Quantum Software and Algorithms

量子计算是一个交叉学科领域，正在开发一种基于量子系统的新型计算设备，称为量子比特。模拟化学反应、搜索非结构化空间、优化大规模工业过程，这些都是常规计算机难以大规模解决的问题，但却是量子计算机(QC)的良好应用前景。在过去的十年里，该领域取得了巨大的进步，政府、跨国公司和初创企业在该领域投资了数十亿美元。我们现在有了超过100个可用量子比特的QC，这是一个重大的发展，但仍然远远没有达到准确解决真人大小的现实世界问题所需的数千到数百万个量子比特。构建QC是一项重大的工程挑战；以可伸缩的方式构建高质量的QC更是如此。由于其有限的处理能力和在计算过程中出现的非同小量的噪声，今天的QC被称为“有噪声的、中等规模的量子”设备。量子比特对外部效应极其敏感，在更精确的控制成为可能，并实施大规模纠错等措施之前，我们的算法设计为在存在噪音的情况下最大限度地利用当今的设备，这一点至关重要。该CRC研究计划的目标是设计、实施和应用新的软件和方法，使我们能够更好地描述、减轻和适应质量控制中的噪声。该计划有三个目标。首先是开发和实现有效的噪声感知量子编译技术，这将告诉我们如何在硬件上编程和运行算法，以获得可能的最佳结果。第二是创造先进的、自适应的量子层析方法，以更好地表征设备噪声，并促进尖端量子硬件的工程设计。最终目标是将前两项的成果付诸实践，并为当代量子硬件开发健壮的量子算法，即使在嘈杂的环境中也能解决有意义的问题。然后，这些算法将在UBC正在开发的新型设备上进行测试。总之，这些方法将使我们能够最大限度地利用未来十年建立的QC，在加拿大生态系统中建立一个有价值的量子软硬件协同设计循环，并为未来几代硬件铺平道路。

Quantum computing is an interdisciplinary field that is developing a new type of computing device based on a quantum system called a qubit. Simulating chemical reactions, searching unstructured spaces, and optimizing large-scale industrial processes are all problems that are intractable for regular computers to solve at a large scale, but are promising applications of quantum computers (QCs). Over the past decade, massive progress has been made in the field, with billions of dollars invested in the area by governments, multinational companies, and the startup industry. We now have QCs with over 100 usable qubits, which is a significant development, but still far from the thousands to millions needed to accurately solve life-sized, real-world problems. Building QCs is a major engineering challenge; building high-quality ones in a scalable manner even more so. Today's QCs have been termed "noisy, intermediate-scale quantum" devices due to their limited processing power and the non-trivial amount of noise that occurs during computation. Qubits are extremely sensitive to external effects, and until more precise control becomes possible, and measures such as large-scale error-correction can be implemented, it is critical that our algorithms are designed to make the best use of today's devices despite the presence of noise. The aims of this CRC research program are to design, implement, and apply new software and methods that enable us to better characterize, mitigate, and adapt to noise in QCs.The program has three objectives. The first is to develop and implement effective noise-aware quantum compilation techniques that will inform us how to program and run algorithms on hardware to obtain the best possible results. The second is to create advanced, adaptive methods for quantum tomography to better characterize device noise and facilitate the engineering of cutting-edge quantum hardware. The final objective is to put into practice the outcomes of the first two, and develop robust quantum algorithms for current-generation quantum hardware that can solve meaningful problems even in a noisy environment. These algorithms will then be tested on the novel devices being developed at UBC. Together, these methods will enable us to use the QCs built over the next decade to their fullest potential, establish a valuable cycle of quantum software-hardware co-design in the Canadian ecosystem, and pave the way for future generations of hardware.