Entangled Things

In Episode 29, Patrick and Ciprian speak with Dr. Sebastian Weidt of the Universal Quantum.The team discuss the challenges of engineering and developing a million Qubit Quantum system, error correction, and scaling towards distributed quantum computing.Dr Sebastian Weidt is the Co-founder and CEO of Universal Quantum- a UK company developing the world’s first million qubit quantum computer. He is also a Senior Lecturer in Quantum Technologies at the University of Sussex, with more than 10 years' experience in the field of quantum computing. During this time, Sebastian co-created the first scalable quantum computer blueprint, which involved inventing a pioneering approach to building a million-qubit machine.  This ion trap-based architecture uses unique, electronic quantum computing modules based on silicon technology where individual modules are connected using ultrafast electric field links. Using currently available engineering, the beauty of this quantum computer blueprint lies in its scalability and ability to build a million-qubit machine-the threshold where you can unlock ‘useful’ applications in areas such as medicine, materials science and much more.  Previously, Sebastian worked as a business consultant in Berlin before completing his PhD and postdoctoral research fellowship in quantum information technology, specializing in scalable trapped ion quantum gate operations. 

In Episode 28, Patrick and Ciprian speak with Lajos Hanzo of the University of Southampton. The team discuss Quantum Networking, Quantum AI and Quantum search algorithms, physical layer security, and the international communications race. Lajos Hanzo earned his Doctorate at the Technical University (TU) of Budapest, his Doctor of Sciences (DSc) degree at the University of Southampton (2004) and Honorary Doctorate at the University of Edinburgh (2015).  He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and a Foreign Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences as well as a former Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Press.  Since 1998 he has held the Chair of Telecommunications at Southampton University, UK where he has directed the research of wireless communications and nurtured over 100 doctoral students. He has published widely, including frontier research on paving the way from classical communications to quantum communications.(http://www-mobile.ecs.soton.ac.uk, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lajos_Hanzo)

In Episode 27, Patrick and Ciprian take a retrospective look at this past year of Entangled Things.The team discuss the origins of the show, some of the major announcements of last year, and postulate where this next year will take us.

In Episode 26, Patrick and Ciprian speak with Dr. Terrill Frantz of Harrisburg University.The team discuss Quantum from the perspective of the computer scientist, Monte Carlo device simulation, and the methods of teaching quantum for students of varied ages and backgrounds.Terrill Frantz is a university professor focused on multiple aspects of workforce development for quantum technologies.  He teaches, develops degree programs, and studies labor economics within the quantum field.   Beyond traditional workforce development activities, he produces events and is highly engaged in the standards-setting process. Terrill holds a doctorate degree from the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University (USA) as well as a doctorate degree in Organization Change from Pepperdine University (USA). 

In Episode 25, Patrick speaks with Aleks Kissinger of Oxford University.The team discuss the visualization of Quantum processes, how to teach Quantum, ZX-calculus, and Quantum key distribution.To hear more from Alex, please read his book, Picturing Quantum Processes A First Course in Quantum Theory and Diagrammatic Reasoning at https://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/physics/quantum-physics-quantum-information-and-quantum-computation/picturing-quantum-processes-first-course-quantum-theory-and-diagrammatic-reasoning?format=HB&isbn=9781107104228 Aleks Kissinger has been an Associate Professor of Quantum Computing in Oxford’s Computer Science Department since Autumn 2019. Before that, he was an Assistant Professor of Quantum Structures and Logic at Radboud University in Nijmegen. He is the co-author of Picturing Quantum Processes (a.k.a. "The Dodo Book"), which teaches quantum theory from scratch using a new style of mathematics based entirely on diagrams. His research lies in the area of "quantum software", namely making the code that runs on quantum computers more correct, more practical, and faster.

In Episode 24, Patrick and Ciprian speak with Dr. Steve Girvin of Yale University. The team discuss Quantum error correction, entanglement, superposition, and material science.After graduating in a high school class of 5 students in the small village of Brant Lake, NY and completing his undergraduate degree in physics from Bates College, Dr. Girvin earned his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from Princeton University in 1977. Dr. Steve Girvin joined the Yale faculty in 2001, where he is Eugene Higgins Professor of Physics and Professor of Applied Physics.  From 2007 to 2017 he served as Yale’s Deputy Provost for Research, overseeing strategic planning for research across Yale.  From 2019 to 2021, he served as founding director of the Co-Design Center for Quantum Advantage, one of five national quantum information science research centers funded by the Department of Energy.  Along with his experimenter colleagues Michel Devoret and Robert Schoelkopf, Professor Girvin co-developed ‘circuit QED,’ the leading architecture for construction of quantum computers based on superconducting microwave circuits.  Dr. Girvin is a Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and Member of the US National Academy of Sciences.  In 2007, he and his collaborators, Allan H. MacDonald and James P. Eisenstein were awarded the Oliver E. Buckley Prize of the American Physical Society for their work on the fractional quantum Hall effect.   In 2019, he and coauthor Kun Yang published the textbook “Modern Condensed Matter Physics” with Cambridge University Press.https://girvin.sites.yale.edu/https://quantuminstitute.yale.edu/ https://www.bnl.gov/quantumcenter/ 

In Episode 23, Patrick and Ciprian speak with Steve Reinhardt of Quantum Computing Inc. The team discuss multidimensional graphs, optimization problems, and the strategy of exposing concepts in quantum computing to traditional users in familiar terms.Steve Reinhardt joined QCI in May 2019 to lead QCI’s development of quantum-ready applications and tools, with a focus on delivering differentiated performance using quantum concepts on classical computers and on hybrids of quantum and classical. He has nearly 40 years of senior level experience in software and hardware engineering, development, and innovation. He has built award-winning systems that delivered new levels of computational performance and analytic capability, yet were usable via conceptually simple interfaces. He has focused on graph analytics since 2003, developing graph-analytic core software and using it to solve end-user problems particularly in cybersecurity. Prior to joining QCI, he was director of software tools and later director of customer applications at D-Wave Systems, the world’s first commercial supplier of quantum computers. At D-Wave, he led teams involved in developing quantum computing tools like qbsolv and worked with customers to map out problems for effective execution on D-Wave’s quantum-annealing-based quantum computer. At YarcData/Cray, he led the implementation of key graph-analytic functions for their Urika graph engine and applied them to early customer analytics. This resulted in the Pittsburgh Supercomputer Center and YarcData winning the 2013 HPCwire Editors’ Choice Award for Best Application of Big Data in High Performance Computing. Previously, he served as vice president of joint research for Interactive Supercomputing Corp. (ISC), where he secured funding for projects to implement advanced graph-analytic capabilities in Star-P (distributed MATLAB). After Microsoft acquired ISC, he served as principal architect in charge of architecture and development of its Knowledge Discovery Toolkit for distributed graph-analysis, intended for use by subject-matter experts who are not graph-analytic experts. He also served as chief engineer at Silicon Graphics, where he led the development of Altix, a scalable shared-memory Linux-based system that generated revenue of more than $600 million. He earlier served as the project director for Cray Research’s Cray T3E, the first production distributed-memory supercomputer, which generated more than $700 million in revenue for Cray. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from Yale University and Master of Biological Sciences with a minor in Bioinformatics from the University of Minnesota.

In today’s special episode, Patrick and Ciprian speak to Dr. Deborah Berebichez and Dr. Pekka Pursula from VTT Finland to celebrate their November 30th announcement of their development of a 5 qubit quantum computer. In this episode, they talk about the technology they picked and why, the advantages of superconducting technology, the competitive angle a 5 qubit quantum computer will give them, and what advancements this will help them make in quantum computing.Dr. Deborah Berebichez is a Lead Scientist in Microelectronics and Quantum Computing at VTT, one of Europe’s leading research institutes. Her responsibilities include setting the research agenda for VTT’s quantum computer and for its quantum-adjacent technologies. Her main focus is to build relationships with potential client companies who plan to use VTT’s quantum facilities to create innovative products. Deborah Berebichez is the first Mexican woman to graduate from Stanford University with a Ph.D. in Physics. Deborah’s work in quantum technologies is solidified by her academic background:Her physics Ph.D. adviser at Stanford was Nobel Laureate Bob Laughlin who discovered the fractional quantum Hall effect. She also worked with Nobel Laureate Steve Chu on cooling atoms with laser light. She completed two postdoctoral fellowships at Columbia University's Applied Math and Physics Department and at NYU's Courant Institute for Mathematical Sciences where she carried out research in the area of waves and optimization. She published in the area of photonics for quantum computing. Deborah’s work in science education and outreach has been recognized by the WSJ, Oprah, TED,DLD, WIRED, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and others.Dr. Pekka Pursula was born in Vantaa, Finland, in 1978. He received the M.Sc. degree (with distinction) and D.Sc.in technical physics from Aalto University, Helsinki, Finland, in 2002 and 2009, respectively. Since 2003 Dr. Pursula has been with the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland in several research and research management positions, where he is currently Research Manager in Microelectronics and Quantum Technologies. His interests include microelectronics, electronic components and system integration from RF and millimetre wave frequencies to THz, in addition to quantum technology in general. Between 2011 and 2016 he was also an adjunct professor of Electronics at Tampere University of Technology. In 2012 Dr. Pursula has been a visiting researcher at IMTEK Department of Microsystems Engineering at University of Freiburg, Germany in 2021 and at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California, USA in 2018. D.Sc. Pursula was the vice chair of IEEE MTT/AP/ED chapter in Finland 2014-2020. He received Microwave Prize at European Microwave Week, Nürnberg, October 8-13th 2017. He has authored and co-authored over 50 peer-reviewed journal and conference articles, and he is a co-inventor in 11 patent applications.

In Episode 21, Patrick and Ciprian speak with Dr. Todd Brun of the University of Southern California. Topics covered include the interdisciplinary nature of quantum computing, the importance of error correction and fault tolerance, and the narrowing gap between theory and experiment.Todd Brun is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Physics, and Computer Science at the University of Southern California.  He does research on quantum theory, especially on the problems of quantum computing and quantum information science.  Prof. Brun received his Ph.D. in Physics from Caltech in 1994, and did postdoctoral work at the University of London (Queen Mary and Westfield College), the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Santa Barbara, Carnegie Mellon University, and the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, before starting at USC in 2003.

In Episode 20, Patrick and Ciprian speak with Fred Chong of the University of Chicago. The team discuss the equivalent timelines between Quantum Computation and classical computing, the emergence of market opportunities for Quantum Computing, and the need to be ready for new disruptions as technologies continue to develop.Fred Chong is the Seymour Goodman Professor in the Department of Computer Science at the University of Chicago and the Chief Scientist at Super.tech.  His work focuses on accelerating the timeline for practical quantum computing by developing software techniques that optimize for the physical properties of quantum hardware.  He leads the EPiQC Project (Enabling Practical-scale Quantum Computing), a $10M flagship national research project funded by the National Science Foundation's Expeditions in Computing program.  Chong received his Ph.D. from MIT in 1996 and is a recipient of the NSF CAREER award, the Intel Outstanding Researcher Award, and 10 best paper awards.