Analytical and Numerical Methods in Quantum Software and Hardware
| dc.contributor.author | Scott, Ryan Elliott | en |
| dc.contributor.committeechair | Scarola, Vito W. | en |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | Sharpe, Eric R. | en |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | Barnes, Edwin Fleming | en |
| dc.contributor.committeemember | Heremans, Jean Joseph | en |
| dc.contributor.department | Physics | en |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-06-17T08:01:33Z | en |
| dc.date.available | 2026-06-17T08:01:33Z | en |
| dc.date.issued | 2026-06-16 | en |
| dc.description.abstract | There are many platforms proposed for quantum computing, and various applications of quantum information to consider. In this dissertation, we explore the control of a large class of quantum platforms subjected to dynamical tunability, and we consider applications on those platforms which give natural insight into quantum many-body simulations. We consider many-body ultracold dipolar systems subjected to Floquet control as a platform for computing, algorithms which measure many-body energy gaps using hybrid methods to speed up computation, questions of simulation complexity in many-body systems, and alternative hardware platforms in photonic systems and how they can generate entanglement. | en |
| dc.description.abstractgeneral | Quantum computing and quantum information promise to offer insight into problems which are intractable on standard transistor-based computing devices. A quantum computer is one which performs computational tasks leveraging quantum mechanical systems, i.e., `small' systems which obey the laws of quantum mechanics. Importantly, these devices can take on states which standard devices cannot--viz. entangled states. Entangled states have strange and counter-intuitive properties, and give the small systems their `quantumness'. This property promises to give insight into new cryptographic methods, exponential speedups in search algorithms, and numerical simulation of complex composite materials. In this dissertation, we consider a broad class of platforms proposed to serve as quantum computers, and some applications in the context of quantum simulation. We give special attention to many-body systems, i.e., systems made up of many quantum mechanical particles. We seek to understand how we might better use existing physical systems to create quantum computers, and how we might study complex physical systems as they are represented within the controlled system. To do this, we first study collections of ultracold molecular dipoles--molecules with a large dipole moment cooled down to low temperatures--whose rotational and vibrational modes naturally couple to microwave frequencies. These systems are a natural choice for quantum computers because they offer a large degree of control over the individual molecules and the system at large, and they easily admit information representation within the system. We specifically consider how to create an important interaction called an Ising interaction which has various applications in quantum computing. After this, we consider an algorithm that is designed to study the energy spectrum--the set of energy transitions--of a many-body system that is runnable on NISQ (near-term intermediate scale quantum) devices, specifically because it is a hybrid algorithm, i.e., it is both quantum and classical. We show that this gives a comparative advantage as long as the transitions within the system aren't too close in value. We then consider questions about how complex it is to simulate many-body systems, asking whether there are systems which will be easier or harder to simulate on NISQ devices. We conclude that there are simulations which are less complex so that they are a more natural choice for simulating in the near term. We wrap up by considering an alternative platform, called an integrated photonic circuit. This is a circuit element which leverages light (photons) to perform its basic computations. We study how to build an important class of entangled states in that platform and detail how to configure such a device which would realize such an output. | en |
| dc.description.degree | Doctor of Philosophy | en |
| dc.format.medium | ETD | en |
| dc.identifier.other | vt_gsexam:46650 | en |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/10919/143441 | en |
| dc.language.iso | en | en |
| dc.publisher | Virginia Tech | en |
| dc.rights | In Copyright | en |
| dc.rights.uri | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ | en |
| dc.subject | Many-body physics | en |
| dc.subject | Quantum computing | en |
| dc.subject | Quantum simulation | en |
| dc.subject | Quantum entanglement | en |
| dc.subject | Floquet analysis | en |
| dc.subject | Photonics | en |
| dc.subject | Complexity | en |
| dc.subject | Trotterization | en |
| dc.subject | Quantum algorithms | en |
| dc.title | Analytical and Numerical Methods in Quantum Software and Hardware | en |
| dc.type | Dissertation | en |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Physics | en |
| thesis.degree.grantor | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | en |
| thesis.degree.level | doctoral | en |
| thesis.degree.name | Doctor of Philosophy | en |
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