| NSF Org: |
OAC Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | August 29, 2017 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | August 29, 2017 |
| Award Number: | 1740130 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Rob Beverly
OAC Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) CSE Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering |
| Start Date: | September 1, 2017 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2022 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $499,978.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $499,978.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
1500 ILLINOIS ST GOLDEN CO US 80401-1887 (303)273-3000 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
1500 Illinois St. Golden CO US 80401-1887 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
OFFICE OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY AC, DMR SHORT TERM SUPPORT, COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS, Software Institutes |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.070 |
ABSTRACT
On the way to universal quantum computing, quantum simulators, literally "analog" quantum computers, have already been a huge success and are fulfilling Feynman's original 1982 vision of quantum computing. Each such simulator requires a dedicated experimental platform, and costs on the order of several million dollars to build. Such experiments have many interacting parts often requiring a complex rearrangement and months of work in order to perform a specified quantum computation. A widely accessible and easy to use software tool to shortcut design considerations for quantum simulator experimentalists is much needed. This project will create such a tool. Initially, the project researchers will design and release on SourceForge an open source software package centered around 1D matrix product state (MPS) and matrix product density operator (MPDO) methods, for both closed and open quantum systems, which any experimentalist can download and easily use locally to design and benchmark their quantum simulator architecture of choice. The software elements will include (i) prebuilt generalized Ising, Hubbard, and other models, (ii) multi-legged ladders to extend into quasi-1D, (iii) different time propagation methods for short and long-range interactions, and (iv) supplemental exact diagonalization and quantum trajectory methods. Secondly, the project members will create an even simpler graphical version via a web interface in collaboration with the Science Gateways Community Institute which allows any experimentalist to run quick simulations and tests on local dedicated high-performance computing resources at the Colorado School of Mines in a secure and user-friendly format. Finally, the project team will develop a key new software element in terms of a series of increasingly accurate discretization schemes to model continuum quantum simulators and mesoscopic limits, as well as control systematic error in experiments.
MPS/MPDO methods enable the treatment of outstanding quantum problems for design of new materials dubbed synthetic quantum matter, push the boundaries of quantum mechanics into strongly correlated physics, where particles and even quasiparticles lose meaning, and allow exploration of totally new realms of entangled dynamics. The software package proposed here will make these extraordinary capacities accessible to the over 150 quantum simulator experimental groups, as well as the many theoretical/computational groups investigating entangled quantum dynamics, thus greatly speeding up exploration of quantum simulator physics. The software package will provide a platform for exploring far-from-equilibrium open quantum system dynamical models, an important topic in the theoretical and computational physics community at present due to the new and expanded capacity offered by quantum simulators; and it will provide an educational venue for new graduate students entering research groups and faculty developing courses in computational physics and related areas. Broader impact activities include integration of computation across the Colorado School of Mines undergraduate physics curriculum as a model for departments across the country to achieve this AAPT/APS goal, e.g. redesigning the mathematical physics course to cover equal parts analytical and computational methods, including specific research skills for summer REUs and internships. Finally, graduate students will be trained in critical analysis for scientific problem solving and rigorous numerical techniques for high-performance computing, including open source science via a science gateway, an approach key to success in a number of arenas in society, from the materials genome initiative to the space program.
This project is supported by the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure in the Directorate for Computer & Information Science and Engineering and the Physics Division, Materials Research Division, and Office of Multidisciplinary Activities in the Directorate of Mathematical and Physical Sciences.
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
Our team has successfully developed and distributed a widely accessible open-source software package named OpenMPS. By employing information compression methods, OpenMPS examines the limitations of representing quantum states on classical computers, thereby challenging the concept of quantum advantage. This work has led to a deeper understanding of entangled quantum dynamics in both closed and open quantum systems. It has promoted progress in quantum simulator development. Above all, it has enabled exploration of synthetic quantum matter leading to advancements in quantum computing.
Intellectual Merit:
Progress in Quantum Science: This project has enabled progress in quantum dynamics, entanglement, and synthetic quantum matter, all key areas of quantum research. The open-source software package created for the project, which has been downloaded over 5,000 times and is available in standalone and browser-based formats (including a science gateway), serves as a valuable tool for researchers. It allows them to study complex quantum phenomena and devise innovative strategies and methods for managing and controlling quantum systems, particularly for experimentalists who might otherwise struggle with such approaches.
Innovation in Computational Methods: Our research and code development have resulted in the evaluation, development, and broad implementation of computational methods for simulating and analyzing entangled quantum dynamics, ranging from the closed quantum systems commonly targeted in quantum computing today to the open quantum systems mostly as yet unexplored by future quantum computers. Methods such as matrix product density operators and quantum trajectories are laying the groundwork for more efficient, accurate, and useful approaches to quantum computing. These computational methods are now widely adopted in the industry.
Development of Quantum Simulators: Our open-source software package has been especially useful in designing, testing, and evaluating quantum simulators across various architectures from cold atoms to superconducting systems. Quantum simulators play a vital role in advancing quantum computing and other quantum technologies. They represent an intermediate step between existing quantum experiments and future universal quantum computing.
Broader Impact:
Open-Source Accessibility: The open-source nature of our software package and easy accessibility across many platforms has made it available to researchers nationwide, from students to experimentalists to specialists in quantum calculations. This has helped democratize quantum research, enabling scientists from all kinds of backgrounds and institutions to contribute to the fast-growing field of quantum science and technology, which is badly needed for growing the US quantum workforce.
Educational Advancements: Our software package has been employed in environments as diverse as student tutorials and international workshops for experts, providing hands-on experience in quantum simulation and research. A number of online educational resources have become permanently accessible.
Workforce Development: Computational and scientific explorations undertaken as part of this project have provided essential training and mentorship to undergraduate and graduate students, preparing them for careers in academia and industry. Several courses on the subject were developed as part of the project and widely promulgated, and computation was integrated across the physics curriculum in the largest engineering physics program in the country and one of the top ten largest physics programs.
Societal Benefits: The tools developed and made widely accessible under this grant for quantum simulation and synthetic quantum matter are helping quantum technologies move forward, particularly in quantum computing. These technologies are transforming our understanding of quantum information design and beginning to now have an impact beyond quantum physics in high energy and nuclear physics, applied physics, and nanothermodynamics. Because of this potential, researchers from electrical engineering, computer science, materials science, and applied mathematics have all become involved in quantum information research, and in industry we see an expansion into healthcare, finance, and national security, among other areas important to society.
Last Modified: 03/24/2023
Modified by: Lincoln D Carr
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