TSVP Talk: "Optimization Using Quantum Computers" by Robert Joynt

Title: Optimization Using Quantum Computers

Speaker: Robert Joynt, Emeritus Professor, Department of Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Abstract: Optimization is one of the most important and ubiquitous of all computational tasks.  This has become even more true with the advent of AI. Because  of the quantum adiabatic theorem, optimization seems like a natural problem for quantum computers.  Still, there are obstacles to the creation of really effective quantum optimization.  I'll discuss two such obstacles, small gaps and barren plateaus.  Making quantum algorithms adaptive may offer a way to overcome both these problems.  Gaps may be dealt with by using hybrid quantum-classical methods. The barren plateau issue can be mitigated by controlling the level of entanglement during the course of the computation.  

Profile: Robert Joynt received his Ph.D. from the University of Maryland in 1982 and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Cavendish Laboratory of the University of Cambridge and the Institute for Theoretical Physics at ETH-Zurich. He was Professor of Physics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison from 1986 to 2023 and is now Emeritus Professor. He served as Department Chair and was the Founding Director of the MSc in Physics-Quantum Computing. He is Senior Fellow at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Sciences in Beijing. His research has ranged from the quantum Hall effect to high-Tc superconductivity to neutron stars to quantum computing.

Language: English

Target audience: General audience/everyone at OIST and beyond.
Freely accessible to all OIST members and guests without registration.

This talk will also be broadcast online via Zoom:
Meeting ID: 940 3106 7949
Passcode: 799701

※ Please note that this event may be recorded and the videos uploaded. In addition, photos may be taken during the event. These are intended for publication online (the OIST website, social media, etc.)※