This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the First International Workshop on Quantum Technology and Optimization Problems, QTOP 2019, held in Munich, Germany, in March 2019.The 18 full papers presented together with 1 keynote paper in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 21 submissions. The papers are grouped in the following topical sections: analysis of optimization problems; quantum gate algorithms; applications of quantum annealing; and foundations and quantum technologies.

This volume presents papers on the topics covered at the National Academy of Engineering's 2018 US Frontiers of Engineering Symposium. Every year the symposium brings together 100 outstanding young leaders in engineering to share their cutting-edge research and innovations in selected areas. The 2018 symposium was held September 5-7 and hosted by MIT Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington, Massachusetts. The intent of this book is to convey the excitement of this unique meeting and to highlight innovative developments in engineering research and technical work.

"Combinatorial Optimization Problems: Quantum Computing" is an introductory guide that bridges the gap between combinatorial optimization and quantum computing for absolute beginners. This book unpacks fundamental concepts in optimization and explores how quantum computing can revolutionize the way we approach complex problems. Through clear explanations and relatable examples, readers will gain an understanding of both fields without needing any prior knowledge of quantum mechanics or advanced mathematics. Ideal for those curious about the future of technology, this book serves as a stepping stone into the fascinating world of quantum algorithms and their applications in optimization.

Quantum computers are poised to kick-start a new computing revolution—and you can join in right away. If you’re in software engineering, computer graphics, data science, or just an intrigued computerphile, this book provides a hands-on programmer’s guide to understanding quantum computing. Rather than labor through math and theory, you’ll work directly with examples that demonstrate this technology’s unique capabilities. Quantum computing specialists Eric Johnston, Nic Harrigan, and Mercedes Gimeno-Segovia show you how to build the skills, tools, and intuition required to write quantum programs at the center of applications. You’ll understand what quantum computers can do and learn how to identify the types of problems they can solve. This book includes three multichapter sections: Programming for a QPU—Explore core concepts for programming quantum processing units, including how to describe and manipulate qubits and how to perform quantum teleportation. QPU Primitives—Learn algorithmic primitives and techniques, including amplitude amplification, the Quantum Fourier Transform, and phase estimation. QPU Applications—Investigate how QPU primitives are used to build existing applications, including quantum search techniques and Shor’s factoring algorithm.

Know how to use quantum computing solutions involving artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and applications across different disciplines. Quantum solutions involve building quantum algorithms that improve computational tasks within quantum computing, AI, data science, and machine learning. As opposed to quantum computer innovation, quantum solutions offer automation, cost reduction, and other efficiencies to the problems they tackle. Starting with the basics, this book covers subsystems and properties as well as the information processing network before covering quantum simulators. Solutions such as the Traveling Salesman Problem, quantum cryptography, scheduling, and cybersecurity are discussed in step-by-step detail. The book presents code samples based on real-life problems in a variety of industries, such as risk assessment and fraud detection in banking. In pharma, you will look at drug discovery and protein-folding solutions. Supply chain optimization and purchasing solutions are presented in the manufacturing domain. In the area of utilities, energy distribution and optimization problems and solutions are explained. Advertising scheduling and revenue optimization solutions are included from media and technology verticals. You will: Understand the mathematics behind quantum computing Know the solution benefits, such as automation, cost reduction, and efficiencies Be familiar with the quantum subsystems and properties, including states, protocols, operations, and transformations Be aware of the quantum classification algorithms: classifiers, and support and sparse support vector machines Use AI algorithms, including probability, walks, search, deep learning, and parallelism.

You've heard that quantum computing is going to change the world. Now you can check it out for yourself. Learn how quantum computing works, and write programs that run on the IBM Q quantum computer, one of the world's first functioning quantum computers. Learn a simple way to apply quantum mechanics to computer programming. Create algorithms to solve intractable problems for classical computers, and discover how to explore the entire problem space at once to determine the optimal solution. Get your hands on the future of computing today. Quantum computing overhauls computer science. Problems such as designing life-saving drugs and super-large logistics problems that have been difficult or impossible for classical computers to handle can now be solved in moments. Quantum computing makes it possible to explore all possible solutions simultaneously and determine those that work, instead of iterating through each possibility sequentially. Work with quantum computers directly, instead of talking about them theoretically. Work with qubits, the fundamental elements of quantum computing. Discover what makes them different from classical bits. Model complex problems with logic gates specific to quantum computing. Learn how quantum mechanics offers ways to write programs that explore all solutions simultaneously. Create quantum circuits to solve problems that classical computers struggle with. Dive into quantum optimization and cryptography. Use the IBM Q quantum computer to both simulate quantum effects, and actually run your programs on a real quantum machine. Get a head start on the technology that will drive computer science into the future. What You Need: Access to the IBM quantum computer, via any internet connection

Nature-inspired computation is an interdisciplinary topic area that connects the natural sciences to computer science. Since natural computing is utilized in a variety of disciplines, it is imperative to research its capabilities in solving optimization issues. The Handbook of Research on Natural Computing for Optimization Problems discusses nascent optimization procedures in nature-inspired computation and the innovative tools and techniques being utilized in the field. Highlighting empirical research and best practices concerning various optimization issues, this publication is a comprehensive reference for researchers, academicians, students, scientists, and technology developers interested in a multidisciplinary perspective on natural computational systems.

Although the particle swarm optimisation (PSO) algorithm requires relatively few parameters and is computationally simple and easy to implement, it is not a globally convergent algorithm. In Particle Swarm Optimisation: Classical and Quantum Perspectives, the authors introduce their concept of quantum-behaved particles inspired by quantum mechanics, which leads to the quantum-behaved particle swarm optimisation (QPSO) algorithm. This globally convergent algorithm has fewer parameters, a faster convergence rate, and stronger searchability for complex problems. The book presents the concepts of optimisation problems as well as random search methods for optimisation before discussing the principles of the PSO algorithm. Examples illustrate how the PSO algorithm solves optimisation problems. The authors also analyse the reasons behind the shortcomings of the PSO algorithm. Moving on to the QPSO algorithm, the authors give a thorough overview of the literature on QPSO, describe the fundamental model for the QPSO algorithm, and explore applications of the algorithm to solve typical optimisation problems. They also discuss some advanced theoretical topics, including the behaviour of individual particles, global convergence, computational complexity, convergence rate, and parameter selection. The text closes with coverage of several real-world applications, including inverse problems, optimal design of digital filters, economic dispatch problems, biological multiple sequence alignment, and image processing. MATLAB®, Fortran, and C++ source codes for the main algorithms are provided on an accompanying downloadable resources. Helping you numerically solve optimisation problems, this book focuses on the fundamental principles and applications of PSO and QPSO algorithms. It not only explains how to use the algorithms, but also covers advanced topics that establish the groundwork for understanding.

This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Computational Logistics, ICCL 2021, held in September 2021. Due to COVID-19 pandemic the conference was held virtually. The 42 full papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 111 submissions. They detail the interface of complex logistics systems and advanced computational methods from the fields of operations research, business analytics, and artificial intelligence. The papers are organized in topical sections named maritime and port logistics; supply chain and production management; urban transport and collaborative logistics; routing, dispatching, and scheduling; air logistics and multi-modal transport.

Quantum mechanics, the subfield of physics that describes the behavior of very small (quantum) particles, provides the basis for a new paradigm of computing. First proposed in the 1980s as a way to improve computational modeling of quantum systems, the field of quantum computing has recently garnered significant attention due to progress in building small-scale devices. However, significant technical advances will be required before a large-scale, practical quantum computer can be achieved. Quantum Computing: Progress and Prospects provides an introduction to the field, including the unique characteristics and constraints of the technology, and assesses the feasibility and implications of creating a functional quantum computer capable of addressing real-world problems. This report considers hardware and software requirements, quantum algorithms, drivers of advances in quantum computing and quantum devices, benchmarks associated with relevant use cases, the time and resources required, and how to assess the probability of success.