QUROPE Quantum Information Processing and Communication in Europe

On December 7, researchers at Google have reported evidence for significant quantum effects on the latest D-Wave 2X device using problem instances that are designed to be hard for thermal annealing algorithms but easy for quantum annealers (http://arxiv.org/abs/1512.02206).

Yesterday, During the visit at QuTech, Delft, Commissioner for the Digital Economy and Society, Gunther H. Oettinger, and Minister of Economic Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Henk Kamp, stated that action is needed to ensure Europe remains a world leader in Quantum Technology.

To enhance overall interest, activity and investment in Quantum Technologies across Europe, the Netherlands is planning to organize a conference in Amsterdam in cooperation with the European Commission. The aim of the conference is to foster collaboration between European scientific and industry communities, showcase innovation and provide a platform to present a comprehensive vision and roadmap across the spectrum of Quantum Technologies. The Presidency will report the conclusions of the Conference to the Competitiveness Council in May 2016.

The first report of the "Russian Quantum Center" (RQC, http://www.rqc.ru) has been made public recently. It presents the results of research work since 2012, when the organizational period ended and the RQC began full operation. You can grab a copy here.

A participatory workshop on Quantum Technologies and Industry was held in Brussels on 6 May 2015. The aim was to identify what could be the markets for quantum technologies, and how these could be industrialised. The workshop report (available here) summarises the discussions and the action plan which emerged as a conclusion.

We propose and analyze heralded quantum gates between qubits in optical cavities. They employ an auxiliary qubit to report if a successful gate occurred. In this manner, the errors, which would have corrupted a deterministic gate, are converted into a nonunity probability of success: once successful, the gate has a much higher fidelity than a similar deterministic gate.

• quantum information theory
• open quantum systems
• continuous variables systems
• quantum foundations
• quantum technologies

Developing methods for testing security of practical quantum communication systems and countermeasures

Exploring limits of physical security

Avalanche single-photon detectors