Welcome to the Quantum Realm. 

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

Happy Birthday to Alan Turing! Today is an exploration of past, present, and future — from seeds first planted by Alan Turing, to our ongoing search for quantum advantage, and imaginging the many ways our future will be shaped by quantum technologies. Here’s to the father of computer science and our temporal journey!

🗓️ THIS WEEK

📰 WEEKEND BYTES

Fun news & community contributions.

🌎️ Quantum for the natural world: One of the most exciting aspects of quantum computing lies in its ability to efficiently and accurately model natural systems, making it a promising tool for addressing climate change. The technology has significant potential to enhance climate model simulations, optimize renewable energy systems, and improve data analysis. This could lead to faster, more accurate climate predictions, optimized carbon capture, and increased efficiency in renewable energy production.

🧠 Logically speaking: If you’ve ever felt (understandably) confused about the difference between a physical qubit and a logical qubit, or sought resources to explain the difference to others, this article presents a comprehensive explanation. The author argues that logical qubits should be defined by their application-specific error rates and resource requirements, rather than a fixed standard. This perspective is vital for understanding the continuous improvement in quantum computing and its future applications.

🗝️ If you find optimiziation particularly fun: Check out this site which offers a collection of non-random QUBO problems, sourced from industries like transportation and logistics, or converted from constraint satisfaction problems. Organized as an ongoing challenge, it provides live, instantaneous evaluation of solutions and problems of varying difficulty levels.

♨️ Thermodynamics of quantum trajectories: The Qiskit Quantum seminar series is back with host Dr. Zlatko Minev of IBM Quantum and Professor Igor Lesanovsky with an exploration of open-system dynamics and thermodynamics.

Check out the seminar here:

🔊 VOLUME ON

The Superposition Guy’s Podcast

On this past week’s episode of the Superposition Guy’s Podcast, Yuval Boger interviews Lute Maleki, CEO and President of OEwaves Inc.

They discuss the development of advanced quantum technology components, such as narrowband lasers, the company's origins at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and its evolution. Maleki emphasizes the importance of narrow linewidth lasers for precision in quantum applications and shares insights into how OEwaves supports quantum sensing, computing, and networking.

Bloch Sphere

On this first episode of the Bloch Sphere’s podcast, Jay Shah interviews Javier Mancilla Montero, Co-founder and CEO of Falcondale.

The duo discusses the intersection of quantum computing and finance, including current applications, the intersection with AI, and more.

The Quantum Divide

On a recent episode of The Quantum Divide, Dan Holme sits down with Amber Shepphard, a PhD student at the University of Sussex.

They dig into her experiment using quantum clocks to measure potential shifts in the fundamental constant between the proton and electron mass ratio, as well as Amber's unique journey into quantum physics, the role of lasers in her research, and the broader implications of her work for understanding dark matter and advancing quantum technology. The conversation also touches on the challenges and precision required in quantum experiments and Amber's vision for future developments in quantum computing.

🔊 TDQ Exchange

Is there someone within the community you’d like to see highlighted?

👩‍💻 CODE CHRONICLES

Qiskit Quantum Neural Networks

QNNs can use quantum phenomena like superposition and entanglement to potentially achieve faster and more efficient computations, especially for specific types of problems. By integrating classical data into quantum states and using quantum gates to manipulate these states, QNNs may uncover patterns and solve complex problems in ways that classical neural networks cannot.

If you ever had a use case in mind for QNNs or wanted to check them out for curiosity’s sake, this tutorial from IBM provides a comprehensive guide to using quantum neural networks with Qiskit's machine learning library. It covers the basics of QNNs, details how to instantiate and run forward and backward passes for two types of QNNs (detailed below), and includes examples and advanced functionalities like custom interpret functions and multiple observables.

Key Features:

• EstimatorQNN: Uses parameterized quantum circuits and observables to compute expectation values

• SamplerQNN: Utilizes samples from quantum circuits, optionally with custom interpret functions for post-processing

🦸‍♀️ ON THE SHOULDERS OF GIANTS

On Alan Turing’s birthday, we celebrate resilience and dedication on the continous trek towards doing what is deemed impossible. Alan Turing was an English mathematician, computer scientist, logician, cryptanalyst, philosopher, and theoretical biologist. He is often regarded as the father of modern computer science. Turing was instrumental during World War II, working at Bletchley Park to crack the Enigma code, which significantly contributed to the Allied victory. Post-war, he made lasting contributions to the development of early computers and artificial intelligence.

RECOMMENDED PUBLICATIONS:

On Computable Numbers, with an Application to the Entscheidungsproblem

This paper introduced the concept of the Turing machine and laid the foundation for the theory of computation as well as the idea of algorithms — still incredibly relevant to modern computer science​

Computing Machinery and Intelligence

In this paper, Turing posed the question, "Can machines think?" and introduced his famed Turing Test. This paper is seminal in the field of artificial intelligence and includes early insights into the potential for machine learning and cognitive science​.

The Chemical Basis of Morphogenesis

This paper explored how biological patterns, such as the stripes on a zebra or the spots on a leopard, can arise naturally through a process now known as morphogenesis. Turing's mathematical model explained how interactions between chemicals could lead to the formation of patterns and structures in biological organisms. This work has had a lasting impact on both biology and the study of complex systems​​.

UNTIL TOMORROW.