Spooky Action on Campus W&L’s quantum computing program is among the first in the nation offered at a small liberal arts institution.

By Kelsey Goodwin
October 22, 2024

“I believe that quantum computing, just like coding, is a useful skill no matter what field you are studying.”

~ Zihan Li ’26

Tom Marcais, senior technology integration specialist, said he couldn’t have chosen a better date than Halloween to offer his talk on quantum computing, titled “Quantum Computing Unveiled: Exploring Spooky Action at a Distance.”

Marcais’ talk, which will be held 11:20 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31 in the Science Center, will highlight quantum computing’s unique features as compared to classical computing, examine various physical systems used in quantum computing and explain the principles behind qubits, the most basic level of quantum coding language. Attendees will also learn how to get started with quantum coding and discover some practical applications already transforming fields such as encryption, health care, meteorology, artificial intelligence and finance. The star of the show, however, will be a new addition to the W&L community that currently resides in Howe Hall: a quantum computer purchased last year that put W&L on the map as the first liberal arts institution in the United States to offer the technology as a learning tool for students.

Parmly Professor of Physics Irina Mazilu and professor of physics Dan Mazilu said conversations with Marcais inspired them to explore quantum computing. In the summer of 2019, Marcais attended a conference where a faculty member from Stony Brook University gave a presentation on quantum computing. He shared the information with the Mazilus upon his return to campus, and the Mazilus became interested in how quantum computing might connect with their research in nanoscience. During the Mazilus’ sabbatical during the 2020-2021 academic year, the group began forming a plan to incorporate quantum computing into their teaching and research, eventually securing funding to purchase a model from a company called Spin Q. Irina Mazilu said the machine, purchased in early 2023, is valuable in introducing students to quantum computing concepts and providing them with hands-on experience.

“Honestly, we think about it more as a pedagogical tool than anything,” said Dan Mazilu. “It gives some physical tangibility to these very abstract quantum mechanical concepts.”

To date, only a few universities worldwide now own quantum computers for teaching purposes and typically restrict their use to graduate students; W&L is one of only a few to offer undergraduates the opportunity to use one. Shortly after the department purchased the machine, Marcais and the Mazilus offered a tutorial on quantum computing in the winter of 2023 open to students from all majors. In the fall of 2023, the group taught a course that enrolled 19 students, many of whom were non-physics majors. The course Physics 190: Foundation of Quantum Computing and Quantum Information is an FDR-SL course open to any student with no prerequisites; the department currently plans on offering it every other year. The course covers the physics principles behind the quantum computer, which uses nuclear magnetic resonance, a technology similar to MRI. Marcais has been instrumental in helping the group stay abreast of changes in the technology and has created a webpage on the university’s research computing site that offers a beginner’s guide to quantum computing terms and applications.

The computer might surprise people with its diminutive size. It is a desktop unit resembling a small printer or scanner, which the group sometimes jokingly refers to as “the toaster oven.” The Mazilus say that they are frequently asked to define the difference between classical computing and quantum computing.

“It’s like a classical computer on steroids,” Irina Mazilu said. “The computational power is very, very high using these quantum systems.”

The phrase “spooky action at a distance” referenced in Marcais’ upcoming talk was coined by Albert Einstein to describe a strange phenomenon predicted by quantum mechanics now known as quantum entanglement. Quantum entanglement occurs when two or more particles become linked so that their states are deeply connected, no matter how far apart they are in space. Quantum entanglement has been experimentally verified and is a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics, even though it challenges our intuitive understanding of space and time. It also plays a key role in modern technologies like quantum computing. Entanglement allows for the simultaneous processing of vast amounts of information in quantum computing, enabling exponential speedups in certain algorithms, error correction and secure communication. This enables quantum computers to perform complex calculations much faster than classical computers, especially for problems involving large datasets, such as factorizing large numbers or optimizing large systems. Quantum entanglement is not only one of the topics students can explore in the quantum computing course, but is also the focus of an ongoing research project this academic year.

Marcais said students are excited by the speed of quantum computing. Irina Mazilu said she is starting to modify how she does research, moving away from a linear approach to a quantum one because it yields faster results.

“Some problems are genuinely unsolvable through classical computing,” explained Irina Mazilu, whose research area is statistical physics, “and not just problems in physics. For example, quantum computers can design drugs and quickly find the optimal ingredient interactions. In fact, it was used to help create the mRNA Covid-19 vaccine.” Quantum computers can be used to model complex molecular interactions and chemical processes much faster than classical computers, which can greatly accelerate the drug discovery and optimization process, allowing pharmaceutical companies to design more effective drugs.

Kailesh Amilcar ’26, a physics and music double major from York, Pennsylvania, is currently conducting research with another student on the construction of a quantum circuit using the computer. They collaborate weekly with Marcais and the Mazilus on their work.

“Working with Tom Marcais and the Mazilus on this project has been a delightful experience,” Amilcar said. “Tom Marcais helped me a lot with my fundamental understanding of the topic, while the Mazilus have provided a lot of help within the context of the lab. Chris Compton [laboratory technician and research specialist] has been particularly helpful, especially when it came down to analyzing relevant papers, as well as locating pieces of the apparatus. [Professor of physics and engineering] Kuehner’s help also cannot be overstated, as his experience with optics and alignment has taught us the best methods to safely handle all our equipment. This project has aligned many of my interests in the quantum field, and the longer I spend pursuing the contents of this lab, the more I find myself leaning toward quantum-related programs for graduate school.”

Amilcar’s interest in quantum phenomena and research was piqued early on in his W&L career, but quantum computing’s applicability as a learning and research tool extends beyond the lab. Because of quantum computing’s broad applications, the group felt it was essential to make the course accessible to all majors. This resulted in a wide variety of approaches to the course’s final project. Alexa De La Cruz Cisneros ’27, an English major and creative writing minor who had never taken a physics class before taking quantum computing, decided to write a final paper for the quantum computing class early in the term that synthesized the course material for non-STEM students. Irina Mazilu praised Cisneros’ paper for its clear explanations and illustrations and for her ability to leverage her strengths as a writer in translating complex course material into more accessible terms. Cisneros said W&L has helped ignite an interest in physics that she did not anticipate when she began her college experience, and she is now planning to double major in physics.

“W&L has just offered me so many more options than I could have imagined,” said Cisneros.

Aliya Gibbons ’26, a politics major, said she appreciated being able to combine her interests in her final paper, which explored the intersection of quantum computing and political philosophy.

“As a politics major, I was interested in the political implications of quantum physics,” Gibbons said. “While initially researching the applied political effects (policies, security, military, etc.), I was drawn to a niche combination of political philosophy and quantum physics. I was also in Intro to Political Philosophy with Professor Gray simultaneously. Historically, political philosophy and theoretical physics were intertwined, such as in the work of Aristotle, Newton and others. I just ran with the idea and discovered a much bigger picture of the intersection between physics in general and political philosophy.”

Quantum computing is expected to have a significant impact on various industries in the future. The potential of quantum computers to break current encryption methods poses a threat to global cybersecurity, and companies and organizations are already working on developing quantum-resistant encryption standards to prepare for this threat. Quantum computing can be used to optimize complex problems, such as supply chain logistics, delivery routes and financial portfolio optimization in ways that will significantly impact financial industries. And, as artificial intelligence systems become more advanced, they will require increasing computational power, which quantum computers may be able to provide. Gibbons said her research and the knowledge she gained through the class will undoubtedly be invaluable to her in many ways.

“Quantum physics has fundamentally changed the way our physical world is viewed. If traditional physics has influenced political philosophy, politics needs to adapt to fit the new model of the physical world as understood by quantum physics,” Gibbons said. “Quantum computers will become a major part of practically every field in the next couple of decades, if not sooner. They will revolutionize science and our understanding of our world and pose a significant threat to personal and national security. They will directly impact economics, finance, politics, biology, chemistry and more.”

Gibbons also stressed the value of taking classes outside her comfort zone as part of her W&L experience.

“My biggest takeaway was about how interconnected different disciplines are, even ones that seem so distinct,” Gibbons said. “I learned a lot about quantum physics, and it was quite mind-boggling, to be completely honest, but I also learned a lot about politics and philosophy.”

Zihan Li ’26, a physics major from Nanjing, China, said he feels fortunate to have had the opportunity to have Irina Mazilu as his professor and to be at W&L right as the quantum computer arrived on campus, both significant factors in steering him to the physics major. Li was a teaching assistant for the fall 2023 launch of Mazilu’s quantum computing course and said he worked closely with the Mazilus to create a course that would translate broadly to students from any major.

“As long as you know linear algebra, you can start playing around with different operations, which we call ‘gates,’” Li said. “Even though the principle of quantum computing is quite different from classic computing, they are both actually math games.”

Li also gained valuable research experience during his first year of study with Irina Mazilu, culminating in Li presenting a poster at the 2024 American Physical Society’s March Meeting. Li and Irina Mazilu focused on a statistical physics model called the Ising Model. Li initially explored a mathematically complex paper from the Qiskit community, a platform built by IBM’s quantum computing division, on the subject, but soon shifted focus to another paper that introduced a method for solving the model in one dimension. By adapting the method, Li successfully developed code for solving the model in two dimensions and found it applicable to all dimensions. The results matched those of classic algorithms. Li said the opportunity to present his findings at the APS conference reinforced the importance of quantum computing research, noting the significant presence of quantum computing exhibitors at the conference and the crowded lecture sessions on the topic.

“I am very thankful to Professor [Irina] Mazilu for helping me experience the APS meeting as a sophomore student,” said Li, who is currently conducting nuclear physics research with another professor on campus. Li said he now seeks out opportunities to use quantum computing algorithms to solve nuclear physics problems.

“I believe that quantum computing, just like coding, is a useful skill no matter what field you are studying,” Li said.

Jack McKinney ’24, a physics major currently interning at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, worked with the W&L quantum computer last winter as part of a group of student researchers. The projects, he said, primarily involved understanding and performing rudimentary quantum operations.

“This was immediately after the department received the computer, so it was new for everyone involved. It was a great experience getting to watch as everyone tried to learn from each other what worked and what didn’t work,” said McKinney, who went on to intern last summer at Brookhaven National Laboratory, where he conducted quantum computing research with computer simulations using a different kind of quantum computer. Although he is not currently pursuing quantum computing research, he said his W&L experience kickstarted his interest in material science research.

“My work in Brookhaven was simulating material combinations to see which performed better as a superconducting qubit chip in specific scenarios,” McKinney said. “Similarly, learning about how the quantum computer at W&L performs its operations caused me to want to better understand computers and electronics. As a result, my research interests have shifted into wanting to research materials for electronics, potentially going back to materials for quantum computers.” McKinney is in the process of applying to Ph.D. programs in materials science and engineering.

The Mazilus and Marcais highlight the interdisciplinary nature of quantum computing. The group hopes to encourage further collaboration across departments on campus, which will open even more research avenues for students from diverse academic backgrounds. Irina Mazilu pointed out that a working knowledge of quantum computing developments will benefit students in many of their anticipated career fields. Dan Mazilu commented that the quantum computing landscape is constantly evolving.

“Things are moving so quickly,” he said of the technology’s development, “that the one thing we know is to expect change.”