Archive for the ‘Quantum Computing’ Category

Taking quantum computing into real-world applications – University of Strathclyde

A new project which aims to take quantum computing from the lab to real-world applications has received 3 million of new funding.

The University of Strathclyde is a partner in the Empowering Practical Interfacing of Quantum Computing (EPIQC) project.

Over the next four years, quantum computing and information and communication technologies (ICT) researchers across the UK will work together to co-create new ways to bridge the gap between current quantum computers and ICT.

Unlike conventional digital computers, which encode information in the form of binary bits, quantum computers harness the phenomena of superposition and entanglement to encode information, unlocking the potential for much more advanced computing.

Currently, there is no overarching infrastructure to enable widespread interaction with quantum computers through information and communication technologies, as there is with digital computers. Without an established ICT structure, quantum computing cannot be extended to the devices, networking, and components that are commonplace in todays digital world.

EPIQC brings together researchers to work on the interface of quantum computing and ICT through the co-creation and networking activities. The collaborators will focus on three key areas of work to help overcome some of the barriers which are currently preventing the field of quantum computing from scaling up to practical applications through ICT: optical interconnects; wireless control and readout, and cryoelectronics.

The project is supported by funding from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UKRI (UK Research and Innovation). It is being led at the University of Glasgow.

Dr Alessandro Rossi, a Senior Lecturer inPhysics and UKRI Future Leaders Fellow, is Strathclydes lead on the project. He said: We are at the dawn of a new technological era based on the exploitation of the laws of quantum physics. In order to bring this new technology to fruition, a number of engineering challenges lie ahead.

To this end, EPIQC will provide a unique opportunity to develop ICT technology tailored to quantum applications. Its interdisciplinarity will enable collaborations within a very diverse pool of scientists ranging from integrated circuit designers to quantum engineers, as well as material and optical physicists.

At Strathclyde, my team will be focusing on implementing wireless signal links between the quantum devices and the control electronics in a cryogenic environment. This is a formidable and crucial challenge to be tackled, in order to enable large quantum computing systems that could help solve practical real-life problems.

Other partners in the project are: the Universities of Birmingham, Lancaster and Southampton; University College London; Kings College London; the National Quantum Computing Centre; the Science and Technology Facilities Council; QuantIC; QCS Hub; IET Quantum Engineering Network; EPSRC eFutures Network and the National Physical Laboratory. EPIQCs industrial partners include: Oxford Instruments; Leonardo; NuQuantum; BT; SeeQC; Semiwise; Quantumbase; Nokia; Ericsson; Kelvin Nanotechnology, and SureCore.

Strathclyde is the only academic institution that has been a partner in all four EPSRC funded Quantum Technology Hubs in both phases of funding, in: Sensing and Timing; Quantum Enhanced Imaging; Quantum Computing and Simulation, and Quantum Communications Technologies.

A Quantum Technology Cluster is embedded in the Glasgow City Innovation District, an initiative driven by Strathclyde along with Glasgow City Council, Scottish Enterprise, Entrepreneurial Scotland and Glasgow Chamber of Commerce. It is envisaged as a global place for quantum industrialisation, attracting companies to co-locate, accelerate growth, improve productivity and access world-class research technology and talent at Strathclyde.

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Taking quantum computing into real-world applications - University of Strathclyde

S-4 Registration Statement for D-Wave and DPCM Capital Business Combination Filed – Quantum Computing Report

S-4 Registration Statement for D-Wave and DPCM Capital Business Combination Filed

An S-4 registration statement is required to be filed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission for any merger between two companies. It provides a preliminary proxy statement and prospectus in connection with the transaction ahead of shareholder votes to approve the merger. DPCM Capital, a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC), has filed this statement for its proposed merger with D-Wave Systems.

The S-4 statement includes a Pro Forma Statement of Operations for D-Wave in 2021 indicating they achieved a revenue of $6.2 million with a net loss of $31.5 million. In addition, it shows that the company spent $25.4 million in R&D and received government assistance of $7.1 million during the year. The merger transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2022 with D-Wave receiving a cash infusion at that time of $280 million ($300 million from the SPAC trust and $40 million from a PIPE transaction minus $60 million of expected transaction fees) assuming no redemptions of the SPAC shares at closing. This particular deal has an unusual structure that provides a bonus pool of about 5 million shares to current SPAC shareholders who do not redeem their shares which might help avoid some of the issues weve seen in other SPAC deals where redemptions reduced the amount of cash provided to the company after the deal closes.

An announcement from DPCM Capital about the filing of the S-4 statement can be seen here and the S-4 filing itself and all the associated exhibits can be downloaded from this page on the SEC website. Also, an investor presentation that was created when the deal was announced last February can be accessed here. These documents include a lot of detailed information about the finances of D-Wave for those who are willing to dig into it.

March 19, 2022

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Keck award will help scientists take quantum leap to explore the mysteries of life – ASU News Now

March 18, 2022

Physicists have worked and wrestled with quantum theory for more than a century now, applying it to explore and help solve the profound mysteries of Albert Einsteins theory of relativity and cosmological conundrums such as black holes, gravity and the origins of the universe.

But for Arizona State University theoretical chemist Vladimiro Mujica, there is still a vast, secret and fascinating world to explore but rather than out there in the vastness of space time, at the nexus between everyday life on Earth and the quantum world. Cellular mutations in the molecule of life, DNA, happen randomly and are governed by quantum probability rules. Download Full Image

Recently, quantum mechanics has been found to play an essential role in our understanding of chemistry and biology, and the molecular theory of evolution.

Now, Mujica will get a chance to further explore this quantum world by leading a three-year, $1 million award from the prestigious Keck Foundation. Their goal is build a foundational understanding of how the sometimes weird, exotic features of quantum physics influence the very stuff that makes life work.

To do so, Mujica will lead a multi-institutional quantum biology team that includes ASU colleague William Petuskey and leading experimentalists, including Northwestern University co-investigators Michael Wasielewski and University of California Los Angeles professors Paul Weiss and Louis Bouchard.

To be successful, we really needed to think outside of the box, with a good foundation, said Mujica, a professor in the School of Molecular Sciences. So, we put this team together of leading experimentalists, but also with a firm grasp of theory top-ranking people to take a quantum leap in this field of science.

The awards initiative, titled Chirality, Spin Coherence, and Entanglement in Quantum Biology,will explore fundamental quantumeffects in biological systems.

For example, two key processes necessary for life: photosynthesis in plants and respiration in animals, are driven by reactions that involve the transfer of electrons in molecules and across boundaries within the cell.

Electrons themselves, in addition to carrying a negative charge, have key quantum properties, including spin, that plays a fundamental role in the molecular electron transfer processes that make life possible.

Vladimiro Mujica. Photo courtesy Mary Zhu

Chiral is the Greek word for hand. No matter how hard one tries, a left hand and right hand are non-superimposable mirror images of each other. Ever try to shake a persons hand with the opposite hand? That awkward encounter simply because the thumbs are in different positions is an everyday demonstration of chirality.

It turns out molecules, and life, have the same chiral properties. But how does that help their biological function?

We're trying to decipher in a way, a mystery of nature and evolution, Mujica said. Because it turns out that biological systems use these chiral molecules in proteins, DNA and RNA. These are some of the most important molecules in biology. For example, DNA is a double-helix ladder that is intrinsically chiral. And so are the proteins encoded by these fundamental biological molecules, which are the bricks and mortars of the cell, doing all the work that makes us alive.

Quantum mechanics is all-across biology: Photosynthesis. Cellular respirationc. Oxygen transport.Cellular mutations.

Are all governed by quantum effects.

These happen randomly and are governed by quantum probability rules.

One can zoom in further on life, under the skin all the way to the molecules at the atomic level and clouds of electrons in quantum states. In everyday life, we are used to electrons being transported through copper wires to deliver electricity to our homes.

But what are the wires that deliver electrons in living system, a process that involves substantial amounts of energy and heat? And how do they avoid frying life, or by proxy, us?

In living systems, how electrons are transferred or transported depends on organic molecules, Mujica said. Now, organic molecules are far less efficient than copper wires or anything like that to transport or transfer electrons. But nevertheless, evolution chose this in a way.

Mujica refers to this as a real mystery as to why Mother Nature chose these lousy molecules for transferring electrons.

Yet, as Jeff Goldblums quirky scientist character in "Jurassic Park" famously once said: "Life finds a way.

It turns out electrons are transported in organic molecules primarily by tunneling, not diffusion as in copper wires.

The mechanism electrons going through organic molecules is to a large extent a quantum phenomenon, Mujica said Its a mechanism called tunneling, and what it implies is that electrons can go from one region of the molecule to the other, even if they do not have enough energy to overcome intrinsic barriers.

The research team wants to investigate why and how electrons use this tunneling mechanism for biological function essential to life. First, they have designed a series of experiments using synthetic pairs of right or left-handed DNA structures. Next, they will custom tailor electron donors andacceptors as part of their structures to probe this chirality-dependentelectron transfer. All this experimental effort is guided by a predictive theoretical and computational effort.

Some of themodelsystems tweaks they will examine are the effect of the electron donor-acceptordistance, the temperature, redox properties and the coupling to their surrounding environment.

An electron transfer process with the electron-vibration (phonon) interaction. The process is essential to understanding and controlling charge and energy flow in various electronic, photonic and energy conversion devices or, in this case, a biomolecule. The "IN" and "OUT" have either the same or distorted phase, depending on whether the transport is coherent or incoherent.

A fundamental quantum electron property is spin. Electrons can be like spinning tops, rotating on their own axis.

Mujica explains that because electrons are charged particles, "this rotation creates a magnetic moment, which only has two components; one component aligns in the direction of transport and the other component is aligned in the opposite direction to transport.

"As they tunnel through chiral organic molecules, they have a preferential orientation due to the spin orbit interaction and the loss of time-inversion symmetry.

This is known as spin polarization.

It turns out, when electron spin is polarized, electrons can tunnel much easier and farther because one of the two spin components has a larger transmission probability.

Mujica likens it to a bullet going through the barrel of a gun. The first guns that were ever made all had smooth, hollowed-out barrels. But when grooves were etched, it gave the bullet a spin that allowed it to travel straighter and farther. Also, it is easy to understand with this simple analogy that bullets rotating clockwise will not go through counter-clockwise designed barrels, and vice versa. A classical analogy to what happens with electron spins.

And so, for their second set of experiments, they willuse magnetic substrates, nanoscale chemical patterning, andmultimodalspin-polarized scanningtunneling microscopyand spectroscopieswith orientedenantiomeric pairs of DNAandintercalated metalstoelucidate and to quantifythe molecular and interface contributionstochirality-induced spin selectivity.

Since most biological molecules, including amino acids inproteins and nucleotides in RNA and DNA, are chiral, thecriticalroles of spin polarization inelectron transport within and between biological molecules will be determined.

Finally, electrons have a dual particle-wave quantum nature; they have particle-like properties such as mass and charge, but their dynamics and propagation follows the rules of wave quantum mechanics.

In biology, as the electrons encounter other molecules or molecular barriers like cell membranes, they are scattered, and their wave properties are modified. Two wave sources arecoherentif their frequency and waveform are identical. If not, the waves can be canceled or enhanced due to interference. This interference can be destructive and leads to noise, which can also be due to thermal interactions.

Spin coherence can coexist with spin polarization Mujica said. What it means is that you have in-phase transport, so you're not reducing the intensity of the wave, and we're not changing the phase of a wave associated to that transfer.

Spin coherence is intimately associated to another quantum process, entanglement, that is of fundamental importance in quantum information and quantum computing.

Mujica says this is a high-risk, high-reward project that may upset the current conventional wisdom in quantum biology.

I mean, the common knowledge was that you couldn't have coherence in a quantum biological system, because the environmental effects would destroy coherence in a very short time.

They will try to put it all together by determining how chirality influences theelectronic, vibrational and spin-polarized electron transferfrom electrondonors to acceptor sites as spin-coherent electron pairs are generated in photo-induced electron transfer reactions.

Essentially, the grant focuses on the role of spin-polarized electrons and how it influences the behavior of biological systems, especially the length and temperature dependence, and how spin polarization and spin coherence can coexist, Mujica said. These are key unsolved issues in biological electron-transfer reactions.

In addition tostudying the unexplored roles of spin coherence in quantum biology, Mujicas team will study how it can coexist with spinpolarization and how, or if, it can create what is referred to as the spooky "action at a distance," or quantum entangled states.

The overarching Keck grant goal is to answer these questions, and the contributions of three key ingredients: tunneling, spin and coherence. These are central to discovering the underpinnings of the emerging field of quantumbiology.

By exploring these questions, Mujicas team ultimately hopes to use the Keck grant as a catalyst to create an ASU center for quantum biology, and further down the road, practical applications, such as quantum information and computing. All this could help position ASU in quantum technologies and information efforts, which are of strategic importance for the U.S.

If we can provide enough evidence, we hope to unveil some very important questions that will be crucial for an ASU effort in quantum information sciences, and this is something that we are starting with efforts in engineering and physics, Mujica said.

We want to weigh in on the roadmap to be able to use molecules for quantum information. From our perspective, we really think of this as a step in the direction of defining our capabilities of using quantum biology in molecular quantum information sciences, a field that is experiencing a true renaissance.

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Keck award will help scientists take quantum leap to explore the mysteries of life - ASU News Now

Panelists explore ‘Science of the Very, Very Small’ | Cornell Chronicle – Cornell Chronicle

From a nanoscale brobot flexing its muscles to a discussion of the artistry of scientific images, participants at a March 9 event got an up-close look at how quantum science and nanotechnology are shaping our lives.

Arts Unplugged: Science of the Very, Very Small included both online and in-person activities, centered around 11 TED-style talks given by faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences. The faculty shared their research and thoughts on topics from gene manipulation and miniature robots to ethical considerations of nanotech and the interplay between science and fiction through an online eCornell presentation, which was also livestreamed to audiences in the Groos Family Atrium in Klarman Hall and the Clark Atrium in the Physical Sciences Building.

Members of the Cornell community attempt some origami during the event.

Im a particle physicist and particle physicists like to take things apart until we find their smallest constituents, pulling them apart until theres nothing indivisible anymore, said Peter Wittich, professor of physics (A&S) and director of the Laboratory of Elementary Particle Physics, echoing the Arts Unplugged theme.

The event brought together scientists and humanists from numerous fields, including physics, chemistry, biology, literature and moral psychology. Natalie Wolchover, senior science editor and writer at Quanta Magazine and the Zubrow Distinguished Visiting Journalist in A&S, served as moderator, asking questions of each of the panelists after their presentations.

We tend to think of ourselves as small in the grand scheme of things, and understandably so: The universe is huge, Wolchover said. Youd have to line up 500 trillion trillion humans head to toe to stretch across the observable universe. And yet, somehow its still easier to conceive of how much bigger space is compared to us than it is to imagine how small the smallest things in the universe are relative to us.

John Marohn, professor of chemistry and chemical biology (A&S), is building a microscope that can image things smaller than a nanometer the size of an individual water molecule.

Were using this to image spins in quantum materials to study quantum computing, but were also using this to image the molecules of life, he said.

Roald Hoffmann, the Frank H. T. Rhodes Professor Emeritus in the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology (A&S), spoke of the beauty of scientific images, showing an image of the nanoworld that he compared to a chocolate wafer and another that looked like sand dunes.

These are images that convey information, but they also have some significance just as images, Hoffmann said. The scientists are making artistic choices they dont think they are, but they are in the process of showing them.

Ailong Ke, professor of molecular biology and genetics (A&S), talked about how CRISPR technology can be used to combat disease.

In the next phase of our study, we really hope to bring [about CRISPRs] therapeutic power, Ke said, which could be used to delete viruses from our genome or halt the growth of cancer cells.

Directly after Kes talk, Julia Markovits, associate professor of philosophy (A&S), discussed the slippery slope argument that is often used to justify prohibiting a new technology like gene editing. If we use CRISPR to cure sickle cell anemia, for example, applying the slippery slope means that designer babies would inevitably follow. But such reasoning is faulty, said Markovits: a better metaphor would be a string of dominoes where its difficult to topple the entire string.

Eun-Ah Kim, professor of physics (A&S), talked about her work studying social phenomena of electrons. We are a lucky generation because we can see these electron spins implemented into a set of qubits that can be individually controlled, to be programmed for computation, in quantum computers, she said. In my research, I try to bridge this nascent technology with more established classical computing.

Other A&S faculty presenting included:

During the programs intermission, Michael Reynolds, M.S. 17, Ph.D. 21, postdoctoral associate in the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in the College of Engineering, demonstrated an origami model of a nanobot for viewers to try.

About 30 students from the Milstein Program in Technology and Humanity attended the livestream in Clark Atrium and attempted the origami duck, with some in-person help from Reynolds. Those attending the livestream in Klarman Hall were assisted by Qingkun Liu, postdoctoral researcher in physics. Origami design principles are used by researchers, including Reynolds and Liu, working with Cohen and Paul McEuen, the John A. Newman Professor of Physical Science (A&S), as they create tiny programmable robots, including the brobot.

The intermission time also included the announcement of winners of the Colleges Envisioning the Future contest Lucca Schwartz in the elementary category; Avalon Golden and Sophia Schumaecker in the high school category and Vinh Truong in the adult category. Their winning submissions can be found online on the Arts Unplugged website.

The recording of the event is available to watch for free on eCornell.

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Panelists explore 'Science of the Very, Very Small' | Cornell Chronicle - Cornell Chronicle

Developing an AI-ready business era is the need of the hour – Times of India

Human beings increasingly desire to live in a world of perfection, which has become attainable thanks to advancements in technology. We have now reached the point of complete automation, thanks to the most recent technical advancements. Artificial Intelligence (AI) is one such breakthrough that is godsend for businesses of all types to innovate in this cut-throat competitive period. Artificial Intelligence appears to be on the verge of a breakthrough, having turned a crisis into an opportunity for a variety of businesses across sectors and fundamentally altered the dynamics of the commercial world.

Many polls conducted by specialists across disciplines have found that AI is adding feathers to the caps of various expanding businesses, and as a result, organizations have become more open to incorporating AI technology into their working paradigm. However, when it comes to defining AI, there is still a lot of unanswered questions. An intelligent organism developed by humans with a capability to understand the term technology, is a brief definition of Artificial Intelligence. Many veterans have portrayed Artificial Intelligence as a terminator-like figure capable of acting and thinking on its own and carrying out missions without being taught.

When it comes to developing a solid business strategy, AI plays a vital role. In order to get better results, various sectors have included AI into their business strategy. When it comes to the industrial industry, AI skills have recently taken centre stage. While AI has been deployed in essential aspects of the business, manufacturing businesses have focused the majority of their efforts on fundamental production processes such as product creation, engineering, and assembly, as well as quality testing. Artificial Intelligence has shown to be a game-changer in the industrial industry. It has the potential to change the ROI of industrial operations across the board, regardless of genre.But, as previously stated, the true revolution will occur once all stakeholders recognise the importance of technology in redefining the new business era. When it comes to connecting consumers with profitable solutions and efficient products, digital innovation has paved the way for businesses.

Due to several concerns about technological challenges, the Indian industrial industry has been hesitant to adopt digitalization. However, with the widespread acceptance of digitalization internationally, India has caught the changing and evolving winds in order to stay afloat.

Technology pushing digitalisation

When it comes to industrial automation, technological breakthroughs such as the Internet of Things, connectivity, open software, and electronics have been implemented first. The availability, stable reliability, and performance of these digitalization technologies have been a prime and immediate reason for their adoption for automation and control of industrial manufacturing in the manufacturing sector, which thrives on precision and mission-critical applications and is heavily bound by forward and backward synchronised processes. The manufacturing industry has experienced an increase in demand for customised technical advances to help them improve their processes, as they perceive reliability in its applications across many product categories, which improves time efficiency in industrial controls and automation.

This is just the beginning; industry executives, although being pioneers in their areas, are welcoming digitalization with open arms. This shift in attitude has occurred since digitalization has proven to be a lifesaver in the face of the current pandemic. Manufacturing organisations have been able to maintain and hold their position on supply chain and production targets through time-bound deliveries across global areas, particularly in Asia, thanks to digitalization. Only now, as the benefits of digitalization in automation have become clear to company leaders and forerunners in the field, has it begun to be widely implemented. Given the current upheaval produced by Covid, the industrys perspectives on the benefits of digitalization have been sharpened.

The global manufacturing sector is concentrating on digitalization to improve customer centricity, increase the efficiency of marketing strategies, and channel attractive market prospects through simple and ready-to-use pathways of established procedures. Production will benefit from digitalization in terms of planning, operation, and maintenance.

When it comes to digital hauls for industry,quantum computingis picking frills as well. Companies believe that using exponential data processing in research and development will improve process efficiency while also saving time and resources. Details of highly complex chemical reaction processes can be digitally simulated and analysed in a short amount of time with the help of quantum computing.

Traditional automation suppliers fought hard against the adoption of Ethernet networks and Microsoft support, but they gradually recognised and accepted it. External technologies have increased the pace of production in the industrial business, increasing competitiveness. To maintain competition, it blends industrial automation and business information into computer architecture. A decade ago, no one imagined that technology would be welcomed by the rigorously mechanical industrial manufacturing industry in order to improve production efficiency. However, production efficacy is the key to survival.

Today, the manufacturing sectors future appears brighter; it does not seem to be an unusual ripped page from the book of business synchronicities. Change is never easy to accept, adopt, or execute, but for the industrial manufacturing business, it is necessary to gather fresh sails in order to reach a new shore.

Views expressed above are the author's own.

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Developing an AI-ready business era is the need of the hour - Times of India