At the eScience Centre, Nicolas plays an important role in shaping technological endeavours. His responsibilities span from identifying the technological strength of the eScience Center in to ensuring alignment with research projects and needs of the research communities. From developing software for projects in digital history to high-energy physics, the eScience Centre covers a wide spectrum of domains. Lately, they have begun to venture into the realm of quantum computing, recognizing its potential for transformative advancements. As Nicolas mentioned during our interview:
“[…] I was personally astonished with the development and the maturity of the software ecosystem, where many libraries are already doing a lot of very exciting things.”
Nicolas Renaud
The collaboration between the eScience Centre, QAL and ASTRON on quantum computing for radio astronomy emerged naturally from the existing partnership between the Centre and Astron and in particular Dr. Chris Broekema.
Interpreting and processing radioastronomy data comprises a large and expansive computational pipeline, handling extraordinarily substantial amounts of data. Different sections of this pipeline could potentially benefit from offloading computations to a quantum processor. The main application explored was in image calibration.
In image calibration, we are tasked with reconstructing an image using data collected by multiple antennas. Due to atmospheric conditions or issues in the electronics connecting the antennas, this data needs to be recalibrated before the image can be reconstructed. The calibration requires solving large linear systems, a task at which quantum computers are known to excel. More on this work can be found in this recent publication on the results: link.
After the successful conclusion of this project, quantum computing application development for the eScience Centre and QAL continues. From streamlining the integration of quantum computing into classical quantum chemistry workflows to exploring new frontiers, the eScience Centre is poised to embrace together with QAL the exciting possibilities that lie ahead.
