Prospects in Theoretical Physics is an intensive two-week summer program designed for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars considering a career in theoretical physics. The 2011 program, “Frontiers of Physics in Cosmology,” took place from July 18 to July 29.

In physics, the twentieth century started with the twin revolutions of relativity and quantum mechanics. Much of the second half of the century was devoted to the construction of a theoretical structure unifying these radical ideas, confirmed experimentally to exquisite precision over the past three decades. Yet questions remain. The union of quantum mechanics and gravity strongly suggests that space-time is doomed—but what replaces it?

Quantum theory radically transforms our fundamental understanding of physical reality. It reveals that the world contains a hidden richness of  structure that we have barely begun to control and exploit. In this lecture, Frank Wilczek indicates the extraordinary potential ofquantum engineering (the size and nature of Hilbert space); reviews one important ongoing effort to harness it (topological quantum computing); and speculates on its ultimate prospects (quantum minds).

This lecture was part of the Institute for Advanced Study’s celebration of its eightieth anniversary, and took place during the events related to the Schools of Mathematics and Natural Sciences.