Characterizing the D-wave processor with Quantum Monte Carlo simulations

该NSERC Engage提案旨在促进D-wave Systems，Inc.和滑铁卢大学的罗杰·梅尔科教授的研究小组。D-wave是“量子退火”（QA）硬件开发的世界领导者，其目标是通过量子力学位或“量子位”提高某些类型的计算效率。在过去的十年中，D-wave的生产过程已经成功地制造了几代量子比特数量不断增加的QA芯片。在它们的最新一代中，量子位数足够大，需要高度先进的（传统的）计算机模拟来表征。Melko教授是加拿大计算量子多体物理学研究主席，是这种模拟技术的国际领导者。他的团队专门研究 在最先进的量子蒙特卡罗（QMC）模拟，这是能够直接表征的D波芯片的许多属性。在他们的合作伙伴关系中，他们计划在各种条件下比较D波芯片的实验硬件输出，以使用Melko的QMC进行直接模拟。测量将集中在表征芯片输出的热分布，以确定它们是否对应于量子或经典分布。这些基准提供了有关D-Wave量子退火演化和冻结过程及其最终分布质量的重要信息。这些经验也将发展Melko教授的QA架构模拟的内部能力。这 合作伙伴关系将使QA开发的行业模拟合作完全在加拿大境内进行，这将有利于该国在量子计算和信息技术方面的更大努力。

This NSERC Engage proposal aims to facilitate a new partnership between D-wave Systems, Inc. and the group of Professor Roger Melko at the University of Waterloo. D-wave is the world leader in the development of hardware for "quantum annealing" (QA), which aims to perform certain types of computations with an efficiency heightened by quantum mechanical bits or "qubits". Over the last decade, D-wave's production process has successfully manufactured several generations of QA chip with increasing numbers of qubits. With their latest generation, qubit numbers are large enough to require highly advanced (conventional) computer simulations for characterization. Professor Melko, the Canada Research Chair in Computational Quantum Many-Body Physics, is an international leader in such simulation technology. His group specializes in state-of-the-art quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) simulations, which are capable of direct characterization of many of the properties of the D-wave chip. In their partnership, they plan to compare the experimental hardware outputs of the D-wave chip under various conditions, to direct simulations using Melko's QMC. Measurements will focus on characterizing the thermal distributions of chip outputs, to determine whether they correspond to quantum or classical distributions. Such benchmarks provide important information about D-Wave quantum annealing evolution and freeze-out processes and the quality of its final distribution. The experience will also develop Prof. Melko's in-house capabilities for simulation of the QA architecture. This partnership will bring the industry-simulation cooperation for QA development entirely within Canada, which will benefit the country's larger effort in quantum computing and information technology.