Scott Aaronson

! scientist · # tag · @ author

1981– · Quantum computing, Complexity theory, Quantum information

American computer scientist, leading theorist of quantum complexity and quantum computing. Proved a number of fundamental theorems about the power of quantum computers, including formal arguments for quantum supremacy. Founder of the influential blog 'Shtetl-Optimized', science communicator.

Biography

Graduated from Cornell University, received PhD from the University of California, Berkeley. Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Worked at MIT and the Institute for Advanced Study. Winner of the Alan T. Waterman Award (2012) and the Tomassoni Prize for science communication.

Key discoveries

Quantum supremacy: formally showed that certain computational problems can be solved exponentially faster by a quantum computer, which underlies modern experiments.
Complexity theory: established connections between quantum computing and classical complexity, proving that some problems remain hard even for quantum machines.
Quantum skepticism: critically analyzes claims about quantum computing, separating real achievements from hype.

💡 Aaronson is known for his witty and sometimes provocative essays; he proposed the 'Aaronson's kettle' thought experiment against the many-worlds interpretation. His blog is read by tens of thousands of scientists.

Quote: "If your theory of fundamental physics doesn't contain information, you're probably missing something important."

Links in the knowledge graph 1

Related laws

no-cloning theorem

Related scientists

Alain Aspect David Deutsch John Stewart Bell Serge Haroche Charles Bennett John von Neumann Richard Feynman John Clauser

Quantum computers save not just time, but also energy

Researchers compared the energy consumption of a photonic quantum chip and the best classical algorithms on the same task. The quantum approach becomes more energy-efficient long before achieving computational supremacy. This paves the way for reducing data center energy consumption.

arXiv:2601.08068 · 2026-01-12

Light Chip Plays Quantum Pinball

A compact glass chip with a maze of 128 waveguides makes photons bounce and mix like in quantum pinball. Heating controls their routes. The device solves the boson sampling puzzle—beyond ordinary computers—and outputs truly random numbers, the key to perfect encryption.

arXiv:2605.04162 · 2026-05-05

Scott Aaronson

Biography

Key discoveries

Related articles

Quantum computers save not just time, but also energy

Light Chip Plays Quantum Pinball