meQuanics - QSI@UTS Seminar Series - S19 - Yuval Sanders (University of Technology Sydney)

During this time of lockdown, the centre for quantum software and information (QSI) at the University of Technology Sydney has launched an online seminar series. With talks once or twice a week from leading researchers in the field, meQuanics is supporting this series by mirroring the audio from each talk. I would encourage if you listen to this episode, to visit and subscribe to the UTS:QSI YouTube page to see each of these talks with the associated slides to help it make more sense.

https://youtu.be/qYuxOx4Z8Yk

A growing methodological problem for practical quantum algorithms research

TITLE: Why are quantum algorithms papers so #!@*&% long?

SPEAKER: Dr Yuval Sanders

AFFILIATION: Centre for Quantum Software and Information, University of Technology Sydney

ABSTRACT: In this talk I discuss the results of two of my recent quantum algorithms papers: arXiv:2007.07391 and arXiv:2110.05708. Both of these papers are 70+ pages in length and quite dense, which needs some explanation because the underlying ideas are not particularly complicated. The reason for the length is that we, the authors, are effectively compiling quantum algorithms by hand, and we are doing a very crude job of it. I will explain that increasing paper lengths are evidence for a growing methodological problem for practical quantum algorithms research. I will also explain why that methodological problem is in large part responsible to ongoing mistakes in media when attempting to articulate the real-world applications of quantum computers.

HOSTED BY: Associate Professor Troy Lee, Centre for Quantum Software and Information, University of Technology Sydney, Australia

RELATED PAPERS: https://arxiv.org/abs/2007.07391; https://arxiv.org/abs/2110.05708