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1. Materials challenges and opportunities for quantum computing hardware

   https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abb2823  

   de Leon, Nathalie P.; Itoh, Kohei M.; Kim, Dohun; Mehta, Karan K.; Northup, Tracy E.; Paik, Hanhee; Palmer, B. S.; Samarth, N.; Sangtawesin, Sorawis; Steuerman, D. W. (April 2021, Science)

   Quantum computing hardware technologies have advanced during the past two decades, with the goal of building systems that can solve problems that are intractable on classical computers. The ability to realize large-scale systems depends on major advances in materials science, materials engineering, and new fabrication techniques. We identify key materials challenges that currently limit progress in five quantum computing hardware platforms, propose how to tackle these problems, and discuss some new areas for exploration. Addressing these materials challenges will require scientists and engineers to work together to create new, interdisciplinary approaches beyond the current boundaries of the quantum computing field. 

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2. Two-Dimensional Materials for Brain-Inspired Computing Hardware

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemrev.4c00631  

   Hadke, Shreyash; Kang, Min-A; Sangwan, Vinod K; Hersam, Mark C (January 2025, Chemical Reviews)

   Recent breakthroughs in brain-inspired computing promise to address a wide range of problems from security to healthcare. However, the current strategy of implementing artificial intelligence algorithms using conventional silicon hardware is leading to unsustainable energy consumption. Neuromorphic hardware based on electronic devices mimicking biological systems is emerging as a low-energy alternative, although further progress requires materials that can mimic biological function while maintaining scalability and speed. As a result of their diverse unique properties, atomically thin two-dimensional (2D) materials are promising building blocks for next-generation electronics including nonvolatile memory, in-memory and neuromorphic computing, and flexible edge-computing systems. Furthermore, 2D materials achieve biorealistic synaptic and neuronal responses that extend beyond conventional logic and memory systems. Here, we provide a comprehensive review of the growth, fabrication, and integration of 2D materials and van der Waals heterojunctions for neuromorphic electronic and optoelectronic devices, circuits, and systems. For each case, the relationship between physical properties and device responses is emphasized followed by a critical comparison of technologies for different applications. We conclude with a forward-looking perspective on the key remaining challenges and opportunities for neuromorphic applications that leverage the fundamental properties of 2D materials and heterojunctions. 

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3. Quantum algorithm for polaritonic chemistry based on an exact ansatz

   https://doi.org/10.1088/2058-9565/ad9fa5  

   Warren, Samuel; Wang, Yuchen; Benavides-Riveros, Carlos_L; Mazziotti, David_A (January 2025, Quantum Science and Technology)

   Abstract Cavity-modified chemistry uses strong light-matter interactions to modify the electronic properties of molecules in order to enable new physical phenomena such as novel reaction pathways. As cavity chemistry often involves critical regions where configurations become nearly degenerate, the ability to treat multireference problems is crucial to understanding polaritonic systems. In this Letter, we show through the use of a unitary ansatz derived from the anti-Hermitian contracted Schrödinger equation that cavity-modified systems with strong correlation, such as the deformation of rectangular H₄coupled to a cavity mode, can be solved efficiently and accurately on a quantum device. In contrast, while our quantum algorithm can be made formally exact, classical-computing methods as well as other quantum-computing algorithms often yield answers that are both quantitatively and qualitatively incorrect. Additionally, we demonstrate the current feasibility of the algorithm on near intermediate-scale quantum hardware by computing the dissociation curve of H₂strongly coupled to a bosonic bath. 

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4. Quantum computing and chemistry

   https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2024.102105  

   Weidman, Jared D; Sajjan, Manas; Mikolas, Camille; Stewart, Zachary J; Pollanen, Johannes; Kais, Sabre; Wilson, Angela K (July 2024, Cell Reports Physical Science)

   As the year-to-year gains in speeds of classical computers continue to taper off, computational chemists are increasingly examining quantum computing as a possible route to achieve greater computational performance. Quantum computers, built upon the properties of superposition, interference, and entanglement of quantum bits, offer, in principle, the possibility to outperform classical computers for solving many important classes of problems. In the field of chemistry, quantum algorithm development offers promising propositions for solving classically intractable problems in areas such as electronic structure, chemical quantum dynamics, spectroscopy, and cheminformatics. However, physical implementations of quantum computers are still in their infancy and have yet to outperform classical computers for useful computations. Still, quantum software development for chemistry is a highly active area of research. In this perspective, we summarize recent progress in the areas of quantum computing algorithms, hardware, and software, and we describe the challenges that remain for useful implementations of quantum computing for chemical applications. 

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5. Teaching the Next Generation of Cryptographic Hardware Design to the Next Generation of Engineers

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3299874.3317994  

   Aysu, Aydin (May 2019, Proceedings of the 2019 on Great Lakes Symposium on VLSI)

   Evolving threats against cryptographic systems and the increasing diversity of computing platforms enforce teaching cryptographic engineering to a wider audience. This paper describes the development of a new graduate course on hardware security taught at North Carolina State University. The course targets an audience with no background on cryptography or hardware vulnerabilities. The course focuses especially on post-quantum cryptosystems—the next-generation cryptosystems mitigating quantum computer attacks—and evolves into designing specialized hardware accelerators for post-quantum cryptography, executing sophisticated implementation attacks (e.g., side-channel and fault attacks), and building countermeasures on such hardware designs. We discuss the curriculum design, hands-on assignment’s development, final research project outcome, and the results obtained from the course together with the associated challenges. Our experience shows that such a course is feasible, can achieve its goals, and liked by the students, but there is room for improvement. 

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