Tuesday, September 3rd, 2024

Enjoy a nice cup of freshly brewed quantum news ☕️ 

Today’s issue includes:

• Scientists at the Perimeter Institute led by Daniel Gottesman discovered a mathematical boundary separating nontrivial quantum error correction codes from trivial ones, providing new insights into quantum systems and their practical applications.

• A consortium of 25 German research institutions and companies, led by Forschungszentrum Jülich, is developing Germany's first quantum computer based on superconducting quantum chips, with a 10-qubit prototype now operational.

• Researchers from the University of Oklahoma have predicted the existence of a new type of exciton, called a 'topological exciton,' in Chern insulators, which could lead to advancements in quantum and optoelectronic devices.

And even more research, news, & events within quantum.

Perimeter Institute Researchers Identify Fundamental Boundary in Quantum Error Correction

QUICK BYTE: Scientists at the Perimeter Institute led by Daniel Gottesman discovered a mathematical boundary separating nontrivial quantum error correction codes from trivial ones, providing new insights into quantum systems and their practical applications.

DETAILS: 

• Researchers at the Perimeter Institute developed a new framework for Approximate Quantum Error Correction (AQEC) that links quantum circuit complexity with the accuracy of AQEC codes, helping to distinguish effective codes from inadequate ones.

• This suggests that AQEC codes naturally arise from physical systems and provides a more accurate way to study quantum error-correction in practical scenarios, including the study of holographic systems and quantum gravity.

• The study offers significant insights into topological order and quantum gravity, showing that the new AQEC framework provides a deeper understanding of how these codes function in real-world quantum systems, potentially aiding in the development of new quantum devices and improving our understanding of conformal field theories.

Germany's First Quantum Computer Prototype Launched by National Consortium

QUICK BYTE: A consortium of 25 German research institutions and companies, led by Forschungszentrum Jülich, is developing Germany's first quantum computer based on superconducting quantum chips, with a 10-qubit prototype now operational.

DETAILS: 

• A consortium of 25 German research institutions and companies, coordinated by Forschungszentrum Jülich, is developing an integrated quantum computer based on superconducting quantum chips with improved error rates in an effort to create Germany's first quantum computer.

• The project, supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research with €76.3 million (approximately $84.3 million), has reached a milestone with the operation of a 10-qubit prototype, featuring an integrated software stack and cloud access for testing industry-standard applications.

• Fraunhofer IPMS, contributing its expertise in CMOS semiconductor manufacturing, is developing an interposer technology to integrate CMOS control logic with quantum processors, reducing complex cabling and ensuring low temperatures for the qubits under cryogenic conditions.

• The project plans to scale the system to control 30 qubits by 2026, aiming for low-error, scalable quantum computing that can handle complex computations for industry and science, with the prototype being made available to external users via the Jülich UNified Infrastructure for Quantum computing (JUNIQ).

University of Oklahoma Researchers Predict Topological Excitons with Quantum Device Potential

QUICK BYTE: Researchers from the University of Oklahoma have predicted the existence of a new type of exciton, called a 'topological exciton,' in Chern insulators, which could lead to advancements in quantum and optoelectronic devices.

DETAILS: 

• Researchers Bruno Uchoa and Hong-yi Xie from the University of Oklahoma have predicted the existence of a new type of exciton, called a 'topological exciton,' in Chern insulators, which have implications for future quantum devices.

• The prediction, based on fundamental concepts rather than simulations, suggests that these excitons inherit topological properties from the host material, potentially leading to new optical devices, including powerful polarized light emitters and advanced photonic devices for quantum computing.

• The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, highlights the potential applications of topological excitons in quantum communication and the engineering of qubits with two entangled states, furthering the development of optoelectronic devices based on topology.

😺 Researchers from Yale University observed a quantum modification to the Arrhenius law in a cat qubit system, where the tunneling rate between two quantum states decreases in a staircase pattern rather than steadily. By increasing the energy barrier between these states, they reduced unwanted tunneling and improved the qubit's information storage lifetime to up to 1 millisecond—while seeminly miniscule, a massive improvement for quantum computing performance.

💰️ HEST Investments, a private equity firm focused on biotech, life sciences, and technology, has made a $1 million strategic investment in American Binary, a U.S.-based company specializing in post-quantum encryption technologies. This investment supports American Binary's development of advanced encryption solutions designed to protect sensitive data against future quantum computing threats, addressing vulnerabilities in traditional encryption methods.

👗 Scientists from Diraq, the University of New South Wales, and Keio University demonstrated a new strategy for operating dressed degenerate spin qubits using a global control field, overcoming challenges like frequency crowding and control signal interference in large-scale quantum computing. This provides a scalable solution for quantum computing by improving noise resistance and entanglement fidelity through single-qubit addressability and two-qubit operations.

🧪 The NSF's Quantum Leap Challenge Institutes program is now accepting proposals to support large-scale interdisciplinary research projects focused on advancing quantum information science and technology through collaboration, education, and innovation. These institutes are expected to take on major challenges in quantum computation, communication, simulation, and sensing, while also creating partnerships, industry engagement, international collaboration, and develop a skilled quantum workforce. Proposals can be submitted to continue existing QLCI institutes or establish new ones

🪄 Researchers from the University of British Columbia, Bilkent University, and Leibniz University Hannover investigated the classical simulation of quantum computations that use magic states. They developed a method to simulate these computations by analyzing the amount of classical data required, finding that it scales quadratically with the number of magic states. This challenges previous assumptions by demonstrating that the classical data required can be efficiently managed, advancing our understanding of the resources needed for simulating quantum systems and providing insight into how to optimize such simulations.

⚖️ QuantWare introduced its VIO scaling platform to its Foundry Services, enabling companies to scale quantum processing units by addressing industry scaling challenges. VIO-176, the first generation, supports designs with up to 176 signal lines and over 100 qubits, reducing crosstalk and utilizing a proprietary 3D chip architecture.

😵‍💫 Archer Materials Limited developed two proof-of-concept electrical devices to improve the readout capabilities of its 12CQ quantum chip, which is intended to support quantum computing for mobile applications. These devices feature superconducting circuits with up to eight resonators, each capable of simultaneously reading separate spin materials, and demonstrate resilience to high magnetic fields at extremely low temperatures. This not only improves the manufacturability of the 12CQ chip but also brings the company closer to achieving functional quantum computing with longer spin lifetimes and more efficient spin detection.

LISTEN

In this week’s The Superposition Guy’s podcast, Yuval Boger, CMO of QuEra, interviews Hrant Gharibyan, co-founder and CEO of BlueQubit. Hrant describes the company’s focus on developing quantum algorithms and software solutions for complex classical and quantum problems, such as material simulation and optimization, as well as discusses key projects, including a DARPA collaboration involving neutral atom quantum computers and work with Honda Research Institute on quantum algorithms for image classification. He highlights the importance of hardware-agnostic approaches and the potential for achieving quantum advantage in the near future, and much more.

ENJOY

As quantum computing continues to challenge our understanding of probability and information, Daniel Litt's urn puzzle reminds us how even classical probability can reveal profound insights into the nature of uncertainty—and cause us equally as much frustration.

Read Perplexing the Web, One Probability Puzzle at a Time from Quanta Magazine, answers at the end.

WATCH

Anastasia Marchenkova interviews Dr. Joe Fitzsimons, founder of Horizon Quantum Computing, discussing how their technology enables developers to create quantum applications:

• On Thursday, September 5th, paper submissions are due for the 23rd International Conference on Machine Learning and Applications.

• On Monday, September 9th, Tasmanian Society for Information Technology in Education is hosting ACCE Webinar - Quantum Computing for Educators—virtual

• On Tuesday, September 10th, Quantum Machines is hosting a webinar on Low Latency Imaging for Next-Gen Mid-Circuit Quantum Measurements—virtual