For more information, please visit https://chicagoquantum.org/oqi-undergraduate-fellowship
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HQAN-affiliated students get a taste of the quantum computing industry
This story was originally published by HQAN
Two students associated with HQAN got the opportunity to do internships in the quantum computing industry this past summer. Scott Turro and Kaiwen (Kevin) Gui both emerged from their experiences with a better understanding of real-world quantum computing, and better prepared for their future careers.
Turro is in his senior year at UIUC, majoring in Statistics with minors in Computer Science and Physics. Since his freshman year, he’s been working on a quantum tomography project with Paul Kwiat, who is an HQAN co-PI and the Bardeen Professor of Physics. That work has involved interacting with Qubitekk, Inc.—a startup devoted to quantum components and systems—and the relationship eventually led to Turro’s internship.
At Qubitekk he worked on three different projects. “Throughout all the projects,” he says, “my main goal was to write Python code that would control the devices, and document those classes so they could be used by the employees.”
Daniel Mulkey, who mentored Turro at Qubitekk, praises the contributions he made over the summer. “He was phenomenal,” he says. “He regularly brought and implemented valuable ideas that we wouldn’t have picked up anywhere else.”
Turro thinks that the number one thing he gained from the internship was the experience of working with real data, which wasn’t “the perfect data that I would usually simulate. So working with that real data and having those experimental problems, like the voltage varying… really gave me a grasp of what the problems are, and what we have to get through in order to put these systems into real life.”
Kevin Gui is a Ph.D. student at the University of Chicago, where he’s studying quantum computing under the guidance of Martin Suchara, an HQAN investigator. Gui’s thesis research is building connections between quantum hardware and quantum algorithms. While very sophisticated algorithms are being developed for quantum computers, he explains, “hardware is not available yet for many of these fancy algorithms.” In his graduate work, he’s looking for ways “either to improve hardware, or to simplify algorithms to make them more suitable for the [available] hardware.”
In his internship, which was at ColdQuanta, Inc., Gui got to focus on the hardware side, working to build better multiqubit gates. Quantum gates aren’t perfect; they can be influenced by factors such as physical noise, and fail to give the desired output. Gui explored the physics of quantum gates to seek better fidelity and less susceptibility to noise.
He says the internship helped him extend his research focus beyond the level of “perfect” circuits to the real-world hardware that exists today. “I have a better sense of how the actual hardware actually functions… It made that whole picture much clearer.”
At ColdQuanta, Gui was mentored by Mark Saffman (a UW–Madison physics professor and Chief Scientist for Quantum Information for ColdQuanta) and Martin Lichtman, a quantum physicist. Saffman says that Gui’s work contributed to a core initiative of the company: “Kevin’s work supported ColdQuanta’s development of a high-performance cold atom quantum computer,” he says.
Both Turro and Gui think that their summer experiences will be beneficial to their future careers. Turro hopes to work in the quantum industry after completing his bachelor’s degree, and later return to school for graduate work. Gui remains undecided on his next career step, but is interested in pursuing work that focuses more on applications than theory.
Read the full article at: https://hqan.illinois.edu/news/hqan-affiliated-students-get-a-taste-of-the-quantum-computing-industryNew 3D integrated semiconductor qubit saves space without sacrificing performance
Small but mighty, semiconducting qubits are a promising area of research on the road to a fully functional quantum computer. Less than one square micron, thousands of these qubits could fit into the space taken …
Read the full article at: https://www.physics.wisc.edu/2021/09/09/new-3d-integrated-semiconductor-qubit-saves-space-without-sacrificing-performance/Chicago State University students gain quantum experience through HQAN summer internships
This story was adapted from one originally published by HQAN Over the past summer, the NSF Quantum Leap Challenge Institute for Hybrid Quantum Architectures and Networks (HQAN) offered a 12-week “Research Experiences for CSU Students” …
Read the full article at: https://www.physics.wisc.edu/2021/09/27/chicago-state-university-students-gain-quantum-experience-through-hqan-summer-internships/Chicago Quantum Exchange Profile: Jennifer Choy
WQI’s Jennifer Choy was recently featured as part of a series of profiles of scientists and engineers from across the Chicago Quantum Exchange member institutions. This post was originally published by CQE.
Jennifer Choy is an assistant professor of engineering physics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison who studies quantum sensing and nanophotonics. She aspires to be a great mentor to undergraduate and graduate students and encourages students to study quantum science, even if they don’t plan to go into the field.
Tell us about what you’re working on now.
We are developing miniaturized and mobile quantum sensors and engineering quantum platforms to improve their sensing performance. We are interested in two material platforms in particular: neutral atoms and solid-state color centers. Our group is applying techniques in nanoscale optics and integrated photonics to exert precise control over atom-photon interactions and miniaturize atomic sensors. We are currently developing chip-scale, near-infrared polarization optics for alkali vapor magnetometers, which could enable compact, sensitive magnetic-field-imaging devices.
How does UW–Madison help advance your work?
UW-Madison has a strong research community in quantum computing and sensing platforms and is supported by groups across many science and engineering departments. It has been very inspiring and exciting to establish relationships and collaborations with top-notch quantum researchers at UW-Madison and in the Midwest under the Wisconsin Quantum Institute and the Chicago Quantum Exchange.
How did you become interested in quantum research?
As a freshman in the Nuclear Science and Engineering department at MIT, I joined David Cory’s group, working on using liquid-state nuclear magnetic resonance as a testbed for quantum computing. I think how someone gravitates toward a field depends greatly on formative experiences and environments. I had no prior knowledge in quantum physics, but graduate students in the group were very supportive and David always graciously answered questions and offered advice, even long after I graduated. I aspire to being able to foster a similar mentoring approach and attitude.
What does the future hold for quantum technology?
The use of quantum science in sensors and sensing brings a set of tools that can promise greater sensitivity and accuracy than conventional technologies, some of which are already in use. However, to make the next leap to other practical applications outside of the lab, a combination of fundamental science research and engineering will be needed to realize functional and robust sensor systems. Broader applications would include quantum accelerometers, gyroscopes, and clocks that can provide accurate navigation solutions without the need for GPS.
Quantum technology has a workforce shortage. What would you say to a young person who is interested in studying quantum information science?
I think part of the excitement of working in the field of quantum information science is that it offers interesting research directions in almost every science and engineering discipline. Developing quantum technologies requires partnership among academia, national labs, and industry. With several federally funded quantum initiatives, job opportunities will likely open up in all these sectors.
As someone who worked in industry (as a scientist at Draper Laboratory), what I really appreciated about my training in quantum research is that I was able to apply my skills to other unrelated fields, which were just as interesting and fulfilling. Therefore, I think a quantum workforce will generate well-rounded talents that will also benefit other industries.
HQAN outreach program brings quantum science to rural Wisconsin
This month, the Wonders of Quantum Physics participated in the UW Biocore’s weeklong science camp in Mazomanie, WI. Read all about it in this article published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Deniz Yavuz, Randall Goldsmith awarded funding in first round of UW’s Research Forward initiative
In its inaugural round of funding, the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Graduate Education’s (OVCRGE) Research Forward initiative selected 11 projects, including projects from WQI’s Deniz Yavuz and Randall Goldsmith.
Yavuz is Principal Investigator and Goldsmith is co-Principal Investigator (along with Dan Van der Weide, professor of electrical engineering) on a project titled “Compact and efficient terahertz optical modulators.”
Goldsmith is co-PI on a second funded project, “Therapeutic targeting of post-transcriptional RNA processing in human diseases.”
OVCRGE hosts Research Forward to stimulate and support highly innovative and groundbreaking research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The initiative is supported by the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) and will provide funding for 1–2 years, depending on the needs and scope of the project.
Research Forward seeks to support collaborative, multidisciplinary, multi-investigator research projects that are high-risk, high-impact, and transformative. It seeks to fund research projects that have the potential to fundamentally transform a field of study as well as projects that require significant development prior to the submission of applications for external funding. Collaborative research proposals are welcome from within any of the four divisions (Arts & Humanities, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, Social Sciences), as are cross-divisional collaborations.
Correlated errors in quantum computers emphasize need for design changes
Quantum computers could outperform classical computers at many tasks, but only if the errors that are an inevitable part of computational tasks are isolated rather than widespread events.
Now, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have found evidence that errors are correlated across an entire superconducting quantum computing chip — highlighting a problem that must be acknowledged and addressed in the quest for fault-tolerant quantum computers.
The researchers report their findings in a study published June 16 in the journal Nature, Importantly, their work also points to mitigation strategies.
“I think people have been approaching the problem of error correction in an overly optimistic way, blindly making the assumption that errors are not correlated,” says UW–Madison physics Professor Robert McDermott, member of the Wisconsin Quantum Institute and senior author of the study. “Our experiments show absolutely that errors are correlated, but as we identify problems and develop a deep physical understanding, we’re going to find ways to work around them.”
Read the full story at https://news.wisc.edu/correlated-errors-in-quantum-computers-emphasize-need-for-design-changes/
Welcome, incoming MSPQC students!
The UW–Madison Physics Department and the Wisconsin Quantum Institute are pleased to welcome 18 students to the M.S. in Physics – Quantum Computing program. These students make up the third cohort to begin the program and are the largest entering class to date.
“We are really pleased and proud that the MSPQC program continues to grow and prosper in its third year,” says Bob Joynt, MSPQC Program Director, professor of physics, and WQI member. “We look forward to providing a great experience for the class of 2021. A particular focus this year will be the formation of collaborative teams that will push forward research in quantum computing.”
Of note, three women are in the entering class, marking the first time that women have enrolled in MSPQC. Other facts and figures about this year’s cohort include:
- 11 students are coming directly from completing their Bachelors
- Three students have Master’s degrees
- Six students have at least four years of professional experience, and four of those students have over 10 years professional experience
- 15 are international students, and seven of those students have attended U.S. institutions for previous studies
- The students’ academic backgrounds include physics, astronomy, engineering, and business administration.
The department is following University guidelines and is planning for students to join us in Madison this fall, with in-person instruction. Over the summer, students can attend optional virtual orientation sessions to prepare for the program.
“The pandemic imposed restrictions on our admissions and recruitment activities which forced us to work virtually, but I believe these barriers made our programming more accessible and led to the most diverse and determined incoming cohort of MSPQC students to date,” says Jackson Kennedy, MSPQC coordinator. “Although I have been able to meet our incredibly talented students virtually, I cannot wait to greet them in-person this Fall as we celebrate a long-awaited return to campus.”
In addition to Joynt, the department thanks the other faculty who serve on the MSPQC admissions committee — Alex Levchenko, Robert McDermott, Maxim Vavilov and Deniz Yavuz — for application review. We also thank Michelle Holland and Jackson Kennedy for organizing recruiting efforts.
The MSPQC program welcomed its first students in Fall 2019 – the first-ever class of students in the U.S. to enroll in a quantum computing M.S. degree program. The accelerated program was born out of a recognized need to rapidly train students for the quantum computing workforce and is designed to be completed in 12 months. It provides students with a thorough grounding in the new discipline of quantum information and quantum computing.
Flexible, easy-to-scale nanoribbons move graphene toward use in tech applications
From radio to television to the internet, telecommunications transmissions are simply information carried on light waves and converted to electrical signals.
Silicon-based fiber optics are currently the best structures for high-speed, long distance transmissions, but graphene — an all-carbon, ultra-thin and adaptable material — could improve performance even more.
In a study published April 16 in ACS Photonics, University of Wisconsin–Madison researchers fabricated graphene into the smallest ribbon structures to date using a method that makes scaling-up simple. In tests with these tiny ribbons, the scientists discovered they were closing in on the properties they needed to move graphene toward usefulness in telecommunications equipment.
“Previous research suggested that to be viable for telecommunication technologies, graphene would need to be structured prohibitively small over large areas, (which is) a fabrication nightmare,” says Joel Siegel, a UW–Madison graduate student in physics professor Victor Brar’s group and co-lead author of the study. “In our study, we created a scalable fabrication technique to make the smallest graphene ribbon structures yet and found that with modest further reductions in ribbon width, we can start getting to telecommunications range.”
For the full story, please visit: https://news.wisc.edu/flexible-easy-to-scale-nanoribbons-move-graphene-toward-use-in-tech-applications/