Prof. Eli Cohen and Dr. Adi Makmal to Take Part in Establishing Two National Quantum Computing Theory Research Hubs

Prof. Eli Cohen and Dr. Adi Makmal from the Faculty of Engineering are among eight researchers from Bar-Ilan University taking part in establishing national research hubs in various theoretical areas of quantum computing, promoted by the Council for Higher Education.

“The CHE call for proposals included requests for theoretical hubs and research hubs. Two separate proposals were submitted: one focuses on the theory of quantum computing, and the other, with a more practical orientation, deals with quantum computation suitable for contemporary and near-future quantum computers,” says Dr. Makmal. “Eli and I work in fields that overlap with both hubs, and we felt it was right for our research groups to be in interaction with both. Fortunately, both proposals were selected."

The goal of the research hubs, explains Dr. Makmal, is to create a critical mass and collaborations between different researchers in Israel whose work intersects with the hub’s research area.

“In each hub there are more than 20 research groups. Thanks to this, I discovered that there are many researchers in Israel working in fields related to mine. It provides a platform for knowledge sharing and collaborations,” she says.

One hub, focusing on the theory of quantum computing and quantum information, is being overseen by Prof. Dorit Aharonov from the Hebrew University. The hub tackles the more mathematical sides of quantum computing, including complexity and quantum information. “This hub examines fascinating links between condensed matter physics and computer science in order to better understand both fields. The hub aims to address one of the major challenges in the field of quantum computing – overcoming errors and noise, both by gaining a deeper understanding of quantum resilience to noise and through innovative error-correcting codes,” explains Prof. Cohen. “The hub will also explore quantum algorithms and fundamental questions regarding quantum and post-quantum encryption. These are all topics that my research group works on, alongside applications closer to implementation, which are relevant to the second hub."

The second hub was established at Bar-Ilan University and is headed by Prof. Emanuele Dalla Torre from the Department of Physics. Known as QERNEL – Quantum Exploration and Research of Noisy Large-scale computation – it focuses on computation suitable for existing quantum computers. "Contemporary quantum computers are small (have limited qubits) and very noisy, that is, they involve many errors. The algorithmics we develop take this into account,” explains Dr. Makmal. Additional Bar-Ilan faculty members participating in the hub are Prof. Eli Barkai, Prof. Jonathan Ruhman, and Dr. Illya Esin from the Department of Physics, Dr. Amikam Levy from the Department of Chemistry, and Dr. Uri Shaham from the Department of Computer Science.

As part of the hubs’ activities, says Prof. Cohen, seminars, conferences, and workshops will be held for students and researchers. Senior researchers from abroad will be invited for extended stays, and funding will be allocated for scholarships and quantum cloud services. The entire project is budgeted at approximately 50 million shekels, a very significant sum for the small State of Israel, and will go on for four years. All of these attest to the project's national significance. “We have a golden opportunity to create scientific and technological depth, to foster collaborations, and to advance the field of quantum computing. A major investment has been made here, and it’s exciting to be part of this story,” concludes Dr. Makmal.