Reader in Condensed Matter Theory Group Leader, Physics of Quantum Materials University of Kent
Finding each other inside a quantum computer In a paper to appear in the New Journal of Physics we tackle using quantum technology a problem we have all faced at some point: how do I find someone who is also looking for me if we cannot communicate? This is called a "rendezvous problem". The trick is, of course, to have agreed a strategy beforehand. For instance, when we walk with a child into a supermarket we might tell the child "if we get separated, wait for me and I will find you" (thus preventing a situation where we are both looking for the other and missing them or, even worse, we are both staying put indefinitely). In our paper we simulate rendezvous strategies in simple cases (like the two robots moving between the vertices of a triangle, shown in the picture) inside a quantum computer and show that if the two "players" have access to entangled qubits there are strategies available to them that beat anything that could be done classically. The research paper can be found here: https://lnkd.in/e-CK_rSm A more complete non-technical explanation can be found at: https://lnkd.in/evWYhAM5