Speakers

Alejandro Perdomo-Ortiz
Zapata Computing
Quantum-assisted machine learning in near-term quantum devices
Before joining Zapata Computing as a Senior Quantum Scientist, Alejandro was the lead scientist of the quantum machine learning efforts at NASA’s Quantum Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (NASA QuAIL). He was also the Co-Founder of Qubitera LLC, a consulting company acquired by Rigetti Computing where he worked after NASA and before his current appointment with Zapata Computing. He also holds an Honorary Senior Research Associate position at University College London. His research focuses in exploring the computational limits and opportunities of quantum computers for problems in artificial intelligence.
Lecture Program
With quantum computing technologies nearing the era of commercialization and quantum advantage, machine learning (ML) has been proposed as one of the promising killer applications. Despite significant effort, there has been a disconnect between most quantum ML proposals, the needs of ML practitioners, and the capabilities of near-term quantum devices towards a conclusive demonstration of a meaningful quantum advantage in the near future. In this course, we provide concrete examples of intractable ML tasks that could be enhanced with near-term devices. We argue that to reach this target, the focus should be on areas where ML researchers are struggling, such as generative models in unsupervised and semi-supervised learning, instead of the popular and more tractable supervised learning tasks. We focus on hybrid quantum-classical approaches and illustrate some of the key challenges we foresee for near-term implementations. We will present as well recent experimental implementations of these quantum ML models in both gate-based (superconducting-qubit and ion-trap) quantum computers and in quantum annealers.

Antonio Zelaquett Khoury
Fluminense Federal University
Entangled Structures in Classical and Quantum Optics
Leader of the Quantum Optics group at the Fluminense Federal University, with research in quantum noise in optical systems, parametric down conversion and twin photon generation, pattern formation, and optical vortices.
Lecture I
Lecture I: In this lecture we introduce the paraxial wave equation that describes the propagation of collimated optical beams and the corresponding solutions in terms of orthonormal mode functions of the beam transverse coordinates. When combined with polarization, they give rise to a tensor product vector space of spin-orbit modes where non-separable (entangled) structures can be recognized as the well-known vector beams.
Lecture II
Quite surprisingly, these entangled structures can be used to simulate some quantum information protocols. Moreover, the spin-orbit mode entanglement can be evidenced by quantum-like inequalities. We will present experimental investigations on both aspects of this classical-quantum connection in optics.
Lecture III
In this last lecture we present the quantized vector beams and discuss the interplay between quantum and classical entanglement in the quantized field framework. Coherent and Fock states provide elementary examples illustrating the subtle connections between mode separability and quantum entanglement.

Daniel Cavalcanti
ICFO
Characterising quantum correlation via semi-definite programming
Researcher of the Institute of Photonic Sciences with a prestigious project and an expert in foundations of quantum physics, specially quantum nonlocality, quantum steering, and its applications to information processing.
Lecture Program
Semi-definite programming (SDP) is a class of optimization problems that appears in several situations in quantum information. In this series of lectures, I will discuss the problem of characterising quantum correlations with SDPs. I will discuss several scenarios, namely the entanglement, quantum nonlocality and Einstein-Podolski-Rosen steering. By the end of the course I expect the students to understand the different notions of quantum correlations, to identify when a problem can be cast as an SDP and to know the basics of how to use available numerical tools to solve them.

Olivier Pfister
University of Virginia
Quantum computing over the rainbow: continuous-variable quantum information in the optical fequency comb
Leader of the Quantum Fields and Quantum Information group of University of Virginia, with research in experimental atomic, molecular, and optical physics, experimental quantum information, continuous-variable quantum information and computing, and quantum interferometry.
Lecture Program
The two challenges of practical quantum computing are circumventing decoherence and achieving scalability. While qubit-based platforms such as trapped ions and superconducting circuits have made great strides in the decoherence challenge, the scalability challenge has been quite successfully handled by continuous-variable, a.k.a. qumode-based, systems such as the quantum optical frequency comb of a single optical parametric oscillator. Records have been set for, in particular, the largest cluster entangled states ever made. This course will introduce the continuous-variable entanglement in quantum optics experiments such as multimode squeezers. I will also introduce the concept of measurement-based quantum computing, based on cluster entangled states, first for qubits and then for qumodes, along with the elegant graph-theoretical methods that were developed in this context. Time permitting, I will elaborate on the perspectives for quantum simulation using this platform.

Sabrina Maniscalco
Turku University
Open Quantum System Dynamics
Leader of the Turku Quantum Technology theoretical physics research group at the University of Turku, with research focusing on open quantum systems, non-Markovianity, cold atoms, quantum probes, quantum tomography and incompatibility.
Lecture I
Introduction to Open Quantum Systems (microscopic derivations, generalised master equations, Lindblad-Gorini-Kossakowski-Sudarshan theorem).
Lecture II
Non-Markovian open quantum systems (Beyond Markovian dynamics, overview of non-Markovianity measures).
Lecture III
Is non-Markovian dynamics a resource for quantum technologies (modern topics and recent results on non-Markovian open quantum systems).
Yelena Guryanova
IQOQI-Vienna
High-dimensional Quantum Information
Leader of the Young Independent Researcher group of the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information in Vienna, with research focusing on quantum information in high-dimensional Hilbert spaces, emergence of causal order in quantum theory and beyond, information processing in theories with and without definite causal structures,time and causality in quantum mechanics.
Lecture I
High-dimensional quantum information- an introduction. In this lecture we set the stage by introducing basic concepts in entanglement theory, including basic definitions, witnesses and entanglement measures.
Lecture II
High-dimensional quantum information- the multipartite caseand relaxations. We continue by extending the the notions of bipartite entanglement to the multipartite case. We will discuss how many concepts have no easy equivalent and introduce several no-go results. To deal with the inevitable complexity of the high-dimensional Hilbert spaces we will introduce positive maps and semi-definite programs as relaxations that enable a practical certification of entanglement.
Lecture III
High-dimensional quantum information-open problems. To conclude the lecture series we will introduce and discuss some of the most important open problems of entanglement theory (that still remain in 2019). From distillable entanglement, the connection to partial transposition to the device independent certification of entanglement.