Faculty

Monday, April 30, 2018 2:30 pm - 2:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Asymptotic performance of port-based teleportation

Felix Leditzky, University of Colorado, Boulder

Port-based teleportation (PBT) is a variant of the well-known task of quantum teleportation in which Alice and Bob share multiple entangled states called "ports". While in the standard teleportation protocol using a single entangled state the receiver Bob has to apply a non-trivial correction unitary, in PBT he merely has to pick up the right quantum system at a port specified by the classical message he received from Alice.

Thursday, April 26, 2018 7:00 pm - 7:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Entangled: The series – QUANTUM + Literature

Chad Orzel, Union College
The invention of quantum physics in the early 20th century forced scientists to reconsider many cherished ideas from classical physics, leading to revolutionary changes in our scientific and philosophical understanding of the universe. Quantum phenomena have also proven to be a rich source of metaphors and inspiration for fiction. 
 

Tuesday, April 10, 2018 10:30 am - 10:30 am EDT (GMT -04:00)

Cryogenic Dissipation in Nanoscale Optomechanical Cavities

Bradley Hauer, University of Alberta

Cavity optomechanics, a field which studies the interplay between the photonic and phononic modes of an optical cavity, has seen rapid progress over the past decade. Micro/nano-scale optomechanical cavities have demonstrated potential for use in technologies such as quantum-limited metrology and transduction, as well as probes for exploring the fundamental nature of quantum mechanics.

Friday, April 20, 2018 11:45 am - 11:45 am EDT (GMT -04:00)

RAC1 Journal Club/Seminar Series

Keysight's Quantum Engineering Toolkit: A commercial, customizable integrated control and test system

Presented by guest speaker Nizar Messaoudi, Keysight Technologies Application Engineer

With traditional classical complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) computing struggling to keep up with Moore’s law, interest in quantum computing has exploded and the University of Waterloo is at the centre of this technological revolution.

The concept for his latest startup is something straight out of a superhero movie. Just like Batman used high-frequency sonar signals from millions of cell phones to visualize the location of villains throughout Gotham City in Dark Knight, entrepreneur Taj Manku is developing new software that could soon allow our cell phones to see in the dark. 

Wednesday, April 11, 2018 1:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Mind the gap: Cheeger inequalities and adiabatic algorithms

Michael Jarret, Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics

The runtime of Adiabatic optimization algorithms are typically characterized by the size of the spectral gap of the corresponding Hamiltonian. Gap analysis nonetheless remains a challenging problem with few general approaches.

Thursday, April 19, 2018 12:00 pm - 12:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

The Polynomial Method Strikes Back: Tight Quantum Query Bounds via Dual Polynomials

Robin Kothari, Microsoft Research (PLEASE NOTE NEW DATE AND TIME)

We use the polynomial method to prove optimal or nearly optimal lower bounds on the quantum query complexity of several problems, resolving open questions from prior work. The problems studied include k-distinctness, image size testing, k-junta testing, approximating statistical distance, approximating Shannon entropy, and surjectivity.​ Paper available at https://arxiv.org/abs/1710.09079. This is joint work with Mark Bun and Justin Thaler.

Thursday, April 26, 2018 12:00 pm - 12:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Transformative Quantum Technologies (TQT) Lunch and Learn

Technology Investment and Mentorship

Researchers and early-stage companies may discover numerous investment options on their path to commercial success. While some mechanisms focus on a certain phase of technology development, others promise to fuel growth over a wide R,D&D spectrum, possibly independent of prior investment status. This panel covers a sampling of programs and investment strategies - from technology scouting to angel capital - for mobilizing intellectual property towards impactful deployment. 

Panel:

Thursday, April 12, 2018 12:00 pm - 12:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Transformative Quantum Technologies (TQT) Lunch and Learn

A Case Study in Patent Development

This presentation will delve into a practical example of a patent procedure associated to a specific quantum technology: a vectorial magnetometer. We will explore the specifics of the technology and its applications, review previously existing approaches and define the inventive step, explore the phrasing of the claims, and revisit the prior patents from the freedom-to-operate point of view.