Welcome to the Quantum Realm. 

Sundays are for sipping coffee, light reads, laid-back listens, and community endeavors.

 ⚙️ Classical analog computing is making a comeback in the face of mounting AI energy consumption -- making it a time like no other to appreciate analog quantum computing. Plus, the harmony that is quantum meets music.

🗓️ THIS WEEK

Tuesday, August 6th | Yale Ventures Startup Speaker Series: Mark Jackson, Quantinuum

Tuesday, August 6th | QED-C Summer Lecture Series: Inertial Sensors

📰 WEEKEND BYTES

Fun news & community contributions.

📈 Building the quantum industry: On a recent Physics World podcast, Margaret Arakawa, IonQ's CMO, reflects on her decades-long career in classical computing, noting the parallels of quantum computing, reminiscent of early days convincing prospective clients that the internet was safe, fast, and ubiquitous. In recent months, interest in quantum computing has surged dramatically across various industries, from pharmaceuticals to airlines. Arakawa emphasizes the importance of avoiding hype by grounding marketing in technology and science and recognizing the need for a diverse workforce. In advising “what it will take” for those interested in quantum to break into quantum, she returns to the qualities that built the leadership team at IonQ, which include: 1. whichever background you come from, may you do it extremely well, and 2. have experience doing hard things/creating something from nothing.

🧪 Quantum catalysts catalyze quantum progress: Nelly Ng, a quantum information theorist, investigates "quantum catalysts," additional qubits or elements that strengthen quantum processes similarly to how enzymes facilitate biochemical reactions. These catalysts are valuable in quantum thermodynamics, cryptography, and networks, permitting operations that would otherwise be impossible. Some quantum catalysts are beneficial in that they can be reused, returning to their original state after assisting in computations, such as ancilla qubits. Ng's research focuses on theoretical frameworks to evaluate the utility and advantages of these catalysts in quantum information processes.

PEARC24's first Workshop on Broadly Accessible Quantum Computing: PEARC24 launched its inaugural Workshop on Broadly Accessible Quantum Computing, led by Bruno Abreu and Tomasso Macri, attracting over 30 participants from diverse fields to discuss integrating quantum technologies with traditional computing. Keynote speaker Yipeng Huang spoke on the need for powerful simulation tools and workforce development starting as soon as primary education. Panel discussions addressed energy consumption, the necessity of partnerships, and the importance of making quantum computing more accessible and user-friendly. The final panel reiterated that expanding access and education in quantum computing is essential for progress. Organizers were pleased with the engagement and plan to continue the workshop next year.

🎶 Quantum computing and the music industry are a surprisingly harmonious pair: Moth is a welcome and quite differentiating quantum company in the industry — from their site, Moth is “enabling the next era of music, gaming and the arts with quantum computing technology.” Their Actias Synth web app is a quantum musical instrument you can use directly from your browser (and their website is itself a work of art). If you were one of the lucky ones, you may have even witnessed the synthesizer live last week 👇️ 

🎸 Quantum meets metal: At last week’s Wacken Open Air music festival, physicist Bob Coecke's band, Black Tish, debuted Moth’s experimental quantum synthesizer, Actias, on the festival's main stage. I scoured the web for any sort of recording, but alas, none could be found.

Check out this paper for more on the emerging field of quantum computer music that uses quantum computing technology to develop new methods for learning, generating, and rendering music. This includes using data from physical quantum systems and simulations, as well as computational quantum algorithms.

⚙️ ANALOG COMPUTING

A recent article from Quanta Magazine reviews the history of analog computers: computers that use physical systems to solve mathematical equations by modeling continuous phenomena. Early analog devices like the Antikythera mechanism and Lord Kelvin's tide predictor inspired later innovations such as Vannevar Bush's differential analyzer. Digital computing, which started in the 1930s, eventually became dominant due to its programmability and accuracy. However, modern AI systems' energy demands highlight the unsustainable nature of digital computing. Analog computing, using electrical signals instead of gears, can perform operations more efficiently, suggesting a sustainable future in computing.

Analog quantum computing uses continuous variables and transformations to represent and manipulate quantum information, in contrast to the use of discrete qubits and gates in digital quantum computing. It excels in quantum simulations such as modeling complex systems like molecules and materials. Operations involve continuous variables such as the position and momentum of quantum particles, using laser-induced couplings or magnetic field gradients. Advantages include efficient simulations and potentially fewer resources, but challenges include noise sensitivity and error correction difficulties.

Analog and analog quantum computing share a commonality in their use of continuous variables as well as their potential to contribute to a sustainable future for computational technology.

🔊 VOLUME ON

🦸‍♀️ ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

William Thomson, also known as Lord Kelvin, was a British mathematical physicist and engineer. He is best known for his work in thermodynamics and for formulating the absolute temperature scale, known as the Kelvin scale. Kelvin significantly contributed to analog computing with his invention of the tide-predicting machine and the harmonic analyzer, which modeled and analyzed complex waveforms. His work on integrating differential equations and innovations in telegraphy, such as the mirror galvanometer, laid foundational principles for analog signal processing and computation.

RECOMMENDED PUBLICATIONS:

Harmonic Analyzer

Kelvin describes his invention of the harmonic analyzer, a device that breaks down complex waveforms into simpler components, a concept central to Fourier analysis and signal processing.

ONWARD.