Welcome to the Quantum Realm.

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

☯️ Tensor networks and quantum computing just go together -- the duo take on simulations Hamiltonian dynamics. Plus, PsiQuantum is officially headed to the Windy City’s forthcoming quantum computing campus.

🗓️UPCOMING

Sunday, July 28 | QTM-X Quantum Education Series 7 of 10

📰QUANTUM QUICK BYTES

🏢 PsiQuantum partners with Illinois to build the first US-based utility-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer: The headlines are practically unanimous today — the biggest news is PsiQuantum’s announcement of a partnership with the State of Illinois, Cook County, and the City of Chicago to construct the first US-based utility-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computer at the former US Steel South Works property. The Illinois state budget for fiscal year 2025 includes $500M for the development of the Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park, with PsiQuantum as the main attraction. This will include a 300K sq ft Quantum Computer Operations Center, with additional space for future expansion, and a comprehensive incentives package totaling over $500M to support rapid development. Perhaps the most ambitious aspect is the committed development of a 1 million qubit system, the significance (outside of sheer number size) being to achieve the threshold for quantum error correction. The IQMP will collaborate with major academic institutions and national labs, and overall complement PsiQuantum's global efforts alongside its planned quantum computer in Australia that broke headlines earlier this year.

💯 Iterative process fills and maintains neutral-atom arrays at 99% occupancy: Researchers from Atom Computing have developed an iterative process to reliably load and maintain a 1225-site neutral-atom array at 99% occupancy. In neutral-atom quantum computers, atoms are typically held in arrays of optical tweezers, and populating these arrays is usually stochastic, meaning atom placement is down to chance. The team addressed this by first filling a secondary "reservoir" array and then transferring atoms one by one to the target array using optical tweezers. Imaging steps between each transfer ensured accuracy without losing atoms from the target array. While other challenges related to quantum computing are still unresolved, this method does advance the practical operation of large-scale neutral-atom quantum computers one more (qu)bit.

🖥️ An advanced simulation software for large-scale ion trap design: Nullspace, Inc has just announced the release of Nullspace ES, a commercial simulation software designed specifically for the rapid and accurate design and analysis of large-scale ion traps used in quantum computing. The software offers features such as planar, rotational, and double ground plane symmetries, which accelerate simulations and reduce memory requirements. By providing precise simulations, Nullspace ES allows researchers and engineers to predict ion movement and explore varying geometries and configurations, which ultimately reduces prototyping costs.

🦘 Somersaulting spin qubits simplify control of large semiconductor qubit arrays: Researchers at QuTech have developed somersaulting spin qubits for universal quantum logic, which could simplify the control of large semiconductor qubit arrays. This advancement builds on the 1998 proposal by Loss and DiVincenzo and demonstrates that hopping spins can be used to achieve low error rates for one-qubit and two-qubit gates. QuTech’s approach uses baseband signals and small magnetic fields for simpler electronics control, as well as germanium to naturally facilitate spin rotations.

📚️ Accessibility disparities in quantum information science education require targeted efforts: The successful advancement and adaptation of quantum computing will undoubtedly require broad educational access to prepare a diverse workforce. Despite the rapid expansion of quantum courses in high schools and universities, inequities in access to resources, financial support, and mentorship still persist with a disproportionate amount affecting underprivileged and rural students. Research shows that quantum courses are predominantly offered at large, urban, research-focused institutions, which are inherently less accessible to low-income and rural students. Addressing these disparities from the outset could reduce these systemic inequities and distribute quantum science benefits equitably. Policymakers and educators should invest in quantum education at smaller, rural, and minority-serving institutions to encourage and build a quantum environment that consists of participation from all societal segments.

🌐 AI power usage continues to challenge technology development, with quantum once again suggested as the resolve: A third of nuclear power plants are negotiating with tech companies to power new data centers as Goldman Sachs projects a 160% increase in AI-driven data center power usage by 2030, which doubles current CO2 emissions. At VB Transform 2024, Hyunjun Park led a panel discussion on this issue, bringing to light the unsustainable resource consumption of AI model training which could surpass US GDP and global IT spending by 2030. AWS is implementing measures like liquid cooling solutions and alternative fuels, while IBM is exploring quantum computing to save resources and improve efficiency in AI. However, the challenges of bringing quantum computing infrastructure to scale ever remain, and a combination of classical and quantum computing may be required for sustainable and equitable AI development.

📅 IBM Quantum Developer Conference 2024: IBM has announced the first IBM Quantum Developer Conference to be held later this year, November 13-15 at the IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center. The event will provide an opportunity for quantum researchers and developers to participate in hands-on experiences with their latest quantum software tools. The conference will feature technical talks, workshops, lab tours, networking opportunities, and a keynote by Jay Gambetta, VP of IBM Quantum. Active Qiskit users with experience in quantum information science are encouraged to apply by September 30, 2024, as space is limited. For those unable to attend, event materials and presentation recordings will be available.

☕️FRESHLY BREWED RESEARCH

TENSOR NETWORK ENHANCED DYNAMIC MULTIPRODUCT FORMULAS

QUICK BYTE: Understanding out-of-equilibrium properties in physical sciences is relevant for phenomena such as particle collisions and chemical reactions, requiring the simulation of Hamiltonian dynamics. Classical computing can handle limited Hamiltonian operators, while quantum computing offers the potential for more complex simulations but is hindered by deep circuit requirements. The authors propose a hybrid approach combining quantum computing and tensor networks through their MPO-based dynamic multiproduct formulas, which can handle the simulation of larger systems and longer times with higher accuracy and manageable computational costs.

PRE-REQS:

• Hamiltonian dynamics describe the evolution of a quantum system over time according to its Hamiltonian, which represents the total energy of the system.

• Tensor networks are mathematical structures used to simplify and solve problems involving high-dimensional data. They represent large, complex datasets or functions as a network of interconnected lower-dimensional tensors.

• Multiproduct formulas are mathematical methods used to approximate complex operations by combining simpler ones. By taking a linear combination of simpler operations, multiproduct formulas can assist in reducing errors and improving approximation.

SIGNIFICANCE: Many areas of interest within the physical sciences require us to study systems that are out-of-equilibrium. This is where the magic happens — particle collisions, chemical reactions, phase transitions, etc. To understand the underlying dynamics of these systems as they evolve over time, we need to simulate the Hamiltonian dynamics of a system.

Classical computing can simulate limited Hamiltonian operators, but quantum computing shows promise in simulating more complex physical systems, especially those out of equilibrium. However, current quantum computers are not yet capable of fully precise simulations due to the deep circuit nature of these computations.

Tensor networks are a classical tool useful for simulating quantum many-body systems but struggle with highly entangled states. The authors propose a hybrid approach combining the strengths of quantum computing and tensor networks with their algorithm, MPO-based dynamic multiproduct formulas. This algorithm efficiently divides labor by using tensor networks to compute coefficients and quantum processors to execute quantum circuits. This division allows the algorithm to handle larger systems and longer simulation times more effectively than purely classical or quantum methods alone, striving for higher accuracy while managing computational costs.

The algorithm was experimentally demonstrated on a one-dimensional quantum spin chain simulation problem using 50 qubits and achieved comparable or better accuracy than purely quantum and used shallower circuits that are more practical for current quantum hardware.

RESULTS:

• The proposed MPO-based dynamic multiproduct formulas algorithm combines tensor networks and quantum computing for improved accuracy in simulating quantum many-body systems; experimentally demonstrated on a 50-qubit one-dimensional quantum spin chain simulation problem using IBM quantum computers and achieves comparable or better accuracy than purely quantum methods

HONORABLE RESEARCH MENTIONS:

Quantum states are created using spatially structured quantum interference. By manipulating the polarization of photon pairs and using a structured quantum eraser, the researchers generated photonic states with spatially structured coalescence. This has applications in quantum metrology, microscopy, and communication by providing a method to engineer quantum correlations with no classical counterpart. —> link to Engineering quantum states from a spatially structured quantum eraser

Two qubits synchronize through interaction with a shared environment, akin to Huygen's pendulum clocks synchronizing via a connecting beam. The study demonstrates that synchronization, both in-phase and anti-phase, can be induced by correlated noise in the environment, which acts like the escapement mechanism in classical clocks. This quantum synchronization has potential applications in developing quantum technologies that are resilient to decoherence and understanding quantum exciton transport in photosynthetic systems. —> link to A quantum analog of Huygen's clock: noise-induced synchronization

A simulation of a frustrated quantum spin-1/2 antiferromagnetic Heisenberg spin chain uses IBM's superconducting quantum computers and implements both nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor exchange interactions to demonstrate accurate time evolution of spin chains with up to 100 qubits. The simulation maintains a constant circuit depth per Trotter step. —> link to Enhancing quantum utility: Simulating large-scale quantum spin chains on superconducting quantum computers

UNTIL TOMORROW.