Friday, June 23 @11AM-12PM MST in Green Center 224 Exploring new frontiers with superconducting qubit circuits: expanding the Hilbert space beyond qubits and pushing qubit-cavity coupling to the deep strong regime Dr. Sahel Asshab National Institute of Information and Communications, Japan

Generative Learning with Quantum Models

Generative machine learning (ML) tasks are prominent across a wide range of industries, and are difficult to tackle even with some of the best classical ML approaches that we have available. By introducing quantum models as a natural insertion for these tasks, we have seen promising results with respect to the model’s expressibility, trainability, and most recently, generalization performance. While being the golden standard for evaluating a model’s ability to learn and a widely investigated topic in supervised learning, generalization in the unsupervised regime has previously been difficult to evaluate and thus, overlooked in the investigations of quantum generative models.

Here, the speaker will provide a summary of progress towards understanding the learning capabilities of quantum generative models, as well as their potential to provide any kind of advantage. The speaker will present a framework that provides a robust assessment of classical and quantum generative models for their generalization performance. Subsequently, the speaker will demonstrate examples of the framework on two of the most prominent quantum generative models – the Quantum Circuit Born Machine (QCBM) and its quantum-inspired version, the Tensor Network Born Machine (TNBM). They present results from the first deep-dive investigation into the QCBM’s and TNBM’s generalization performance, using models with varied model ansatze and training dataset sizes. The results indicate an advantage of TNBMs over state-of-the-art classical models such as Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), and that QCBMs exhibit good generalization performance with increasing circuit depth, on instances with training sets corresponding to a small fraction of the overall data space. Additionally, we see that both, TNBMs and QCBMs are able to effectively learn bias in its training data and generate unseen samples that are higher quality than those in the training set. Lastly, the speaker will discuss near-term research directions for quantum generative models that are important for moving towards practical understanding and usefulness.

Bio: Kaitlin Gili is a final year PhD candidate at the University of Oxford in the field of quantum information and machine learning with a full fellowship from the U.S. Army Research Office. Her research publications focus on quantum generative learning: model designs, algorithm evaluation techniques, and using structures from quantum foundations and information theory to determine practical usefulness. During her PhD, she conducted research on quantum AI teams within the start-up companies, Xanadu Technologies and Zapata Computing. Prior to entering her PhD, she conducted quantum algorithm research at Los Alamos National Laboratory, IBMQ, and Universities across three continents, while attaining her Bachelors in Physics from Stevens Institute of Technology. In addition to research, Kaitlin has led projects that foster diversity, mentorship, and active learning in the culture of STEM education. She currently leads the project Iteration One, funded by the Unitary Fund, which will reach 30 U.S. high schools in-person that do not offer physics or computer science classes, and deliver educational content to ignite curiosity in these areas. In 2019, she co-founded the 501(c)(3) Encouraging Women Across All Borders (EWAAB), an organization who’s mission is to ensure that all young women and non-binary students have access to the mentorship and tools to succeed in their respective field. She served as the CEO of EWAAB for 2-years, and now serves as Chair of the Board, supporting the current Board and full-time employed CEO. Additionally, she sits on Stevens Institute of Technology’s Board of Trustees as the elected young alumni trustee from her class, where she is able to provide insight into decisions that determine the University’s stability and growth. She is an active technical and personal mentor to undergraduate students, as well as a frequent guest series lecturer at Stevens Institute of Technology. On a more personal note, she is a nomadic traveler, avid hiker, and has a huge love for philosophy and self-reflection.

Qubit Control from Quantum Machines

Abstract: The quantum industry is rapidly growing by promising for example, computing problems that are unsolvable by classical computers, hacker-proof encryption schemes, and increasing measurement sensitivities to help many fields including healthcare and energy sectors. At its core, quantum technologies rely on a controllable quantum degree of freedom – a qubit. In this talk, Dr. Berk Kovos will discuss the importance of classical quantum control of qubits, provide concrete examples of how, as Quantum Machines, they are accelerating the advancements in the field and discuss the activities we do as a business. I will also discuss my personal experience and observations of being in the quantum industry to help guide the next generation of quantum engineers.

Background: Dr. Berk Kovos is currently a Quantum Control Solutions Engineer. He received his Physics PhD from the University of Chicago in Dr. David Awschalom’s group and has worked as a researcher at UChicago and the Kavli Institute of Cosmological Physics.

Informal Discussion

Introduction to the Quantum Applications Layer

Bio: As a Quantum Application Scientist at Atom Computing, Dr. Kelly Ann Pawlak studies how Quantum computers can be used on scientific and commercial problems. She obtained her Ph.D in Theoretical Condensed Matter Physics from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 2020 with a focus on Strongly Correlated Materials. She has worked at multiple quantum start-ups and is particularly enthusiastic about NISQ computing implications for quantum materials simulation.

Abstract: The technology that makes a quantum computer functional for real world applications is a complex web of software, quantum engineering, computer science, and theoretical physics. In this talk I disentangle the notion of “The Quantum Applications Layer” and provide a view of what kinds of problems applications engineers and scientists work on. I walk through some simple use-case examples, translating the abstract problem to circuits that can be executed on a quantum computer, and discuss how the target architecture can change problem solving strategies.

title to be announced

Dilution Refrigerators from Maybell Quantum

Abstract: Quantum technology is rapidly evolving, but the tools supporting the quantum revolution aren’t keeping up. Dilution refrigerators, the backbone of quantum research, are difficult to use, notoriously unreliable, and hard to scale. That’s where Maybell comes in. Maybell’s redesigned dilution refrigerator enables more fridges per lab, more experiments per fridge, and unparalleled reliability, flexibility, and user experience.

Background: Corban Tillemann-Dick is the Founder/CEO of Maybell Quantum Industries. Before Maybell, Corban spent ten years at Boston Consulting Group (BCG), leading Quantum Computing efforts. After BCG, Corbin co-founded Maybell to make a revolutionary dilution refrigerator called The Icebox and a high-density wiring solution called Maybell Flex lines.

Quantum computing with neutral atoms

Abstract: Recently, quantum computers have come to the forefront as a new paradigm of computing by taking advantage of quantum effects to solve previously impossible problems. These noisy intermediate scale (NISQ) devices are growing in scale and are beginning to execute algorithms in optimization, machine learning, and condensed matter theory that are better than any conventional computer in size, speed, or accuracy. In particular, neutral atom quantum computers have shown remarkable promise as a scalable quantum computing platform and are a viable alternative to contemporary superconducting devices. This kind of computer uses individual Rubidium atoms levitated by laser traps to realize a qubit in its electronic structure and execute quantum programs using ultra-stable lasers. This talk will present an outlook on neutral atom quantum computing and demonstrate how to begin writing your own quantum programs on QuEra’s cloud-accessible computer “Aquila”.

Dr. Jonathan Wurtz is the senior scientist at QuEra Computing.

Intro to qubits circuit design control measurements applications

Zoom link

Non-academic options for physics graduates in quantum technology

Abstract: In the ~12 years since graduating with a Ph.D., I have worked in a myriad of scientific instrument development projects centered around quantum technologies. Most broadly, these could be categorized as cryogenic systems for superconducting electronics. Some are for quantum computing, others are used for astronomy, particle physics, or other scientific applications. I will give an overview of the types of products we sell, some of the skillsets that we look for when hiring, and some examples of previous School of Mines students that are working within our organization.

Bio: Josh West is the Senior Director of the Cryogenic Products Group at High Precision Devices in Boulder, CO. He received a Ph.D. in Physics from Penn State University in 2010.

Listening to Quantum Sound

Abstract: Quantum mechanics is traditionally considered when measuring at the extreme microscopic scale, i.e. single photons, electrons or atoms. However, even the early pioneers of the quantum theory postulated gedanken experiments in which quantum effects would manifest on an everyday scale. I will present recent experiments in which we engineer and measure microelectromechanical (MEMs) circuits to observe and to exploit quantum behavior at an increasingly macroscopic scale. By embedding mechanical resonators in superconducting microwave circuits, we achieve strong radiation-pressure coupling between fields and motion that allows us to perform quantum experiments of massive objects. I will present our recent experimental demonstration of deterministic macroscopic entanglement, as well as ongoing efforts toward arbitrary quantum control of mechanical systems. The ability to prepare and to “listen” to quantum sound has implications for fundamental science as well as many powerful applications including the processing, storage and networking of quantum information.

Bio: Dr. John D. Teufel is an experimental physicist in the Applied Physics Division of NIST Boulder. He received his PhD in physics from Yale University on a fellowship from NASA studying superconducting photon detectors. Now as a project leader in the Advanced Microwave Photonics group at NIST, he uses the tools of nanofabrication and precision microwave measurements at cryogenic temperatures to explore the quantum behavior of macroscopic systems. This includes development and metrology of superconducting qubits, optomechanical circuits and Josephson parametric technology.

TKET: Quantinuum’s advanced quantum SDK for the NISQ era

Quantinuum is one of the world’s largest full-stack quantum computing companies integrating hardware and software, such as the open-source quantum software development kit called “TKET” (https://github.com/CQCL/tket). TKET is written in C++ and Python for developing and executing gate-level quantum computation. It automatically handles many of the intricacies of NISQ technology. For example, TKET provides state-of-the-art circuit compilation and optimization performance, facilitating platform-agnostic software development and allowing code reuse. In this presentation, I will provide a comprehensive, feature-focused tour of pyTKET, the Python module for interfacing with TKET. Additionally, I will discuss TKET’s extension modules for interfacing with other hardware and software modules and briefly discuss TKET’s performance.

Bio: Dr. Kathrin Spendier is a Quantum Evangelist at Quantinuum, where she focuses on promoting the company’s cutting-edge TKET software development kit. She holds a Ph.D. in Physics with distinction from the University of New Mexico. After a year as a Research Associate, Dr. Spendier joined the University of Colorado Colorado Springs (UCCS) as a tenure-track faculty in Physics. She earned tenure by researching biophysical phenomena using super-resolution microscopy techniques and condensed matter physics. She also developed and taught numerous physics undergraduate and graduate courses. After joining Quantinuum, she remains an Associate Professor with a research affiliation at UCCS.

Investigating quantum speed limits with superconducting qubits

The speed at which quantum entanglement between qubits with short range interactions can be generated is limited by the Lieb-Robinson bound. Introducing longer range interactions relaxes this bound and entanglement can be generated at a faster rate. The speed limit for this has been explicitly found theoretically only for a two-qubit system and under the assumption of negligible single qubit gate time. We seek to demonstrate such a speed limit for entanglement experimentally using two superconducting transmon qubits. Additionally, we aim to measure how much entangling gates can be sped up by introducing additional qubits coupled to the first two. Since the speed up depends on additional entangled qubits, it is expected to increase as the system size grows. This has important implications for large-scale quantum computing.