THE child prodigy of yesteryears has lived up to his promise. Tathagat Avatar Tulsi,

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who passed high school at nine and held a Guinness record of getting a master’s at 12, has just got his PhD — in quantum computation. He is 21. With his doctorate from the IISc, Bangalore, he thus joins a super-exclusive band of scientists worldwide. The band includes eminent personalities such as Dr John Forbes Nash, American mathematician and Dr Stephen Wolfram, who got their doctorates at 21 and 20, respectively. Tulsi spoke to Varun Dutt on what drives him. Excerpts:

What inspired you to apply for a PhD at IISc?

My doctorate is in Physics but my research area is in Quantum Computation, which is basically quantum physics applied to computer science. IISc is a sort of No 1 place in India as far as scientific research is concerned. Hence, it becomes a natural choice for any doctoral student in India. Since childhood, I was eager to start my scientific research as early as possible. That eagerness inspired me to start my PhD at 14 and I benefited a lot from the resources available at IISc.

What is your thesis about? How does it contribute to your field?

My thesis is titled Generalisations of the Quantum Search Algorithm. It is about quantum algorithms, in broad terms, quantum softwares. We are trying to develop softwares for quantum computers, a kind of supercomputer which is going to be a much powerful and faster than the present-day (classic) computers. These computational problems have tremendous applications in industry, defence, scientific research as well as real-life problems. We all know how the computers have changed the world. Quantum computers will take us one step ahead in changing the world further. The original quantum search algorithm, discovered by Dr. Lov Grover in 1996, assumes ideal physical implementations with no errors or restrictions. I have studied the cases of some real-life situations and I have designed the quantum search algorithms that are easier to implement in real world, which is always full of errors and restrictions.

I heard the thesis is very short. Is it based on experiment or theory? Did you have to write journal papers for your PhD?

My thesis is completely mathematical and the entire work is connected through a single theme of quantum search algorithm. This feature helped me to write a 33-page thesis. It’s the shortest thesis in India. And it got accepted by the examiners who felt the work was innovative enough to qualify.

At IISc, normally you have to have four publications (peer-reviewed) in international journals to get a PhD. I have seven: 4 single-author papers in Physical Review, 1 first-author paper in QIC, 1 in a conference proceeding and 1 I have submitted for publication.

Where do you see yourself next?

The first priority is to continue my research on quantum computing for a while, say 2-3 years. I want to investigate the possibility of quantum software for NP problems (the toughest but very important problems of computer science having tremendous applications). Then, in the long-term, I want to put my efforts towards development of a quantum computer.

I want to set up a quantum computing company, something like D-wave systems of Canada. For which, I will seek investments. I believe that Quantum Computing has a great future and we just need to wait and watch.

(The writer is a doctoral scholar at Carnegie Mellon University, PA)