Perimeter Institute Quantum Information Lectures (PIRSA)

The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics in Waterloo, Canada, is one of the world’s leading centres for theoretical physics research. Its public lecture archive, PIRSA, contains hundreds of hours of recorded lectures and talks by the researchers who are actively shaping quantum information, quantum foundations, and quantum gravity. The breadth and depth of this freely available content is extraordinary.

Unlike curated online courses, PIRSA gives direct access to how frontier researchers think and talk about quantum information. Lectures range from pedagogical graduate course recordings to cutting-edge workshop talks by visitors from MIT, Caltech, Oxford, and beyond. The quantum information collection alone spans decades of material.

What you’ll learn

• Quantum information foundations: the operational framework of quantum theory, quantum states as resources, and foundational questions about measurement and interpretation
• Quantum error correction: lectures by leading researchers including stabiliser codes, topological codes, magic state distillation, and the connections to condensed matter
• Quantum foundations: Bell inequalities, contextuality, the resource theory of coherence, and the relationship between quantum theory and spacetime
• Connections to quantum gravity: holographic quantum error correction, the black hole information paradox, and tensor network approaches to quantum gravity
• Research frontiers: talks by active researchers on topics including quantum complexity, quantum advantage, and open problems in quantum information theory

Who is this for

Graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, and advanced self-learners who want exposure to research-level quantum information beyond what structured courses provide. PIRSA is particularly valuable for anyone interested in the theoretical and foundational aspects of quantum information, or in connections between quantum information and fundamental physics. It is also an excellent resource for understanding what research in quantum information actually looks like.

Prerequisites

Graduate-level quantum mechanics and linear algebra are required to follow most of the content. Familiarity with basic quantum information, density operators, and quantum channels will be assumed in most lectures. Some talks on quantum gravity connections additionally require background in general relativity or conformal field theory. This is not an introductory resource.