“We need elegant theories to predict and explain these particles’ behavior in the next generation of fault-tolerant quantum computers.” Jamir Marino, assistant professor of physics University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences BUFFALO, N.Y. — A University at Buffalo physicist has received two U.S. Department of Defense grants totaling $1.1 million to study the quantum dynamics that could help advance neutral-atom quantum computing. Principal investigator Jamir Marino, PhD, assistant professor of physics, uses advanced theoretical models to simulate the behavior of quantum particles. The quantum states of these particles are used to represent information in quantum computers, just as electrical signals created by transistors switching on and off represent information in classical computers. People are also reading… In neutral-atom quantum computers, individual, highly excited Rydberg atoms serve as the basic units of quantum information, or qubits. This field has advanced rapidly over the past five years, growing from laboratory prototypes to processors with more than 1,200 programmable qubits and systems capable of controlling more than 6,000 individual atoms. Researchers have also demonstrated major improvements in accuracy and early forms of quantum error correction, strengthening the case for neutral-atom quantum computing as one of the leading candidates for large-scale quantum computing. Marino’s theoretical work could help pave the way for larger, more powerful neutral-atom quantum computers. “We need elegant theories to predict and explain these particles’ behavior in the next generation of fault-tolerant quantum computers,” Marino says. Marino and his team will use the computing resources at Empire AI to accelerate large-scale simulations of Rydberg-atom systems and test their theoretical models. Empire AI is a more than $500 million statewide research consortium dedicated to advancing AI for the public good. UB is home to Empire AI's supercomputing center, one of the nation's most powerful academic AI computing facilities. Turning quantum