A key component of the Quanta Graduate program is the opportunity to participate in training geared to both academia and industry. The Quanta Industry Series is a monthly webinar that connects student to industry representatives who take the time to present on the unique Quantum Projects they are working on and ways that students and graduates can become involved.
Upcoming Talks:
June 9, 2022: 1PM
Speaker: Dr. Marcelo Wu, a hardware engineer at Anyon Systems Inc.
Dr. Marcelo Wu is a hardware engineer at Anyon Systems. He received his M.Sc. from the University of Alberta with Prof. Vien Van and his Ph.D. from the University of Calgary with Prof. Paul Barclay. His research focused on nanophotonics and nanofabrication. Before jumping to industry, he did a postdoctoral stint at NIST.
Title: Quantum computing with superconducting qubits at Anyon Systems
Abstract: Dr. Marcelo Wu will introduce superconducting qubits, showcase the latest performance of Anyon Systems’ technology, and share his experience in transitioning from academia to industry.
About Anyon Systems: Anyon Systems’ mission is to develop powerful computing platforms for high performance computing. The company was founded in 2014 because the computation power of classical computers and supercomputers were not enough. Since then, its goal has been to revolutionize the world by introducing quantum computing platforms. The company has developed unique technologies involving the full vertical hardware stack of a quantum computer. It designs and manufactures superconducting quantum processing units (QPUs), quantum control electronics as well as ultra-low temperature cryogenics systems which host QPUs. Anyon Systems now delivers turn-key Near-term, Intermediate-Scale, Quantum (NISQ) computers to early adopters. These machines enable its clients to get started with their quantum R&D program, build eco-systems, and stay ahead of competition.
Past Events:
May 12, 2021: 10AM
Speaker: Dr. Robert Woodward, Research Scientist at Toshiba Research Europe Ltd.
Dr. Robert Woodward is a Research Scientist at the Cambridge Research Laboratory (UK) of Toshiba Europe. His research investigates new QKD technologies and their integration into existing network infrastructure, alongside working on the development of Toshiba’s new commercial QKD products. Prior to this, he worked in academia in both the UK and Australia, researching nonlinear fiber optics and ultrafast laser physics.
Title: Quantum Key Distribution using Weak Coherent Laser Sources: Recent Progress and the Route to Practical QKD Systems
Abstract: With the emergence of quantum computers, which have the potential to break classical cryptographic approaches, it has never been more important to develop new technologies for ensuring secure global communications. Quantum key distribution (QKD) provides such a solution, where security can be proven directly from information-theoretic principles and the laws of quantum physics. In this talk I will review recent advances in QKD technology, highlighting how attenuated, modulated laser sources can be used to build practical QKD systems. In addition to summarizing recent research results, I will highlight Toshiba’s work in QKD commercialization and discuss recent achievements in deploying QKD into real-world fiber communication networks.
January 18, 2021: 1PM
Speaker: Dr. Alexei Bylinskii, Senior Research Scientist at QuEra Computing Inc.
Dr. Alexi Bylinskii is an experimental AMO physicist and quantum engineer (the boundary between those two things is blurry!) He did his PhD at MIT with Vladan Vuletic, trapping and cooling ions in optical lattices for the first time, then using that system to study models of nanoscale friction. He went on to do a postdoc at Harvard, trying to develop magnetic resonance imaging at the level of single molecules by using room-temperature quantum defects in diamond. After that, he joined QuEra Computing at its infancy, where he is now building one of the world’s first neutral-atom quantum computers, hoping for it to become the world’s first useful quantum computer.
Title: Quantum Computing with Neutral Atoms: Promises, Challenges, and Commercialization
Abstract: Using a handful of lasers, large arrays of neutral atom qubits can be trapped, cooled, and forced to interact in a controlled way. This constitutes a quantum computing hardware platform that has been gaining momentum in recent years to the point of being commercialized at startups like QuEra Computing Inc. In this talk, I will describe the workings of our platform, where we fit in the landscape of other quantum computing platforms and commercial efforts, and the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead – both from the point of view of scientific discovery, and engineering at the bleeding edge of technology.
Click Here to watch the recording.
October 27, 2020: 1PM
Speaker: Dr. Ish Dhand, Head of Architecture at Xanadu.
Dr. Ish Dhand is the Architecture team lead at Xanadu quantum technologies. Before Xanadu, Ish pursued postdoctoral research on tensor networks and quantum optics at Ulm in the group of Martin Plenio. Ish completed his PhD from University of Calgary with Prof. Barry Sanders.
Title: Towards fault-tolerant photonic quantum computing at Xanadu
Abstract: Photonics is the platform of choice to build a modular, easy-to-network quantum computer operating at room temperature. However, no concrete architecture has been presented so far that exploits both the advantages of qubits encoded into states of light and the modern tools for their generation. Here we propose such a design for a scalable and fault-tolerant photonic quantum computer informed by the latest developments in theory and technology. Central to our architecture is the generation and manipulation of three-dimensional hybrid resource states comprising both bosonic qubits and squeezed vacuum states. The proposal enables exploiting state-of-the-art procedures for the non-deterministic generation of bosonic qubits combined with the strengths of continuous-variable quantum computation, namely the implementation of Clifford gates using easy-to-generate squeezed states. Moreover, the architecture is based on two-dimensional integrated photonic chips used to produce a qubit cluster state in one temporal and two spatial dimensions. By reducing the experimental challenges as compared to existing architectures and by enabling room-temperature quantum computation, our design opens the door to scalable fabrication and operation, which may allow photonics to leap-frog other platforms on the path to a quantum computer with millions of qubits.
Recording not available.
November 18, 2020: 1PM
Speaker: Dr. Joel Wallman, CTO and Co-Founder of Quantum Benchmark Inc.
Dr. Joel Wallman is a quantum information theorist with expertise in mathematical methods relevant to quantum error correction and the theory of benchmarking and certification for open quantum system dynamics. Joel received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Sydney in 2014. He has invented numerous techniques to augment the performance of quantum systems (e.g., randomized compiling) and to efficiently characterize small sets of parameters that accurately predict the behavior of quantum systems (e.g., purity benchmarking, cycle benchmarking, and Pauli noise reconstruction).
Title: Characterizing and Operating Noisy Quantum Computers
Abstract: Significant global efforts are currently underway to build quantum computers. The two main goals for near-term quantum computers are finding and solving interesting problems in the presence of noise and developing techniques to mitigate errors. In this talk, I will outline and motivate an abstraction layer needed to reliably operate quantum computers under realistic noise models, namely, a cycle consisting of all the primitive gates applied to a quantum computer within a specified time period. I will present recent work showing how errors in a cycle can be efficiently characterized and suppressed, and conclude with future directions.
Click Here to watch the recording.
December 17, 2020: 11AM
Speaker: Dr. Araceli Venegas-Gomez, Founder and CEO of QURECA Ltd.
Dr. Araceli Venegas-Gomez spent several years working for Airbus in Germany and France as an aerospace engineer, before falling in love with quantum mechanics. She then decided to follow her passion for physics and moved to Scotland to pursue a PhD in quantum simulation at the University of Strathclyde. Following discussions with the different quantum stakeholders she had over the last years, Araceli identified the need to bridge the gap between businesses and academia, as well as to raise the quantum awareness to the general public. Continuing her work on outreach advocating quantum technologies, she was named the “quantum ambassador”, after winning the Optical Society Milton and Rosalind Chang Pivoting fellowship in 2019. Araceli founded her own company called QURECA (Quantum Resources and Careers) to create a link between the different stakeholders in the quantum community through a common language, and to generate global opportunities with quantum technologies. QURECA provides a range of professional services, business development, and the solution to the quantum workforce skills bottleneck: the first online platform for quantum training and resourcing, to support individuals and businesses to be part of the quantum revolution.
Title: Career Opportunities in Quantum Technologies
Abstract: Dr. Venegas-Gomez will introduce an overview of quantum technologies worldwide. Then, she will focus on career opportunities for people who want to be involved in the field of quantum technologies, and how QURECA supports anyone who wants to join the quantum revolution.
About QURECA: There is a clear need to be realistic in identifying the emerging technologies opportunities that will transform society. The ecosystem for quantum technologies is full of gaps but QURECA Ltd. aims to provide all the resources needed in the community, in order to build a stronger network of stakeholders.QURECA provides a range of professional services, business development, and the solution to the quantum workforce skills bottleneck: the first online platform for quantum training and resourcing, to support individuals and businesses to be part of the quantum revolution. In 2019, the Royal Society described QURECA Ltd. as the company that “fills the gaps in the existing quantum community, creating a society ready for quantum through a common language.”
Click Here to watch the recording.
Check back soon for details on upcoming talks!