Dr. David E. Root of Keysight Laboratories, Keysight Technologies, Inc.

Quantum computation promises to transform society as profoundly as any previous technological revolution in human history. Certain computations that are completely intractable for present-day and any conceivable future classical supercomputer may become practical by harnessing the immense power of quantum mechanics through the engineering and control of interacting two-level quantum bits, or qubits.

Microwaves play a fundamental role in qubit state initialization, superposition, entanglement, general manipulation, and readout for implementing quantum algorithms, in many of the most promising qubit technologies (e.g. superconducting qubits based on Josephson junctions). Moreover, classical microwave-based electronic control systems featuring scalable, multi-channel, synchronous stimulus-response measurements with low-latency feedback may be the key to ultimately realizing practical quantum computers.

This talk introduces the exciting potential, basic principles, and significant technical challenges of practical quantum computation. The emphasis is on the fundamental role of microwaves and microwave engineering in the design and physical realization of quantum technologies. The emergence of a new “quantum engineering” discipline represents an exciting opportunity for the present and next generation of physical scientists, computer scientists, and microwave engineers.

Biography:

David E. Root received B.S. degrees in physics and mathematics, and a Ph.D. degree in physics, all from MIT. He is currently Research Fellow at Keysight Laboratories, Keysight Technologies, Inc., Santa Rosa, CA, USA. Dr. Root is a well-known pioneer of measurement-based nonlinear devices and behavioral modeling. Current interests and responsibilities include the physics and engineering of quantum information technology. He is the author or co-author of well over 100 peer-reviewed publications, four books, and multiple patents. He was a co-recipient of the 2007 IEEE ARFTG Technology Award and served as MTT-S Distinguished Microwave Lecturer from 2006-2008. Dr. Root has been Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Surrey, Guildford, UK, and a Visiting Scholar at UCSD. Over his career, he has served on the MTT-S TPRC for 25 years and has been a top reviewer for IEEE technical publications. He has been an IEEE Fellow since 2002.