFaUbo?...

What does the end of the universe look like? @astrokatie.com shares a glimpse of what modern astrophysics tells us about the ultimate fate of the cosmos, and what the catastrophic destruction of all reality would look like to anyone still around to see it.

What’s next for quantum information & gravity? A Stanford PhD student shares how tabletop experiments could soon test if gravity is truly quantum. Moving from theory to experiment may finally reshape our understanding of one of physics’ biggest questions.

Couldn't make it to LUMEN this year? We still have a display here at Perimeter Institute until October 19th!   Speak into the phone at the front of the building and watch as your words transform into a light show.

Check out more events that we are running for our Festival Week, September 20-27, on our Eventbrite page. Get tickets: www.eventbrite.ca/o/perimeter-...

What will the end of the universe look like? Astrophysicist @astrokatie.com explains the concept of heat death, the most likely fate of our universe.

Live now! Tune in to @astrokatie.com’s public lecture on How the Universe Ends. Tune in to the livestream: youtube.com/live/HF0SRWd...

Robert Myers and Netta Engelhardt both had breakthrough realizations while driving; Myers on entanglement entropy, Engelhardt on black hole quantum information. Do physicists really do their best thinking behind the wheel?

Since its launch in 2018, the Perimeter Institute Quantum Intelligence Lab (PIQuIL) has been exploring how AI could be applied to problems in quantum physics. Read more about PIQuIL: perimeterinstitute.ca/news/catchin...

Leonard Susskind recalls a pivotal moment in physics: a meeting with Gerard ’t Hooft and Stephen Hawking. Hawking argued that black holes destroy information, an idea that sounded plausible, yet troubling. Ultimately wrong, but transformative. The brilliance wasn’t in the answer, but the question.

Michael, a PhD student at the University of Toronto and associate graduate student at Perimeter Institute, recalls the online Quantum Gravity 2020 conference that completely reframed how he thought about his research path. What single event reshaped your academic trajectory?

At QIQG 2025, a Stanford postdoc shared advice for students: don’t get trapped in one subfield. Physics’ biggest breakthroughs often emerge at intersections; like quantum information and quantum gravity. Where do you see untapped connections?

Leonard Susskind says the most exciting frontier in quantum gravity is moving from well-studied “anti–de sitter space” to the less-understood “de sitter space”—a model closer to our actual universe. What questions might this shift answer?

Perimeter alumni David Louapre is pursuing scientific outreach through video game development. As the Scientific Director at Ubisoft, Louapre integrates science and artificial intelligence into game mechanics. Read the interview: perimeterinstitute.ca/news/david-l...

This video series chronicles one remarkable year in theoretical physics, following a global cohort of ambitious young minds as they navigate Perimeter Institute’s intensive, one-of-a-kind master’s program. Watch the PSI Journeys playlist: www.youtube.com/playlist?lis...

Could gravity help recover information from black holes? Netta Engelhardt explores how gravity might influence entanglement in ways that preserve information, this challenging long-held assumptions about what’s truly lost beyond the event horizon.

Physicist Netta Engelhardt opens her lecture with a question: Can anything escape a black hole? She revisits the familiar idea that not even light can get out, and begins to challenge what we think we know about black holes and spacetime.