On Thursday 21st of September OsloMet will host a QuantumHub day. The doors will open at 16 and you are invited to check out the event at Pilestredet 35 (by Holberg plass), rooms: PI447, PI451 and PI460. During the event there will be the possibility to:
Try your own quantum computing programs
Experience quantum dynamics at close range
Play quantum moves with wave functions
Discuss with quantum researchers why the quantum universe is exciting and important
Receive QauntumHub merch! (limited supply)
The event starts with a short introduction seminar at 16.00, but feel free to join at any time. The event ends at 18.
Friday 8th of september, Diedrik Leijenaar Oksens finished his master project entitled Constructing Quantum Gates Using Optimization Techniques.
In his work Diedrik started out with a model with two interacting qubits in the form of spin 1/2-particles exposed to the same, dynamic magnetic field. The first aim was to tailor this field so that we could construct specific quantum gates. The next part, the harder one, was to introduce noise and see if we could mitigate this noise by adjusting the magnetic field. The answer to this question was, unfortunately, nah.
Diedrik’s project included the development of a rather advanced MATLAB implementation. Not only did he solve a complex and highly non-convex optimization problem, he also did so by for cost landscapes for which each point required the repeated solution of dynamical equations. Here is one illustration of such a landscape:
This, in turn, involved both the “traditional” Schrödinger equation and the more involved Lindblad equation, the latter for introducing non-reversible noise mechanisms.
The fact that this implementation, in the end, is quite generic – and relies on rather abstract theoretical concepts, renders his work even more impressive.
As I am sure this very text reflects, we, his advisors, are quite proud of Diedrik’s acheivements.
For the next one, we’ll have to see if we can find other ways of mitigating decoherence …
At JavaZone last week, according to themselves the biggest European community-driven conference for modern developers, Andreas Ahlgren – among others – gave a thrilling presentation on quantum computing and its possibilities. Andreas, our hub’s “partner in quantum”, one of the international leaders of Sopra Steria’s quantum initiative (among other things). In his presentation he got to demonstrate his impressive skills when it comes to “thinking outside the box”, unhindered by limitations of imagination.
Quantum Hub member A. Laestadius was together with Prof. M. Herbst (EPFL Lausanne) invited for a two-week research in pair visit at the Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach (MFO) in Germany at the end of August 2023. During the stay similarities of numerical and analytical approaches to Kohn-Sham inversion were explored. The forward Kohn-Sham method is an extremely popular approach in quantum chemistry, and its inverse version allows for mathematical studies of importance for the forward scheme.
This spring we had the pleasure of finally putting our quantum computers, if not on a pedestal, at least in a dedicated room. The room, PS340 in Pilestredet 35, also fits a few people, a nice screen and a small “quantum library”. Read more about it in this nice piece by Olav-Johan Øye:
Wednesday 16th of August, we had the pleasure of welcoming the newly appointed minister of research and higher education, Sandra Borch, at OsloMet. Our rector, Christen Krogh, guided her on a tour around our Oslo campus – at tour that involved an encounter with our quantum computer Hugin. Our dean, Laurance Habib, and Sølve Selstø assisted our rector in explaining why quantum computing – education within quantum computing, in particular – is important.
Our minister listened with interest and asked several relevant questions – strongly suggesting that our message got through.
In addition to the Munin you see, from right to left, Henriette Bøe, leader of the student parliament, Sandra Borch, Christen Krogh, our rector, and Sølve Selstø.
We are excited to announce that the OsloMet Quantum Hub has secured funding for a new PhD student who will be dedicated to advancing the field of quantum mechanics visualization. This position is a collaboration between the Department of Computer Science (with A. Laestadius) and the Department of Art, Design and Drama (K. Bergaust) and will be in alignment with the Hub’s efforts to explore innovative ways of communicating complex quantum concepts through visualization tools.
The selected PhD student will have the unique opportunity to contribute to research bridging the gap between quantum theory and visual representation. This initiative underscores the Quantum Hub’s commitment to not only enhancing quantum literacy but also pushing the boundaries of understanding in the world of quantum mechanics. We look forward to the contributions this collaboration will bring to the field.
Announcement of the position will follow during the autumn.
August 7th we had the pleasure of welcoming researchers from Equinor to our hub. A group of strong researchers, including mathematicians, physicists and software engineers, have spent significant time and effort looking into the quantum opportunities for their company.
The Hub’s own Aleksandar Davidov shared promising results on quantum boosted predictions and optimization for Ruter while Tobi Giesgen, who is leading Equinor’s quantum technology project, and colleges presented interesting ideas on the prospect of applying emerging quantum technology within their company. After sharing and discussing experiences and expectations, our visitors got the chance to play around with our own quantum computers, Hugin and Munin.
We look forward to their next visit!
Tobi Giesgen, Quantum technology project leader at Equinor, is running a quantum circuit at Munin. Unfortunately, Munin was not in top shape that day as our CNOT gate was flawed due to an error in calibration the week before.
Our own, until recently, Master’s student Maryam Lotfigolian, has been hired to work on Ruter’s quantum AI-project this summer. We are proud of you, Maryam!
Read more about her interest in quantum computing in this article.
Here you can see a presentation given by Umair Imam on this promising quantum application:
The talk was given on the QCNorway workshop in November 2022.
Authored by Are Magnus Bruaset (Simula), Shaukat Ali (Simula), André Brodtkorb (OsloMet), Gunnar Bøe (Sigma 2), Sergiy Denysov (OsloMet), Hans Eide (Sigma 2), and Sølve Selstø (OsloMet), this position paper is a contribution towards forming a national strategy on quantum computing. The paper is 43 pages long, and covers education and workforce; research and development; innovation and business; and quantum computing infrastructure.
