MilestoneTheory & algorithmsConfirmed
Researchers run a hybrid quantum-classical algorithm for chemistry on a photonic chip
Jul 23, 2014
A team from the University of Bristol and Harvard reports in Nature Communications a "variational eigenvalue solver": a small photonic quantum processor prepares trial states while an ordinary computer tunes them, together estimating the lowest energy of the molecule HeH+. A preprint appeared in April 2013.
Why it matters
Variational methods need far shorter quantum runs than older algorithms. A later review calls the variational quantum eigensolver (VQE) one of the most promising near-term uses of quantum computers.
Alberto Peruzzo · Jarrod McClean · Alán Aspuru-Guzik · Jeremy L. O'Brien · Bristol · Harvard
Related
Sources (3)
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Nature Communications
A variational eigenvalue solver on a photonic quantum processor
“We implement the algorithm by combining a highly reconfigurable photonic quantum processor with a conventional computer. We experimentally demonstrate the feasibility of this approach with an example from quantum chemistry—calculating the ground-state molecular energy for He–H+.”
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arXiv (Peruzzo et al.)
A variational eigenvalue solver on a quantum processor
“We have implemented the algorithm by combining a small-scale photonic quantum processor with a conventional computer.”
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arXiv (Tilly et al.)
The Variational Quantum Eigensolver: a review of methods and best practices
“The VQE may be used to model complex wavefunctions in polynomial time, making it one of the most promising near-term applications for quantum computing.”
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