Quantum Technology: Here and Now

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April 3, 2020
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  James D. Whitfield

In this talk, I will give an overview of the field of quantum computing and quantum simulation with attention to highlighted application areas in electronic structure, technical progress on quantum algorithms, and, more specifically, on our group’s approach to the rapidly expanding quantum revolution. I will discuss our on-going work to improve electronic structure encodings on qubits, applications to time-dependent density functional theory as well as the limitations of quantum technology. The latter category is an important reminder as we move into the era where quantum computers can perform (presently contrived) tasks that cannot be done classically; the era of so-called quantum supremacy. As this new technology grows in adoption and usage, a wider array of engineers and scientists are need with familiarity with quantum topics. To this end we have created an online platform, qbraid, which allows users to both interface with actual quantum hardware as well as learn the basics of quantum technology. This is particularly timely with COVID-19 outbreak and fits well with our role here at Dartmouth.