The New Quantum Era Sebastian Hassinger & Kevin Rowney

In this episode of The New Quantum Era, Kevin and Sebastian are joined by a special guest, Paul Cadden-Zemansky, Associate Professor of Physics at Bard College and Director of the Physics Program. Paul is also on the Executive Committee for the International Year of Quantum at the American Physical Society and has been actively involved in the UN’s recent declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology. With the UN resolution now official, Paul joins us to discuss the significance and plans for this global celebration of quantum mechanics.
Listeners can expect an insightful conversation covering the following key points:
The Significance of the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology: Paul explains the origins and importance of the UN’s declaration, marking the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics and its impact over the past century.Global Collaboration and Outreach: Discussion on the international cooperation involved in getting the resolution passed, including the involvement of various scientific societies and countries, and the emphasis on public awareness and education.Challenges and Strategies for Quantum Communication: Paul shares his thoughts on the difficulties of communicating complex quantum concepts to the public and the strategies to make quantum mechanics more accessible and engaging.Future Plans and Initiatives: Insights into the plans for 2025, including potential events, educational resources, and how individuals and organizations can get involved in promoting quantum science.Innovations in Quantum Visualization: Paul’s work with students on new methods for visualizing complex quantum systems, including the development of tools to help understand two-qubit states.Mentioned in this episode:
UN Declaration of 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and TechnologyAmerican Physical Society (APS)Quantum 2025 Website: quantum2025.orgPaul’s Research Paper on Quantum Visualization on ArxivPaul's web-based visualization toolJoin us as we delve into the exciting world of quantum mechanics and explore the plans for celebrating its centennial year!

In this episode of The New Quantum Era, host Sebastian Hassinger comes to you again from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, during their launch event in April 2024 for the deployment of an IBM System One quantum computer on their campus. RPI invited me to lead a panel discussion with members of their faculty and IT team, and provided a podcast studio for my use for the remainder of the week, where he recorded a series of interviews. In this episode Sebastian interviews Di Fang, an assistant professor of mathematics at Duke University and member of the Duke Quantum Center. They discuss Dr. Fang's research on the theoretical aspects of quantum computing and quantum simulation, the potential for quantum computers to demonstrate quantum advantage over classical computers, and the need to balance theory with practical applications. Key topics and takeaways from the conversation include:
- Dr. Fang's background as a mathematician and how taking a quantum computing class taught by Umesh Vazirani at UC Berkeley sparked her interest in the field of quantum information science- The potential for quantum computers to directly simulate quantum systems like molecules, going beyond the approximations required by classical computation- The importance of both proving theoretical bounds on quantum algorithms and working towards practical resource estimation and hardware implementation to demonstrate real quantum advantage- The stages of development needed to go from purely theoretical quantum advantage to solving useful real-world problems, and the role of Google's quantum XPRIZE competition in motivating practical applications- The long-term potential for quantum computing to have a disruptive impact like AI, but the risk of a "quantum winter" if practical results don't materialize, and the need for continued fundamental research by academics alongside industry efforts

In this episode of The New Quantum Era, we're diving deep into the intersection of quantum computing and chemistry with Jamie Garcia, Technical Program Director for Algorithms and Scientific Partnerships Group with IBM Quantum. Jamie brings a unique perspective, having transitioned from a background in chemistry to the forefront of quantum computing. At the heart of our discussion is the deployment of the IBM Quantum computer at RPI, marking a significant milestone as the first of its kind on a university campus. Jamie shares insights into the challenges and breakthroughs in using quantum computing to push the boundaries of computational chemistry, highlighting the potential to revolutionize how we approach complex chemical reactions and materials science.
Throughout the interview, Jamie discusses the evolution of quantum computing from a theoretical novelty to a practical tool in scientific research, particularly in chemistry. We explore the limitations of classical computational methods in chemistry, such as the reliance on approximations, and how quantum computing offers the promise of more accurate and efficient simulations. Jamie also delves into the concept of "utility" in quantum computing, illustrating how IBM's quantum computers are beginning to perform tasks that challenge classical computing capabilities. The conversation further touches on the significance of quantum computing in education and research, the integration of quantum systems with high-performance computing (HPC) centers, and the future of quantum computing in addressing complex problems in chemistry and beyond.
Jamie's homepage at IBM ResearchHow Quantum Computing Could Remake Chemistry, an article by Jamie Garcia in Scientific American

Sebastian interviews Professor Lin Lin during the System One ribbon cutting event at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY. Professor Lin Lin's journey from computational mathematics to quantum chemistry has been driven by his fascination with modeling nature through computation. As a student at Peking University, he was intrigued by the concept of first principles modeling, which aims to simulate chemical systems using minimal information such as atomic species and positions. Lin Lin pursued this interest during his PhD at Princeton University, working with mathematicians and chemists to develop better algorithms for density functional theory (DFT). DFT reformulates the high-dimensional quantum chemistry problem into a more tractable three-dimensional one, albeit with approximations. While DFT works well for about 95% of cases, it struggles with large systems and the remaining "strongly correlated" 5%. Lin Lin and his collaborators radically reformulated DFT to enable calculations on much larger systems, leading to his faculty position at UC Berkeley in 2014.
In 2018, a watershed year marked by his tenure, Lin Lin decided to tackle the challenging 5% of strongly correlated quantum chemistry problems. Two emerging approaches showed promise: artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing. Both AI and quantum computing are well-suited for handling high-dimensional problems, albeit in fundamentally different ways. Lin Lin aimed to leverage both approaches, collaborating on the development of deep molecular dynamics using AI to efficiently parameterize interatomic potentials. On the quantum computing side, his group worked to reformulate quantum chemistry for quantum computers. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Lin Lin and his collaborators have made significant strides in combining AI and quantum computing to push the boundaries of computational chemistry simulations, bridging the fields of mathematics, chemistry, AI, and quantum computing in an exciting new frontier.
Thanks again to Professor Lin and everyone at RPI for hosting me and providing such an amazing opportunity to interview so many brilliant researchers. 

Sebastian is joined by Olivia Lanes, Global Lead for Education and Learning, IBM Quantum to discuss quantum education, IBM's efforts to provide resources for workforce development, the importance of diversity and equality in STEM, and her own personal journey from experimental physics to community building and content creation. Recorded on the RPI campus during the launch event of their IBM System One quantum computer.
Key Topics:- Olivia's background in experimental quantum physics and transition to education at IBM Quantum- Lowering barriers to entry in quantum computing education through IBM's Quantum Experience platform, Qiskit open source framework, and online learning resources- The importance of reaching students early, especially women and people of color, to build a diverse quantum workforce pipeline- Quantum computing as an interdisciplinary field requiring expertise across physics, computer science, engineering, and other domains- The need to identify real-world problems and use cases that quantum computing can uniquely address- Balancing the hype around quantum computing's potential with setting realistic expectations - International collaboration and providing global access to quantum education and technologies- The unique opportunity of having an IBM quantum computer on the RPI campus to inspire students and enable cutting-edge research
Resources Mentioned: - IBM Quantum learning platform - "Introduction to Classical and Quantum Computing" by Tom Wong- Qiskit YouTube channel
In summary, this episode explores the current state of quantum computing education, the importance of making it accessible to a broad and diverse group of students from an early age, and how academia and industry can partner to build the quantum workforce of the future. Olivia provides an insider's perspective on IBM Quantum's efforts in this space.

For this episode, Sebastian is on his own, as Kevin is taking a break. Sebastian accepted a gracious invite to the ribbon cutting event at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, where the university was launching their on-campus IBM System One -- the first commercial quantum computer on a university campus!This week, the episode is a recording a live event hosted by Sebastian. The panel of RPI faculty and staff talk about their decision to deploy a quantum computer in their own computing center -- a former chapel from the 1930s! - what they hope the RPI community will do with the device, and the role of academic partnership with private industry at this stage of the development of the technology. Joining Sebastian on the panel were:
James Hendler, Professor and Director of Future of Computing InstituteJackie Stampalia, Director, Client Information Services, DotCIOOsama Raisuddin, Research Scientist, RPILucy Zhang, Professor, Mechanical, Aerospace, and Nuclear Engineering