We are BACK. If you missed me, I apologize. I can offer little in the way of explanation for my months long silence, save that the Vibe1 was not right. Coincidentally, I am also getting more sleep now that the smallest members of my household have learned how to sleep better. I am somehow shocked by how much better sleep and more exercise have improved my mood, even in the encroaching Season of Darkness, which historically has been a time of Deep Ennui for me.
I’m not sure who needs to hear this, but today is a great day to address your sleep issues and to start getting more exercise.
Today’s post will be relatively short, just some disconnected thoughts and a plan for the future.
Moar Posts
I had been wanting to post more frequently on more technical subjects, which is kind of difficult because technical posts take a long time to write! The right strategy is probably to generate a backlog and schedule releases, but I can’t stop myself from hitting ‘POST’ so not sure we’ll ever get a backlog.
The good news is that being confused all the time does help to generate post ideas, because you an always just document your attempt to learn something new.
Here are a few of the things I had in mind and their current status:
Open Source Design and Simulation Pt 2: I started looking into open source inductance and capacitance simulation software, specifically the Fast Henry and Fast Cap softwares from Fast Field Solvers. Unfortunately, it seems like they basically only run on Windows and I’m using a Macbook to write this. I think there are Methods to get around this problem, but they seem like a pain in the ass, so this is on hold until I am more motivated.
The Couplers Post: The more I think about coupling qubits the more convinced I am that I don’t really understand it, so this has moved up my list of interesting things to write.
Virtual Qubits and Quantum Thermal Machines: Inspired by a paper I saw in early 2021 that claimed to implement a Quantum Szilard engine, I briefly delved into quantum engines and discovered none of it made any sense to me. I’ve recently returned to the topic and still am kind of confused, which means I can build a post around trying to get to grips with the concept.
QC Vibes and Updates
The Applied Superconductivity Conference has ended recently, I did not go2, but many of my colleagues did to both enjoy the science content and the incredible natural beauty of Hawaii.
The sense I get is that not much has progressed among the larger players. 2Q gates have not been reported to be better, really good readout is still a challenge. It seems like things in the world of Big Transmon are a little stagnant, but hard to say for certain. I expect long lulls and then announcements of major advancements. Perhaps there is little incentive to report incremental progress anymore? I might just be talking out my ass here, but I will be at APS March Meeting3 to investigate in person, so if nothing cool is reported there I will assume the field is dead.
Somethings are changing, Jay Gambetta posted a tweet in which POTUS observes the next gen of IBM qubit chips: the 433 qubit Osprey. Also they announced a higher
IBM team also posted an interesting paper on TLS dynamics and background radiation (including cosmic rays). They didn’t see degradations in T1, which is puzzling, but did observe changes in the TLS landscape. It’s an interesting paper and one which I haven’t fully digested yet.
Chad Rigetti will be leaving his position as CEO of Rigetti Computing Inc. I am on record as not particularly optimistic about the future prospects of Rigetti Computing Inc, so I suspect that this change was made by the board to try to secure some sort of non-liquidation future for the company. In last quarter’s financials, Rigetti did disclose that they also have secured a substantial ($75M) stock purchase agreement like D-Wave managed to do with LPC. If/When Rigetti (the company) find a new CEO and announce it, we’ll have a better idea of the situation. My last take on this is that it must suck to leave the helm (willingly or unwillingly) of the company you founded and led for nearly a decade.
This one is for the experimentalists: Abe Asfaw had a fun thread about electrical grounding schemes and their effect on measured 50 kHz noise. Answer is posted as a reply to the original tweet below.
Substack Threads
Substack has unlocked group chat technology for us. Currently only available on the Substack iOS app, but they’re claiming that it will come to Android soon enough.
I’m intrigued by this capability, but not clear what kind of value this will bring to us. Do we want a quantum shitpoasting group chat? Do we want dedicated AMA threads from people in the industry? Do we want a rumor-mongering thread about QC news heard in dark alleys?
I’m undecided, but maybe someone out there has a good idea.
One thing I’ve accepted about myself is that I can’t fight the Vibe. I can ride it out, or try to gently redirect it with lifestyle changes (have I mentioned sleep and exercise??). I am the Vibe and the Vibe is Me.
OR DID I?
Honestly I hate APS MM, it’s too big, but I promised myself I would try to get to know more people in the field instead of being an online recluse.