April 06, 2015 – April 09, 2015

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Location

New York, New York, USA

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Organizers

Vadim Oganesyan, Graduate Center of the City University of New York
Eliot Kapit, Graduate Center of the City University of New York
Antonello Scardicchio, ICTP Trieste

Overview

Quantum computation has come a long way from its beginning as an idea for a quantum simulator of quantum many-body systems to essentially all purpose (in principle) solver of classically hard computational problems via quantum annealing. While the “conventional” gate-based architecture has been pursued largely by academics over the last couple of decades (though with great recent commercial interest from companies such as IBM and Northrop Grumman), quantum annealing machines are only now becoming experimentally probed, in large driven by interests and aggressive investment from outside the academia, starting with D-wave inc., recently joined by the likes of Google, Macdonnell-Douglas, Boeing and likely others. Although the two approaches to quantum computation have been shown to be mathematically equivalent under ideal conditions, realistic device implementations are typically plagued by markedly different failure modes. This workshop will bring together researchers from diverse fields of quantum information and computational science, quantum device engineering and non-equilibrium many-body dynamics that together aim to deliver a practical quantum computer.

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We expect beneficial cross-talk among these different communities, in particular looking to transfer existing expertise and know-how from established methods of quantum control and many-body physics to emergent problems in adiabatic quantum computation. Following in the format established by three previous “non-equilibrium” meetings (see for example http://www.bnl.gov/fqcmp2013/ ), organizational emphasis will be placed on spontaneous small group discussions rather than on a dense presentation schedule. The participants, as in the past, are likely to be nearly evenly divided between junior and senior (typically at the assistant/associate professor rank) categories, with as many as half from overseas (mostly Europe) and with the remaining from the US. With lunch and coffee breaks served in the seminar room itself, and with wrap-around black/whiteboards, we expect a continuous stream of unhindered and invigorating scientific exchanges—see http://tinyurl.com/q64sqse for some candid shots from the prior events. All presentations will be recorded, streamed live and archived, as in the past (see for example http://www.bnl.gov/fqcmp2013/videolinks.php.)

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In our experience, good workshops self-organize around participants, however, at this point the organizers are keen on developing three foci: (a) Quantum error correction: To what extent is error correction possible in adiabatic quantum computing? Can dissipative processes assist the computation itself? What are the ultimate limitations for passive error correction in more traditional, gate-based quantum computing systems? (b) Localization in gate-based computing: Does many-body localization exist and protect interacting gate-based computer? Are recent developments in periodically driven quantum systems relevant to gate-based devices? (c) Localization in adiabatic quantum computing: Are localization effects universal in hard problems for adiabatic quantum computing? Can insights from MBL shed light on this question?