Quantum News Briefs: December 11, 2023:
Riverlane partners with Infleqtion and Nüvü Camēras to help quantum computers ‘see’ their qubits
A new collaborative project involving leading UK and Canadian companies aims to develop advanced imaging systems for scaling quantum computers. The Scalable Qubit Array Detection for Rydberg Quantum Computers project brings together quantum computing companies Infleqtion and Riverlane with imaging systems specialist Nüvü Camēras. Their goal is to enhance the readout of qubit states, a crucial step for quantum computers to perform more complex operations and reach real-world applications. This initiative focuses on improving the measurement of neutral atom qubits used in Infleqtion’s quantum computing platform. The collaboration will aid in developing cameras for next-generation quantum computers, equip Riverlane’s quantum control systems with advanced readout capabilities, and assist Infleqtion in validating necessary hardware control layers. Funded jointly by Innovate UK and the National Research Council of Canada through the Canada-UK Commercialising Quantum Technology Programme, this project represents a significant stride in achieving practical quantum computing, targeting a milestone in quantum operations known as the ‘TeraQuop.’
Oxford Quantum Circuits & Classiq Partner to Advance Seamless Quantum Computing and Data Center Convergence
Classiq, a quantum software leader, and Oxford Quantum Circuits (OQC), a quantum computing hardware innovator, have announced a partnership to enhance the accessibility and efficiency of advanced quantum computing for users in research and industry. Classiq’s end-to-end quantum software platform, which automates quantum software development and execution, will be integrated with OQC’s enterprise-ready quantum computers, particularly their superconducting qubits technology and the new OQC Toshiko machine. This collaboration aims to provide users a seamless experience from modeling to execution on OQC’s hardware, including features like debugging, automatic quantum circuit synthesis, and optimization. Additionally, the partnership will work on integrating their technologies with data centers and high-performance computing (HPC) systems. Both CEOs, Nir Minerbi of Classiq and Ilana Wisby of OQC express enthusiasm about the collaboration, emphasizing its potential to simplify quantum development and unlock the power of quantum computing for a broad range of applications, thereby advancing the overall quantum ecosystem.
Saint Louis University Signs Agreement with QuantumNextDX to Explore Quantum Computing
Saint Louis University (SLU) has partnered with QuantumNextDX, LLC (QNDX), a leading quantum computing company, to enhance research and development in the field of quantum computing. This collaboration aligns with the global scientific effort to explore the potential of quantum science, particularly in addressing complex problems in health, climate change, cyber security, and artificial intelligence. SLU Provost Michael Lewis, Ph.D., expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, emphasizing its potential to bring together experts from various fields to tackle significant global issues. Jerome V. Dwyer, CEO of QNDX, highlighted the transformative prospects of combining their quantum computer with advanced software and algorithms across sectors like medicine, materials science, and finance.
Diamond quantum sensors measure neuron activity
Technical University of Denmark (DTU) scientists have developed a novel method to record electrical activity from neurons in living brain tissue using highly sensitive sensors based on color centers in a diamond. Published in Scientific Reports, the study highlights a non-invasive technique that measures weak magnetic fields produced by nerve cells during communication, avoiding the need for physical insertion into brain tissue. This approach utilizes nitrogen vacancy centers in synthetic diamonds to detect changes in magnetic fields through light emission variations. The method, still in its early stages, has shown the potential to distinguish signals from different types of nerve cells and could lead to more accurate diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases. Although it currently lags behind traditional methods, this technique represents a significant advancement in brain research, offering a less intrusive and more precise way to study early-stage changes in brain diseases without damaging the tissue.
In Other News: Science News article: “A maverick physicist is building a case for scrapping quantum gravity”
Physicist Jonathan Oppenheim of University College London challenges the conventional view in physics by proposing that gravity might be fundamentally classical and not quantum, a Science News article states. This controversial idea, which has gradually gained some acceptance among colleagues, suggests that gravity, unique in its role as the warping of spacetime itself, may not need to conform to quantum physics like other known forces. To reconcile classical gravity with quantum particles, Oppenheim’s theory, detailed in Physical Review X and Nature Communications, introduces randomness into how spacetime bends in response to quantum particles. This approach could maintain quantum phenomena, like the interference patterns observed in the double-slit experiment, by preventing precise determination of gravitational fields. While this theory diverges from the reversibility of other models and remains a subject of debate, it opens new avenues for experiments to detect these random gravitational fluctuations. The significance of this work lies not only in its challenge to existing paradigms but also in its potential to refine our understanding of gravity, whether it ultimately proves to be classical or quantum.