We know what will happen when one pendulum swings. But two? 'Oxford Mathematicians and their Toys', episode three, starring Jon Chapman (and the pendulums).

The University of Oxford Open Access Publications Policy, and University Statute XVI which covers intellectual property rights, have now been updated to incorporate rights retention. This re-affirms the University’s preference for the green or self-archiving route to open access.   

Rights retention allows authors to retain the rights to their work, rather than signing these over to a publisher. This means authors can share and reuse their work without having to seek the publisher’s permission.

There are always masses of talks, events and exhibitions across the University, so if you haven't ever checked out the University listing:

Take a peek

Image: John Nash - The Cornfield

Tue, 12 Nov 2024
13:00
L6

Randomised Quantum Circuits for Practical Quantum Advantage

Bálint Koczor
(Mathematical Institute (University of Oxford))
Abstract

Quantum computers are becoming a reality and current generations of machines are already well beyond the 50-qubit frontier. However, hardware imperfections still overwhelm these devices and it is generally believed the fault-tolerant, error-corrected systems will not be within reach in the near term: a single logical qubit needs to be encoded into potentially thousands of physical qubits which is prohibitive.
 
Due to limited resources, in the near term, hybrid quantum-classical protocols are the most promising candidates for achieving early quantum advantage but these need to resort to quantum error mitigation techniques. I will explain the basic concepts and introduce hybrid quantum-classical protocols are the most promising candidates for achieving early quantum advantage. These have the potential to solve real-world problems---including optimisation or ground-state search---but they suffer from a large number of circuit repetitions required to extract information from the quantum state. I will detail a range of application areas of randomised quantum circuits, such as quantum algorithms, classical shadows, and quantum error mitigation introducing recent results that help lower the barrier for practical quantum advantage.

 

Tue, 05 Nov 2024
16:00
L6

Random growth models with half space geometry

Jimmy He
(Ohio State University)
Abstract
Random growth models in 1+1 dimension capture the behavior of interfaces evolving in the presence of noise. These models are expected to exhibit universal behavior including intriguing occurrences of random matrix distributions, but we are still far from proving such results even in relatively simple models. A key development which has led to recent progress is the discovery of exact formulas for certain models with a rich algebraic structure. I will discuss some of these results, with a focus on models where a single boundary wall is present, as well as applications to other areas of probability.



 

A reminder - or an announcement if you have just joined us - all our merchandise can be bought online at the College Store. From fleeces to beanies to keyrings, we're on it. 

And if you use the code TCS-FRESH10 at the checkout you get 10% off. Obviously this is a code for freshers, but weren't we all once?

Written & co-directed by Marcus du Sautoy - an exploration of free will, war and mathematics.

Eminent mathematician Andre Weil is on a journey from France to India, Finland and beyond, to discover whether we really have free will or if all our choices are predetermined. Imprisoned in Rouen during the Second World War, Weil faces a choice that will determine his fate - but his decision just doesn’t make sense. Is life a mathematical theorem of logical strands? Because sometimes it just doesn’t add up.

Applications for the 2025 Jane Street Graduate Research Fellowship (GRF) are now open. The Fellowship supports exceptional doctoral students currently pursuing a PhD in computer science, mathematics, physics, or statistics.

The work of Nigel Hitchin and Martin Bridson is recognised among the four research laboratories established at Spain's ICMAT (The Institute of Mathematical Sciences) -  the Hitchin-Ngo lab and the Bridson-Reid lab.

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