Ask Me Anything about Quantum!

Intro to Quantum Computing with IBM Quantum & Qiskit

This talk will discuss the brief history and principles of quantum computing. We will cover how anyone can perform experiments remotely using the IBM Quantum Platform and and how to build and simulate circuits locally with Qiskit. A walkthrough of a Qiskit 101 notebook will be shared to help students get their hands dirty.

Introduction to Quantum Computing: Concepts, Applications & Research Directions

This session will introduce the foundational ideas that underpin modern quantum information science. Sowmitra will explore core concepts: superposition, measurement, and entanglement, and explain how they enable real-world quantum technologies such as algorithms, cryptography, and communication.

He will also highlight major application areas including quantum error correction, variational and hybrid quantum-classical computation, quantum machine learning, and the broader landscape of quantum information theory. The talk will conclude with guidance for students entering the field and an overview of active research directions.

Quantum Algorithms for Quantum Chemistry

This talk will provide a comprehensive overview of quantum computing algorithms and concepts as they are applied to the field of quantum chemistry.

The Physical Life of a Qubit

Alongside fascinating talks on quantum algorithms and their applications, this session will look at the other side of the coin: the physical hardware. What is physically happening inside the machine to make a quantum computation possible? This talk aims to help demystify that process. We'll start by briefly looking at the basic physics that makes superconducting qubits work, touching on the recent experiments that won the Nobel Prize. Then, we'll take a practical look at the hardware itself, from the large dilution refrigerators to the microscopic superconducting chips inside.

The main goal is to connect the idea of a comp utation to the physical controls. We'll trace how a fundamental operation, like a 'X' gate, gets translated into a specific microwave pulse that "talks" to the qubit. We'll also discuss some of the challenges experimentalists face in the real world, and how these challenges are the reason for the noise and errors that can happen in a calculation. This talk is for anyone curious about hardware, and I hope it provides a helpful perspective on how the ideas of quantum computing and the physical hardware fit together.

From Individual Atoms to Quantum Computers

Atoms and light, two of the most fundamental components of the physical world, also happen to make the most reliable quantum computers. In this presentation, Debopriyo explains how atomic ions are trapped and manipulated inside a vacuum chamber that's emptier than outer space to build the quantum processor. You will also learn how the atomic qubits are manipulated via laser beams, which are precisely controlled by classical hardware, to give a universal set of quantum gates. You will see a demo of a state-of-the-art quantum computer at Duke Quantum Center, followed by an explanation of how a quantum circuit that you submit using qiskit is translated into laser pulses that address the qubits inside.

From Quantum Gates to Weak Traces and Annealers

Shushmi's interest in quantum computing began in her final year of high school, when she was selected to participate in the first cohort of the IBM-sponsored QxQ course(2020–2021). After this early exposure to quantum protocols and algorithms through Qiskit, her quantum journey took her from the bustling port city of Chittagong, Bangladesh, to the stone-lined streets of the University of Glasgow. As an undergraduate in 2022, under mentorship from Dr. Léo Bourdet at Microsoft Quantum, she explored quantum simulation of phenomena like the butterfly effect and tunnelling. Later, during her BSc project with Prof. Jörg Götte , she looked into more foundational aspects of quantum theory using the path-integral approach to study weak values in an interferometer, culminating in a prize winning final thesis. Central to this work was the time-symmetric reformulation of quantum mechanics, which characterises a quantum state using both pre- and post-selected boundary conditions, a framework more widely known as the two-state vector formalism. Going into her first-year as PhD student, she tackled advanced benchmarking of quantum annealers, which are analog quantum computers where the system evolves adiabatically to stay close to a ground state encoding solutions to problems. Looking ahead, now as a 2nd year PhD student, her project with Prof. Viv Kendon and Prof. Jonathan Pritchard aims to develop quantum approaches for tackling practical computational problems which leverage capabilities inherent to neutral-atom platforms, such as reconfigurable qubit layouts. Through these projects and continued exposure to quantum theory, computation, and experiment, she has come to realise that Physics not only deepens our understanding of the universe but also drives technological innovations. The recent Nobel Prize awarded to quantum physicists for advancements in superconducting circuits, a hallmark of the ongoing second Quantum Revolution (also termed as Quantum 2.0), is a powerful testament to this. In her talk, she will share more about her quest continuing to explore how quantum mechanics can be harnessed to solve complex problems and uncover new frontiers of understanding..