Sign inOpen the app
The New Quantum Era - innovation in quantum computing, science and technology

Quantum imaginary time evolution with Zoe Holmes

Mar 6, 2025 · 35 min · Episode 44 · 43.2 MB
0:00-35:02

Streams straight from the publisher. podnod never proxies or re-hosts episode audio.

Open in podnodTranscript

Professor Zoe Holmes from EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland, discusses her work on quantum imaginary time evolution and variational techniques for near-term quantum computers. With a background from Imperial College London and Oxford, Holmes explores the limits of what can be achieved with NISQ (Noisy Intermediate-Scale Quantum) devices.

Key topics covered:

  • Quantum Imaginary Time Evolution (QITE) as a cooling-inspired algorithm for finding ground states
  • Comparison of QITE to Variational Quantum Eigensolver (VQE) approaches
  • Challenges in variational methods, including barren plateaus and expressivity concerns
  • Trade-offs between circuit depth, fidelity, and practical implementation on current hardware
  • Potential for scientific value from NISQ-era devices in physics and chemistry applications
  • The interplay between classical and quantum methods in advancing our understanding of quantum systems