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Welcome to the Quantum Realm.

Enjoy today’s breakdown of news, research, & events within quantum.

💥 CERN, home of the Large Hadron Collider, IBM, and DESY created a roadmap for quantum computing in high-energy particle physics, indicating areas of study where its potential to accelerate data processing and physical modeling may surpass current classical methodologies. Plus, IonQ & Terra Quantum secure major government contracts to design a networked quantum computing system for the DoD and a quantum-resistant network for the US Air Force, respectively.

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🗓️UPCOMING

Thursday, August 22nd | D-Wave Deeper Dive into the new Fast Anneal Feature

📰QUANTUM QUICK BYTES

🔒 IonQ locks down $5.7 million contract with the Department of Defense: IonQ won a $5.7 million contract to design a networked quantum computing system for the Department of Defense, with a focus on cybersecurity and blind quantum computing protocols. The project is funded by the Secretary of the Air Force Concepts, Development, and Management Office, and will include future phases for additional construction and maintenance. ARLIS, the principal research center for intelligence and security for the Department of Defense, will conduct hands-on research. This installment in IonQ's series of federal investments is one of many, including projects with the Department of Energy and enterprise customers.

🛡️ Terra Quantum will develop a quantum-resistant network for the U.S. Air Force: Terra Quantum has announced a project to create a quantum-resistant network for the U.S. Department of the Air Force, using post-quantum cryptography, quantum key distribution, and quantum random number generators to prevent unauthorized data interception. This initiative is funded by an SBIR contract, to provide the highest level of cybersecurity against future quantum threats. The unique combination of PQC, QKD, and QRNG technologies will push forward cybersecurity readiness and ensure any eavesdropping attempts are detectable. Terra Quantum's team, led by Dr. Florian Neukart and CEO Markus Pflitsch, holds a record of previous achievements in quantum cryptography and cybersecurity. This project has the potential to set new industry standards for quantum-secure communication.

🌍 EuroHPC JU calls for the installation of a new quantum computer integrated into the EuroHPC pre-exascale system Leonardo: EuroHPC JU has announced a tender for installing EuroQCS-Italy, a quantum computer or simulator based on neutral atoms, which will feature at least 50 physical qubits in digital mode or 140 qubits in analog mode. This new system will be hosted by CINECA in Bologna and integrated into the EuroHPC pre-exascale system Leonardo, making it accessible to European scientific, industrial, and public sector users. This will be EuroHPC JU's first direct procurement of quantum computing hardware, with the EuroQCS-Italy consortium led by CINECA and involving partners from Slovenia and Germany. The deadline for tender submissions is September 5, 2024.

🚀 D-Wave will install a quantum computer at Davidson’s new global headquarters: D-Wave plans to install its advanced AdvantageTM quantum computing system at Davidson’s headquarters in Huntsville, AL, by 2025. Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle and other officials emphasize the strategic importance of this installation to position Alabama as a leader in quantum technologies. The partnership will focus on developing quantum applications for military and national security, such as optimized logistics and space applications. Local efforts for use case identification, application development, and community engagement have already begun.

📈 Quantum Computing Inc. releases letter to shareholders detailing current state of progress: Under new leadership, Quantum Computing Inc. has adjusted its strategy with a focus on innovating within the high-performance computing market with advanced optical integrated circuits. The acquisition of QPhoton shifted QCi from a software to a hardware company, leading to the establishment of a semiconductor fabrication facility in Arizona for producing photonic integrated circuits using Thin Film Lithium Niobate. TFLN-based optical chips offer miniaturization, higher speed, low power consumption, and high environmental stability. QCi has also developed and launched two new high-performance computing platforms, Dirac-3 and Reservoir Computing, and initiated the "Accessible and Affordable" campaign to highlight their practical advantages and cost-effectiveness. The company also secured four NASA research grants and engaged a new independent auditor and investor relations advisor to ensure compliance and effective communication with stakeholders.

🌐 The Quad Investors Network's Quantum Center of Excellence has released a report outlining the quantum capabilities and collaborative opportunities among the Quad nations: The Quad Investors Network's Quantum Center of Excellence published a report titled "Quantum Science & Technology in the QUAD Nations: Landscape and Opportunities," identifying challenges and opportunities in quantum sciences among Australia, India, Japan, and the United States. The report suggests specific actions for collaboration and advancement in quantum computing, communications, and sensing. Led by top scientists and advisors from each country, the report emphasizes the potential of the Quad nations to lead in quantum technology through collective action. The importance of synergizing efforts to achieve a global leadership position in quantum technology and addressing both government and private sector roles are cited as requirements to accelerate progress.

💰 Riverlane raised $75 million to continue to advance its al; already advanced quantum error correction technology: Riverlane secured $75 million to expand its R&D and operations, especially in continued efforts to address error rates in quantum computing systems. The company's most notable technology, Deltaflow, is designed to track, predict, and fix errors in qubits, and ultimately solidify the reliability of quantum computers. Riverlane's valuation now exceeds $400 million, marking it as the first European quantum computing startup to raise a Series C round. The funds will support Riverlane’s vision to scale quantum computing operations, enabling applications in fields like pharmaceuticals, transportation, and AI.

☕️FRESHLY BREWED RESEARCH

QUANTUM COMPUTING FOR HIGH-ENERGY PHYSICS: STATE OF THE ART AND CHALLENGES

QUICK BYTE: A comprehensive overview of the potential applications of quantum computing in high-energy physics, particularly in theoretical modeling and experimental analysis, presents a roadmap of topics to be addressed using near-term utility-scale quantum computing devices. It highlights the advantages of quantum computing for solving complex problems in lattice gauge theories, real-time dynamics, and data analysis from particle collider experiments, especially for challenges currently intractable using classical methods.

SIGNIFICANCE: Quantum computing has the potential to solve various complex problems in particle physics, especially those involving large amounts of high-dimensional data and the identification of underlying physics. A recent conference brought together experts from the high-energy physics community to evaluate topics within particle physics that were most likely to benefit from quantum computing applications. These problems were chosen based on specific criteria and then mapped to potential solutions within quantum computation based on existing methodology.

The selection criteria required problems related to improving data analysis or models of physical phenomena, plus a level of hardness that exceeds the abilities of classical solutions, especially in terms of scalability. The selected topics are further divided between theoretical methods and numerical methods.

Theoretical modeling in high-energy physics has the potential to benefit from quantum computation due to the limits of existing methods, such as those that rely on classical field theory. While classical field theory is adept at handling quantum field theories such as QEC and QCD, it struggles with out-of-equilibrium systems and real-time dynamics due to the “sign problem.” This causes path integrals to exhibit oscillatory behavior which leads to increasing complexity as the number of lattice sites grows. This is a significant issue since out-of-equilibrium and real-time dynamics are essential in particle physics, including particle collisions, thermalization phenomena, and dynamics after a quench. Additionally, properties of nuclear matter at high fermionic densities, relevant to neutron stars and the early universe, are also intractable with classical techniques.

One way to circumvent the sign problem due to path integrals is to use the Hamiltonian formalism. However, this requires storing the wave function on a lattice, and the memory to do so scales exponentially with the number of lattice sites. Tensor network methods help alleviate these limitations by focusing on small subspaces of the complete Hilbert space. Alternatively, qubits could represent the large Hilbert space, where the number of qubits scales linearly with the number of lattice sites, efficiently bypassing the sign problem.

Beyond theoretical applications, quantum computing can enhance numerical methods in particle physics by speeding up processing time, improving data correlation recognition, and increasing the expressivity of quantum systems. High-energy physics experiments rely on algorithms such as detector operation algorithms that allow detectors to extract signals from noise, identification and reconstruction algorithms that map data to physics, and simulation/inference tools that compare large amounts of data to parameterized predictions.

After selecting topics based on the aforementioned selection criteria and sorting them based on belonging to theoretical or experimental applications, the topics are mapped to quantum technology applications and assigned possible solutions based on existing methods. For instance, modeling real-time phenomena could be approached using quantum dynamics or hybrid quantum-classical computing. In this case, application algorithms would include Trotter dynamics, TN/QTN, or VQTE.

This is not intended to be a rigid framework for research guidance, but rather a starting point, to indicate areas of promise and guide further explorations. These were presented alongside a recent IBM roadmap to further illustrate that as quantum technology evolves, so to will the scope of problems we’re able to solve. Additionally, note that each topic and corresponding application could be adapted to any quantum computing platform – no single modality is recommended over another.

RESULTS: 

• Quantum computing can address complex problems in particle physics that classical methods struggle with, such as out-of-equilibrium dynamics and real-time phenomena

• The Hamiltonian formalism and tensor network methods help mitigate classical limitations like the sign problem and memory-intensive calculations

• Quantum algorithms offer potential speedups and improved data analysis for high-energy physics experiments, particularly in processing collision data and identifying underlying physics

• Applications include modeling real-time dynamics, enhancing detector operations, and improving simulation tools for better data correlations and predictions

HONORABLE RESEARCH MENTIONS:

SparQ, is a tool that efficiently computes quantum information theory observables for post-Hartree-Fock wavefunctions using fermion-to-qubit transformations. The tool uses the sparse nature of these wavefunctions to evaluate key properties like mutual information matrices and entropy. Practical applications demonstrated include the analysis of wavefunctions for water and benzene molecules, showcasing SparQ's capability to handle large-scale quantum systems and extend quantum information theoretical analysis to complex chemical systems. —> link to Quantum information theory on sparse wavefunctions and applications for Quantum Chemistry

Quantum computers were used to study lattice holography by simulating a spin system on a hyperbolic lattice. Adiabatic evolution prepared the ground state and measured the spin-spin correlation function on the boundary, finding approximate scale-invariant behavior. This study shows that near-term quantum devices can potentially investigate holographic principles, revealing important theoretical predictions of the AdS/CFT correspondence. —> link to Lattice holography on a quantum computer

A resonator-based strategy using coherent state probes was effectively shown to surpass the standard quantum limit in bosonic loss estimation. By using an add-drop ring resonator, high-precision measurements were achieved without relying on fragile quantum probes. This is important as a step towards the development of compact, high-precision sensors in various optical and quantum metrology applications. —> link to Surpassing the Quantum Limit in Bosonic Loss Estimation without Quantum Probes

UNTIL TOMORROW.