Designing quantum computers using Rydberg atoms and cold molecules

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There are many possible physical systems that could be used to build a quantum computer: in Durham we have experiments involving Rydberg atoms and cold molecules that are very promising for early quantum computers, especially for quantum simulation of quantum many body systems.This PhD project is to work closely with the experimentalists to develop the best ways to use their experimental systems to compute. We are interested in unconventional ways to compute, including using the natural Hamiltonians of the quantum systems to encode computations that are solved in continuous-time rather than using discrete gate operations. This is the method used in quantum annealers, which are designed to solve optimisation problems. These methods can also be applied to preparing low energy states for quantum simulation, so it makes sense to study the full range of possibilities for a given physical system, not just computation or simulation. The necessary theory will be taught in a series of graduate lectures in the first six months of the PhD, and a combination of analytical and computational methods will be used to develop the ideas and models.