On Studying Physics at The University of Barcelona

Alba's early fascination with science was nurtured by her father and an inspiring high school physics teacher, which led her to pursue physics as a discipline. With a focus on quantum physics and quantum information, she expressed her interest in fundamental questions that distinguish quantum mechanics from classical physics. Her studies at the University of Barcelona marked her as one of the pioneers in quantum information.

On Bell Inequalities

Bell's theorem, established in the 1960s by John Bell, revealed that quantum physics could potentially be understood through a local hidden variable theory. This groundbreaking finding suggested that quantum entangled particles exhibit correlations that classical physics alone cannot fully explain. Experiments involving Bell inequalities demonstrate that when two entangled particles are distanced from each other, correlations in their physical observables can be measured. If classical explanations were valid, there would be a limit to these correlations, yet Bell's proofs showed that quantum mechanics exceeds this limit, with experimental validation emerging two decades later.

Our recent work introduced new Bell inequalities utilizing qutrits, a form of quantum state.

On Maximal Entanglement in High-Energy Physics

Our research delved into the fundamental theories of quantum electrodynamics, exploring interactions between light and matter that yield maximally entangled states. We reaffirmed known results through symmetry arguments and demonstrated that maximal entanglement is indeed a natural phenomenon.

On Spin Chains and Hyperdeterminant

Spin chains serve as models to understand magnetism at its core, with sophisticated chains explaining phenomena such as superconductivity. Quantum phase transitions, driven by quantum fluctuations rather than temperature, reveal critical points of entanglement that scale logarithmically with the size of the spin chains. We investigated these entanglements through the lens of hyperdeterminants, which quantify entanglements across various spins.

On Theory vs. Experiment

Conducting quantum experiments necessitates isolating quantum particles from their environment, a challenging task. While theoretical proposals abound, experimentalists must identify natural quantum systems that embody these theories.

On The Quantic Joint Effort

My former advisor, José Ignacio Latorre, collaborated with the Barcelona Supercomputing Center, where quantum researchers and high-performance computing resources converge to advance quantum algorithms.

On The Quantum Symphony

Alba likened quantum mechanics to a symphony, where quantum states correlate with musical notes. Each state can represent a tone, and their combinations form chords, illustrating superposition. The interplay of different quantum states produces a rich output in computations.

Different roles contribute to this quantum symphony: theoreticians compose the music while research centers and companies build the instruments.

On Winning IBM’s QISKIT Challenge

Alba recounted her experience simulating an Ising model on IBM's quantum computers, leading to her unexpected success in the QISKIT challenge. This achievement garnered attention in Spanish media, raising awareness of quantum computing.

On Quantum vs. Classical Physics

Entanglement is a uniquely quantum correlation absent in classical physics. High quantum correlation allows for the exploitation of properties in algorithms like Grover's Search and Shor’s Factorization, which offer exponential speedups over classical counterparts.

On Quantum Classifier

We examined the universal approximation theorem in quantum neural networks, proposing a minimal quantum model capable of functioning as a universal approximator. Each neuron in the classifier is represented by a quantum gate, allowing for data encoding and optimization.

Our findings indicate that a single qubit suffices for quantum classification tasks, demonstrating the potential of quantum neural networks to match classical capabilities.

On Being a Postdoctoral Fellow at The Matter Lab in the University of Toronto

Alba expressed enthusiasm for her role at the Matter Lab, a multidisciplinary group engaged in quantum computing, material discovery, and AI applications in chemistry and physics. Toronto's burgeoning quantum ecosystem supports numerous startups and collaborations.

On Creating The Meta-VQE Algorithm

This work falls under variational quantum algorithms, combining quantum and classical computations. By measuring quantum states and optimizing parameters through classical methods, the Meta-VQE aims to efficiently learn Hamiltonians, saving computational resources.

On Developing The Tequila Library

Tequila is a high-level unified library enabling users to translate their code into various quantum programming languages. It serves as a versatile platform, inviting contributions from collaborators to expand its backend capabilities.

On Quantum Calling

The quantum computing field presents numerous theoretical and experimental challenges, necessitating diverse expertise. Engineers, physicists, and material scientists are essential for device development, while theorists, mathematicians, and domain specialists contribute to algorithm advancement.

On Encouraging Science

Alba emphasized her commitment to inspiring the next generation of scientists, especially young women in STEM. Engaging in outreach helps simplify complex quantum concepts for broader audiences.