Category: News

It was true pleasure to host the Agora class from Akademiet Bislet Wednesday March 6th.

Fifteen eager and attentive learners found their way to our hub, where they heard about quantum theory and technology. And more importantly: The got to do it. They did so by solving the Schrödinger equation – analytically and numerically. And they were acquainted with our quantum computers Hugin and Munin – in addition to doing some quantum gaming.

We, the hosting scientists, Andre, Sergiy and Sølve, were all impressed – and challenged – by the questions we were asked. Impressive.

We also hope that some of the pupils were a little bit impressed – and tempted – by what we can offer at OsloMet. Perhaps some of them will apply to our newly established bachelor program in Mathematical modelling and data science, which Kristoffer presented towards the end of the program.

Although a bit weary with several oddities to digest, we do hope that our guests found this encounter with the quantum world to be an all together pleasant one.

During one of the events of NTNU Associate Professor Ida-Marie Høyvik’s YoungCAS fellowship, PhD student Vebjørn Bakkestuen delivered a presentation on his recent studies in quantum electrodynamics density-functional theory (QEDFT). His talk provided an overview of the mathematical formulation of density-functional theory and its application to the quantum Rabi model. The central theme highlighted the mathematical compatibility of the quantum Rabi model with standard density-functional theory methodologies. The presented work is part of the REGAL project.

The event took place on February 27th and attracted researchers from various universities across Norway, including NTNU, UiO, UiT, and OsloMet.

We are really proud about having been a part of the Jenter og teknologi gathering held at Chateau Neuf February 15th.

Maryam Kaviani, along with Kersti Fosse Blålid and Notto Thelle from the OsloMet Makerspace and people from the University of Oslo, made it all happen.

About 400 girls from various videregående skoler was registered. They were given the chance to hear several impressive woman working within diverse fields related to technology. Their message was clear: We need more girls to choose a technological education!

At the event several technology oriented educations at the University of Oslo and at OsloMet presented themselves at various stands. At one of these our own quantum tech girls Ankana Singha and Maryam Lotfigolian were found – along with our two-qubit Hugin quantum computer. It was a true pleasure to see how they were approached by many aspiring young tech-savvy girls. The quantum tech future looks bright!

The Department of Computer Science has a vacant PhD Fellowship position within the field of visualization of quantum theory. The project is a novel and innovative research collaboration that combines technology and art and is a newly established collaboration between the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Art, Design and Drama. The successful applicant will be affiliated with the Mathematical Modeling group and the newly established OsloMet Quantum Hub. In addition, work within the project will be carried out closely with various local, national, and international collaborators.

Link to full application text

Vi synest kvantefysikk og kvanteteknologi er alt for viktig og forunderleg til å vere ei greie for spesielt interesserte. Men mykje av det ein lærer om kvante-verda legg opp til å ha lag på lag med matematikk-kurs på førehand. Det ønsker vi å gjere noko med.

Til hausten startar vi opp eit kurs som har som mål å gi alle interessesrte ein introduksjon til kvanteverda:

https://www.oslomet.no/om/nyheter/derfor-vite-meir-om-kvanteverda

Matematikk- eller programmerings-erfaring er inga føresetnad. Gjennom presentasjonar, diskusjonar, demonstrasjonar og intuisjonar håpar vi at dei som deltar sit att med eit visst bilde av korleis mikrokosmos er skrudd saman – og korleis dette blir brukt – og vil bli brukt – teknologisk. Stikkord: Kvantedatamaskinar.

Kurset er på 5 studiepoeng, og vi har plass til 20 nyfikne studentar.

We were thrilled to be contacted by Anton Højris Middelhede at the Danish embassy in Oslo for a get-together while 2024 was still young. Together with Emilie Michaelsen and Øystein Sandvik we had a very interesting – and promising – exchange of thoughts and interesting opportunities. Øystein represents Invest in Denmark, a public service aimed to facilitate establishing new enterprises in Denmark.

As many may know, Denmark has a long-standing and proud quantum history – one that is not limited to Niels Bohr and his “Copenhagen interpretation” of quantum physics, but also involves dedicated research and innovation which extends as far as quantum physics itself.

And, contrary to Norway, Denmark is already a major player when it comes to making the second quantum revolution happen – aided by both substantial and public and private funding.

Our Danish contacts are most welcome again. As we did not manage to stick to our time schedule the last time, we are certain that we will find interesting things to talk about also next time we meet.

At the end of November 2023, the Quantum Hub welcomed a group of high school students from the Kuben videregående skole eager to learn about quantum mechanics. The visit comprised detailed lectures and practical tutorials aimed at introducing the students to the intricate and beautiful world of quantum physics.

The day commenced with an overall introduction and motivation to the topic. This was followed by instructive lectures on solving the Schrödinger equation for the hydrogen atom. The different sessions provided an overview of the equation’s application beyond the ground state and its significance in understanding atomic behavior exemplified by quantized energy levels for the one-electron system.

Following the lecture, the students participated in hands-on tutorials exploring the basics of quantum computing. Quantum Hub affiliated students and researchers guided them through demonstrations and experiments elucidating concepts such as superposition and entanglement.

It is our hope that the visit left the students with a deeper understanding of the fundamental principles governing the quantum realm. As they departed, it is our hope that the experience had sparked a greater interest in the complexities of quantum mechanics among the budding scientists.

This event was planned and led by A. Laestadius in close collaboration with S. Selstø, S. Denysov, and Owen Haugen Ogbebo.

With some delay, we are reporting about an exciting event that took place in Helsinki (November 14-15th, 2023). 3rd Nordic Quantum Life Science Roundtable is a next link in the chain of all-Nordic meetings that are designed for key players in the field, aiming to catalyze Quantum Life Science (QLS) through knowledge sharing and exploring new possibilities within the intersection of Quantum Technologies and Life Sciences. The two previous ones took place in Stockholm (2021) and Copenhagen (2022).

Two members of OsloMet’ s Quantum Hub, Pedro Lind and Sergiy Denysov, have attended the meeting (the former one is a co-organizer of the event). We were excited to see how far Finland made it in closing the gap between the cutting-edge research in Quantum Computing and such sectors as health care and pharmacology (and related IT fields). We could one hope that one of those days Norway will reach this stage.

The venue was quite interesting: It is a former sea fortress Suomenlinna (Finnish) or Sveaborg (Swedish). A chilling place with a certain air, but, strange enough, it fitted nicely.

The most exciting thing we saved to the end: The next roundtable will be in Oslo, September 2024. It will be organized jointly by NordSTAR, Quantum Hub, and Simula Lab. A third engraving, “Norway 2024”, will be added soon to the silver goblet!

It was a truly pleasant surprise when Anja Løkken Stokke at NCE Heidner Biocluster in late November contacted our hub to ask if we would be interested in giving a webinar. (Of course we were.)

The NCE Heidner Biocluster is Norway’s leading national cluster for green bioeconomy and sustainable food production. Representing the entire value chain in green bioeconomy, the cluster consists of 66 companies, research and educational institutions, and other relevant partners. As strategic areas of interest, they list

• Intenational commercialization
• Digitalization
• Circular economy and sustainability
• New business models and strategies
• Biotechnology

So it makes perfect sense that they would be interested in how the second quantum revolution may affect our future.

It was a pleasure to see the diverse turnout at the webinar, held December 14th this year. Around 20 leaders and researchers/developers in various companies and institutions took actively part. The lecturer was quite impressed by the level of both interest and insight.

It would seem that the second quantum revolution will not catch the Norwegian bio-industry off guard!