Quantum Algorithms in Pre-Fault Tolerant Hardware (BasQIBM25)

I have been working in the field of theoretical quantum physics in a broad scope of topics ranging from quantum link models and the preparation of exotic topological states in open systems to implementations of lattice gauge theories using ultra-cold atoms. I have made key contributions to a large number of projects and the ideas from my research with my collaborators have opened new directions to several timely topics in quantum physics in condensed matter, atomic-molecular-quantum optics physics, and beyond. To give an example, in my recent work on the quantum simulation of lattice gauge theories, with my collaborators, we have put forward a very exciting new approach to fundamental problems of high-energy physics. In 2015, I move to Bilbao with the highly competitive and prestigious Ikerbasque research fellow position. Nowadays, I have a permanent position at the UPV/EHU with an Ikerbasque research associate position.

Rainer Blatt’s research focuses on trapped ions as a means to address fundamental questions in quantum optics, spectroscopy, and quantum information science. In the laboratory, individual ions are confined in electromagnetic traps under ultrahigh vacuum, and their electronic states are manipulated and probed using laser beams. Experiments in his group, including the demonstration of quantum gates and highly entangled ion strings, have established that ions are outstanding candidates for quantum bits in a quantum computer. Current research themes include the investigation of light-matter quantum interfaces, the scalability of ion traps for quantum information processing, and the use of trapped ions to simulate quantum processes.

M. Fernando Gonzalez Zalba is an Ikerbasque Professor at CIC nanoGUNE where he leads the Quantum Hardware Group since 2024. He is also Head of Quantum Hardware Development at Quantum Motion, a start-up dedicated to the development of quantum computing hardware based on silicon technology. He holds a UKRI Future Leader Fellowship for the development of scaled up quantum computing architectures based on silicon technology. Furthermore, he is Associate Lecturer at the University of Cambridge - where he teaches Low-Dimensional Physics – he is Honorary Research Associate at University College London – for his dedication to graduate training – and Quondam Fellow at Hughes Hall, a University of Cambridge College. He obtained a PhD from the University of Cambridge with a thesis on Single-atom Electronics in 2013 and was Head of Quantum Computing at the Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory, a R&D centre of Hitachi Europe. In 2016, he received the R&D Technology Award from Hitachi's Centre for Social Innovation for the development of silicon-based quantum computing technology. He was awarded the Young Scientist Award by the Spanish Royal Society of Physics in 2017, and in 2019 became a Royal Society Industry Fellow.