In the Autumn quarter, we kickstart our Introduction to Quantum Computing series, in which we cover the foundations of quantum information and quickly move onto real applications and challenges in the field today. We assume only a Calculus 1 mathematical background and will provide any necessary mathematical techniques. This continues into Winter quarter, where advanced treatments are explored, and we incorporate increasingly contemporary material. Throughout the series, learning opportunities will be largely interactive, with opportunities to write your own quantum programs and execute them on IBM’s strongest machines, some of which are closed to the general public.

Topics to be discussed in the Autumn quarter include: classical information limitations, superposition, entanglement, quantum gates, quantum circuit design, seminal algorithms, a survey of hardware approaches, and limitations.

Topics to be discussed in the Winter quarter include: hardware implementations (in greater detail), asymptotic quantum advantage, measurement, decoherence, error mitigation, error correction, and computing-adjacent applications.

Emilio and Minh, who lead the program, are invaluable resources for aspiring enthusiasts and scholars of quantum technology. They have extensive backgrounds in research, quantum software engineering, pedagogy, and are IBM Qiskit advocates.

Our journal club, led by Kabir Dubey, is open to all students (both undergraduate and graduate) who are interested in reading and discussing recent papers in a group. Members will vote upon papers for each week, and if the selected paper requires a substantial background, we will also provide a sufficient overview of the preceding literature. Members are also encouraged to deliver presentations on papers with which they are familiar to the larger group.

The journal club will explore a wide variety of research, from quantum repeater structures to learning algorithms and beyond. As such, students already pursuing independent research will benefit from the distinct degree of exposure facilitated via the journal club. Members are not required to attend every meeting.

In collaboration with Physics PhD candidate Chunyang Ding at Stanford University’s Schuster Lab, we are working on a centralized repository for superconducting quantum computer experiments. We are compiling various architectural parameters (namely the characteristic energies), as well as the associated relaxation times, coherence times, etc. and creating a Python package that integrates with scqubits to make simulations easier for researchers. This will streamline academics’ process by providing native GUIs for past data, as well as organized access to data.

This project also provides opportunities to extensively explore superconducting qubit literature. Necessary background pertaining to superconducting qubits will be taught. Contributors to the project will receive authorship credit.

Throughout the academic year, UC Quantum organizes talks from faculty members, industry professionals, quantum policymakers, and more. We also arrange exclusive laboratory tours, giving members the opportunity to explore PME’s quantum engineering research labs and learn about the cutting-edge experiments occurring at a world leader in quantum research.

Our most recent guest speaker was Prof. Liang Jiang, who discussed the theory behind and modern developments in bosonic quantum error correction.