Research

The primary goal of AQUA is to advance the deployment of quantum technologies in the real world, principally by applying known techniques from classical computer architecture, networking and distributed systems to the problems of scalability in quantum systems. This work will both bring new computational capabilities and help ensure that the progress of information technology does not end when the size of transistors can no longer be reduced.

Teams

The AQUA group consists of three major teams:

• Computation
• Networking
• Education and Community

Much of the work done is available in our public GitHub repository.

Computation

Quantum computers are real, they're just not very good yet. Part of our job is to make them better!

Our computation work falls in several areas:

• Algorithms: Machines are useless without algorithms! Not only do we create new algorithms from scratch, but equally importantly we work make theoretical work real. Many quantum algorithms are defined only abstractly, in terms of a few equations or proofs; one of our jobs is to implement these algorithms, including figuring out how big, fast, and reliable quantum computers must be to execute them. Algorithms also must be tuned to match the machines. And it's hard for people to design better quantum computers without an understanding of how they work, so, we work on algorithms!
• Architectures and Quantum Error Correction (QEC): A major current focus of ours is distributed quantum error correction, work done as part of the Moonshot Program.
• System software and tools for software developers: Obviously, QEC takes a lot of software to execute properly. One of our major projects is working on a compiler building on the error-corrected paradigm known as "A Game of Surface Codes", with the group of Prof. Simon Devitt in Sydney. A second major focus is how to debug quantum programs.

Networking

Large systems must combine multiple devices into one system that can compute collaboratively, as well as share information; we are investigating both system-area and wide-area quantum networks.

Our work has two major areas, a testbed network (real hardware, real protocols, specifications!) and simulation, and some minor work on theory.

• QuISP (Quantum Internet Simulation Package) is one of the most advanced quantum network simulators on the planet.
• QuISP is open source.
• We are part of the Quantum Internet Task Force.
• We are members of the Nagayama Moonshot project, where the focus is data center-level interconnects.
• We contribute to, and help run, the Quantum Internet Research Group.

Education and Community

We are working to create educational materials and to bring together a community of researchers, developers, users and the general public. We are working hard to create educational materials not just in English and Japanese, but also in other important global languages such as French, Chinese, Indonesian and Thai, with other languages still to come.

• We created our first MOOC on quantum, Understanding Quantum Computers, back in 2017.
• Q Academy is the umbrella for an entire undergraduate quantum curriculum being developed in Japan. Our share of the work is done in both English and Japanese.
• Q-Lead Edu Quantum Communications YouTube channel
• Our first book on the topic, Quantum Communications, is available under a Creative Commons license.

In addition, we are part of the community of researchers and part of our shared human, global society. We help to run conferences and workshops (such as the Workshop for Quantum Repeaters and Networks) and journals (such as IEEE Transactions on Quantum Engineering).

We are also interested in the ethical creation and use of quantum technologies, but right now do not have active projects in this area. If you want to join us and start a project, come on!