Quantum chemistry simulation using high-quality atomically engineered quantum processors

This research project will explore quantum algorithms for solving quantum chemistry and condensed matter problems using SQC’s atom qubits in silicon quantum computing platform. The research will focus on both near-term applications on Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum (NISQ) devices and long-term feasibility studies of fault-tolerant quantum computing for large-scale quantum chemistry and condensed matter simulations. The work will involve implementing and optimizing quantum algorithms, analyzing their performance on real quantum hardware, and determining the ultimate resources required for fault-tolerant scalability.

A key aspect of this project is the development of NISQ algorithms such as the Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE) and small-scale Quantum Phase Estimation (QPE) approaches for small-scale quantum chemistry and condensed matter problems. The implementation will take into account the specific constraints of phosphorus-in-silicon architectures, such as gate fidelities and qubit connectivity. Error mitigation strategies will also be explored to improve accuracy and reliability in practical computations.

In addition to studying NISQ applications, this project will investigate how quantum chemistry and condensed matter problems can be mapped onto large-scale, fault-tolerant quantum computers. This includes analyzing the requirements for logical qubits, quantum gate operations, and execution times within the framework of quantum error correction (QEC). The specific mapping to QEC schemes, such as the surface code, will be evaluated in the context of phosphorus-in-silicon platforms to determine their efficiency and feasibility, and how such algorithms can be optimised for the silicon platform.

The research will also involve benchmarking quantum chemistry and condensed matter calculations on currently available silicon quantum hardware and longer-term fault tolerant platforms and the challenges there. Simulation tools will be developed to predict algorithm performance on both NISQ and fault-tolerant devices, providing insights into the potential advantages of quantum computing for solving and condensed matter problems. The project aims to lay the groundwork for executing and optimizing quantum chemistry and condensed matter algorithms on phosphorus-in-silicon quantum processors, facilitating the transition from NISQ to large-scale fault-tolerant quantum computation.

This position reports to Associate Professor Charles Hill and works alongside the full stack team (staff and students) funded by SQC.

Scholarship

This scholarship includes the following: