Quantum Computing: What is it, how does it work, and what are the opportunities for microwave engineers?
The Trident Chapter is pleased to host MTT Distinguished Microwave Lecturer Prof. Joseph Bardin from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Prof. Bardin will give a seminar, "Quantum Computing: What is it, how does it work, and what are the opportunities for microwave engineers?" at 11:30 am ET on Friday, September 19.
The seminar will be in a hybrid format, with the in-person talk in room EECS 1500 on the University of Michigan North Campus in Ann Arbor, MI, and a simulcast via Zoom.
Prof. Bardin will be available before and after the talk for questions and 1-on-1 meetings. To arrange a meeting, please contact the hosts.
SEM Trident Chapter (AP03/ED15/MTT17/PHO36) website
Date and Time
Location
Hosts
Registration
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- 1301 Beal Ave
- University of Michigan North Campus
- Ann Arbor, Michigan
- United States 48109
- Building: EECS Building
- Room Number: 1500 EECS
- Starts 09 September 2025 04:00 AM UTC
- Ends 19 September 2025 04:00 AM UTC
- No Admission Charge
Speakers
Prof. Joe Bardin of University of Massachusetts Amherst
Quantum Computing: What is it, how does it work, and what are the opportunities for microwave engineers?
Quantum computing offers the potential for an exponential speed-up of certain classes of computational problems, and, as such, the development of a practical quantum computer has been a field of intense research over the past two decades. Yet, it is still early in the development of these systems, as we have just reached the point at which laboratory experiments have shown that quantum computers can outperform classical computers at certain computational tasks. As such, it is an exciting time in the field, analogous to the early days of classical computer development. As microwave engineers there is a tremendous opportunity to contribute to quantum computing, as the control and measurement of most quantum processors is carried-out using microwave techniques. In this talk, I will describe the use of microwaves in quantum computing, with a focus on the superconducting qubit technology which was used to show that a quantum computer is capable of post-classical computation. The talk will be geared toward microwave engineers with no background in quantum computing and will provide a glimpse into the fundamentals, contemporary system architectures, recent experiments, and, finally, major microwave challenges that must be overcome if fault tolerant quantum computing is to become a reality. While the “quantum” aspects of quantum computing will be described, the deeper technical discussion will focus on the specification and design of the microwave control and measurement systems required to operate these systems, using Google’s state-of-the-art Sycamore quantum computer as an example. Ongoing research in scalable control and measurement electronics will also be described.
Biography:
Joseph Bardin received the PhD degree in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 2009. In 2010, he joined the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is currently a Full Professor. His research group currently focuses on low temperature integrated circuits with applications in radio astronomy and the quantum information sciences. In 2017, he joined the Google AI Quantum team as a visiting faculty researcher and, in addition to his university appointment, he currently leads Google’s efforts to develop electronics for their current and future quantum computers. Professor Bardin was a recipient of a 2011 DARPA Young Faculty Award, a 2014 NSF CAREER Award, a 2015 Office of Naval Research YIP Award, a 2016 UMass Amherst College of Engineering Barbara H. and Joseph I. Goldstein Outstanding Junior Faculty Award, a 2016 UMass Amherst Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Research and Creative Activity, a 2020 IEEE MTT-S Outstanding Young Engineer Award, and the 2022 IEEE MTT-S Microwave Magazine Best Paper Award. He is a fellow of the IEEE.
Email:
Address:Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts, United States, 01003
Agenda
Welcome: 11:30 am
Presentation
Q&A
Closing
IEEE MTT Distinguished Microwave Lecture
Quantum Computing: What is it, how does it work, and what are the opportunities for microwave engineers?
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Prof. Joseph Bardin, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering |
Abstract: Quantum computing offers the potential for an exponential speed-up of certain classes of computational problems, and, as such, the development of a practical quantum computer has been a field of intense research over the past two decades. Yet, it is still early in the development of these systems, as we have just reached the point at which laboratory experiments have shown that quantum computers can outperform classical computers at certain computational tasks. As such, it is an exciting time in the field, analogous to the early days of classical computer development. As microwave engineers there is a tremendous opportunity to contribute to quantum computing, as the control and measurement of most quantum processors is carried-out using microwave techniques. In this talk, I will describe the use of microwaves in quantum computing, with a focus on the superconducting qubit technology which was used to show that a quantum computer is capable of post-classical computation. The talk will be geared toward microwave engineers with no background in quantum computing and will provide a glimpse into the fundamentals, contemporary system architectures, recent experiments, and, finally, major microwave challenges that must be overcome if fault tolerant quantum computing is to become a reality. While the “quantum” aspects of quantum computing will be described, the deeper technical discussion will focus on the specification and design of the microwave control and measurement systems required to operate these systems, using Google’s state-of-the-art Sycamore quantum computer as an example. Ongoing research in scalable control and measurement electronics will also be described.
Bio: received the PhD degree in electrical engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 2009. In 2010, he joined the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he is currently a Full Professor. His research group currently focuses on low temperature integrated circuits with applications in radio astronomy and the quantum information sciences. In 2017, he joined the Google AI Quantum team as a visiting faculty researcher and, in addition to his university appointment, he currently leads Google’s efforts to develop electronics for their current and future quantum computers. Professor Bardin was a recipient of a 2011 DARPA Young Faculty Award, a 2014 NSF CAREER Award, a 2015 Office of Naval Research YIP Award, a 2016 UMass Amherst College of Engineering Barbara H. and Joseph I. Goldstein Outstanding Junior Faculty Award, a 2016 UMass Amherst Award for Outstanding Accomplishments in Research and Creative Activity, a 2020 IEEE MTT-S Outstanding Young Engineer Award, and the 2022 IEEE MTT-S Microwave Magazine Best Paper Award.