CAREER:Charting the Quantum Computing Landscape for Process Control

控制系统对我们在工程系统中执行自动化任务的能力至关重要。尽管计算机在美国所有制造业领域实现了越来越复杂的自动化方法，但在许多情况下，这些算法在计算上变得令人望而却步，使其无法实现系统性能的最大化。一个悬而未决的问题是，新兴的量子计算领域能否为这些计算限制提供解决方案；然而，由于量子计算机进行计算的独特方式，目前包含量子计算机的控制系统的安全和性能影响尚不清楚。这项研究计划将开发在量子计算机上实现控制系统所需的理论和计算工具。这项工作将首次全面处理这一主题，目的是阐明量子计算机科学家应该探索哪些类型的算法来创造下一代自动控制系统。这项研究将定义在量子计算机上实现的控制器的效用和理论，检查潜在的非确定性控制器输出的可解释性，在量子云架构上实现控制器时的隐私问题，以及特定于量子环境的控制器的计算时间减少技术。此外，该项目将启动一个独特的外展计划，以教程和娱乐性电影为基础，通过故事教授科学。该项目将让全国和跨学科的本科生参与制作动画短片，并将让高中生和本科生参与实践编码体验，这将有助于实现动画开发过程的自动化。该项目是使用量子计算机对控制系统理论、设计和实现进行的首次全面探索。这项研究的重点是确定量子计算算法必须具备的性质，以实现化学过程的计算控制行动。这项工作的目标是：1)为量子计算机开发当前控制器(例如，PID，模型预测控制)的算法实现，在控制理论条件下，当使用量子计算算法计算控制动作时，控制器的属性，如安全性/稳定性和性能，保持在可接受的水平；2)为在经典计算机上实现的控制开发与化学过程相关的可解释性度量，并将其扩展到量子计算框架；3)评估量子计算环境下特有的计算时间减少方法；4)为量子云计算机上的加密控制开发私密性和稳定性保证；5)在经典计算机和量子模拟器(包括噪声)计算的控制作用下模拟化学过程。该项目还将启动一项独特的外展计划，为辅导和电影创作开展“众包”工作，这将构成首席调查员长期外展计划的基础。该计划将让本科生和高中生参与动画短片的创作，并为动画短片创作的各个方面提供自动化代码。这些计算工具将帮助下一代工程师通过传达工程学方面的故事来帮助下一代工程师参与到STEM社区中来，并将一群不同的科学家和工程师作为年轻学生的榜样。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Control systems are critical to our ability to perform automated tasks in engineering systems. While computers have enabled increasingly sophisticated methods for automation across all US manufacturing sectors, there are many cases where these algorithms become computationally prohibitive, making it impossible to maximize system performance. An open question is whether the emerging field of quantum computing can provide a solution to these computational constraints; however, because of the unique way quantum computers carry out their computations, the safety and performance implications for control systems incorporating quantum computers currently are unknown. This research program will develop the theory and computational tools needed to implement control systems on quantum computers. The work will provide the first comprehensive treatment of this topic with the goal of elucidating what types of algorithms quantum computer scientists should explore to create the next generation of automatic control systems. The research will define the utility and theory of controllers implemented on quantum computers, examining the interpretability of potentially non-deterministic controller outputs, privacy issues when implementing the controllers on a quantum Cloud architecture, and computation time reduction techniques for the controllers that are specific to the quantum environment. In addition, this project will initiate a unique outreach program based on tutorials and entertaining films for teaching science through stories. This program will engage undergraduate students across the nation and across disciplines in creating animated shorts and will involve high school students and undergraduate students in hands-on coding experiences that will serve to automate the animation development process.This project constitutes the first comprehensive exploration of control system theory, design, and implementation using quantum computers. The research focuses on identifying the properties quantum computing algorithms must have to enable computing control actions for chemical processes. The goals of the work are to: 1) develop algorithmic implementations of current controllers (e.g., PID, Model Predictive Control) for quantum computers, with the control-theoretic conditions under which properties of a controller, such as safety/stability and performance, are maintained at acceptable levels when quantum computing algorithms are used to compute control actions; 2) develop chemical process-relevant interpretability metrics for control implemented on classical computers, and extend these to a quantum computing framework; 3) assess computation time reduction methods unique to the quantum computing context; 4) develop privacy and stability guarantees for encrypted control on quantum Cloud computers; and 5) simulate chemical processes under control actions computed by classical computers and quantum simulators (including noise). This project will also initiate a unique outreach program, launching a “crowdsourcing” effort for tutorial and film creation that will form the foundation of the Principal Investigator's long-term outreach plan. This plan will involve undergraduates and high school students in the creation of animated shorts and codes for automating aspects of the animated short creation. These computational tools will aid the next generation of engineers in participating in exciting the community about STEM via stories that convey aspects of engineering and present a diverse group of characters who are scientists and engineers as role models for younger students.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.