PhD candidate Nathan M. Myers of the Quantum Thermodynamics group has been selected to receive a prestigious Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) award. The SCGSR program provides funding for graduate students to carry out thesis research at a DOE lab in collaboration with a DOE staff scientist. Myers will work in collaboration with Dr. Yigit Subasi at Los Alamos National Lab on a research project exploring the computational and thermodynamic advantages of non-linear quantum systems.
By utilizing quantum phenomena such as entanglement and superposition, quantum computers present the potential to solve certain problems exponentially faster than their classical counterparts. This raises the question of what other resources may be exploited to enhance the performance of quantum devices. The effectively non-linear dynamics of certain quantum systems, such as Bose-Einstein condensates, present just such a resource. Myers's work will combine the tools of quantum information theory and quantum thermodynamics to quantify to what extent non-linear quantum systems can further speed up computation, and what additional energetic costs may be associated with doing so.
By utilizing quantum phenomena such as entanglement and superposition, quantum computers present the potential to solve certain problems exponentially faster than their classical counterparts. This raises the question of what other resources may be exploited to enhance the performance of quantum devices. The effectively non-linear dynamics of certain quantum systems, such as Bose-Einstein condensates, present just such a resource. Myers's work will combine the tools of quantum information theory and quantum thermodynamics to quantify to what extent non-linear quantum systems can further speed up computation, and what additional energetic costs may be associated with doing so.