From summer school to state-of-the-art: Xanadu, LANL, and quantum compilation

From Summer School to State-of-the-Art: Xanadu, LANL, and Quantum Compilation

Every year, the Quantum Computing Summer School (QCSS) at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) brings together the brightest up-and-coming researchers in the field. QCSS is one of the most prestigious programs of its kind, attracting undergraduate and graduate students from around the globe. In 2024, Xanadu was honored with an invitation, not only to share our expertise, but to mentor the next generation of quantum innovators.

Earlier this year, we published a building-block approach to unitary synthesis based on group theory. This paper was a direct result of a project that brought together Summer Students Max West and Roy Forestano, Marco Cerezo from LANL, and Nathan Killoran and I from Xanadu. Martin Larocca and Lukasz Cincio, also from LANL, provided valuable discussions and insights.

This work presents a powerful approach to compiling quantum circuits, featuring novel mathematical theorems, a modern take on established techniques, and practical algorithms. The impact is not just theoretical; these developments are making their way into PennyLane’s compilation stack and are accessibly explained in a recent PennyLane demo.

This achievement was born from an intensive and deeply collaborative environment. The collaboration kicked off with a three-week immersive phase at LANL, which laid the groundwork for success. This initial burst of progress evolved into eight months of dedicated research, a testament to the team’s commitment to seeing the project through to a high-impact conclusion.

The success of this partnership extends beyond publications. We congratulate Max West on his recent appointment as a Graduate Research Assistant at LANL.

The journey doesn't stop here. We are excited to repeat this collaboration in 2025, with Xanadu researchers Maria Schuld and Torin Stetina joining forces with the LANL team at the QCSS. We look forward to another summer of discovering new frontiers in quantum computing together.