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Challenges
QCHack 2021 Challenge List
One member of each team must submit this form for the team to be eligible for prizes, swag, and a certificate of completion.
Technical
Q-CTRL Technical Challenge
Your challenge is to provide two pulses that implement a high fidelity NOT gate and Hadamard gate on our qubit in the cloud. The qubit in the cloud is modeled off a superconducting qubit.
You must also write a 2 page report on how you used quantum control, with Q-CTRL's BOULDER OPAL (https://q-ctrl.com/products/boulder-opal/), to discover and implement these pulses.
Don't worry if you're not familiar with the physics of superconducting qubits (or physics in general), this notebook will give you a great introduction and Q-CTRL's mentors are here to help you.
Details on how to provide your submission are in the submission section and the judging criteria is in the judging section.
Google Technical Challenge
Hello, intrepid QChacker, welcome to the <G|oogl|e> challenge!
In quantum computing, the gate model plays a central role. Today most quantum algorithm designers express quantum algorithms via things called quantum gates. Quantum hardware, like the Google Sycamore device can execute only certain types of gates, and only one and two-qubit gates. However, this means that multi-qubit operations need to be compiled down to the supported gates. Also, another complication is that devices have restrictions - not all qubits are connected to each other!
Your challenge is to compile an n-qubit unitary matrix (2^n x 2^n unitary matrix) to a list of operations that can run on the Google Sycamore device.
IBM Technical Challenge
Qiskit Pulse allows you to program real quantum computers at the pulse level. Namely, it provides a language for specifying the microwave control tones (i.e. control of the continuous time dynamics of input signals) that program the quantum state.
In most quantum algorithms/applications, computations are carried out over a 2^n-dimensional Hilbert space spanned by {|0>,|1⟩}^n, where n is the number of qubits. In IBM's quantum hardware, however, there also exists higher energy states which are typically avoided. (e.g. the single qubit "DRAG" pulse helps reduce unintentionally occupation in the |2> state).
In this challenge we want you to use Qiskit Pulse to explore the higher energy states, and put together a unique project which shows how that higher energy state directly benefits or makes your idea possible.
Extra challenge Resources:
Microsoft Technical Challenge
Grover's search algorithm is one of the fundamental algorithms of quantum computing. At the same time it is frequently misinterpreted and misrepresented, and figuring out how to apply it to solve a given problem can be quite challenging! The main part of the challenge is implementing the given problem as a quantum oracle - the core part of Grover's algorithm.
To participate in this challenge, you must use Q# programming language and tools available as part of the Microsoft Quantum Development Kit. You do not need to use Azure Quantum.
qBraid Technical Challenge
Special registration for qBraid challenge
In one sentence, we want you to build cool quantum stuff on qBraid.
If you need ideas, the following is a list from which you can choose:
Factor the largest number you can using Shor’s algorithm on a quantum computer. Run your code on various quantum computers.
Use one of the benchmarking strategies in the literature and benchmark at least one of the quantum hardware available.
If you are doing a challenge from other companies (IBM or Google), you qualify for the qBraid challenge to complete your project on qBraid.
If you are new to quantum and don’t have a technical background, you are free to build an app using the Bokeh library. E.g., you can create an app that displays information about various quantum devices available from multiple hardware vendors. If we like your idea, we will work with you to make your app available in the standalone app section of account.qbraid.com.
Contribute to the code snippet app on qBraid. Code snippets app has a voting feature. If your code snippets have the most votes, you will qualify for all the bragging rights and a qBraid hoodie.
Rules:
You must complete your project on qBraid.
It should be original work and your team should have made decent progress over the course of the hackathon. Trivial projects will be disqualified.
Drop your team name in the qBraid channel on discord as an informal registration for the qBraid challenge.
Prizes: qBraid Swag and showcase on qBraid.com
Creative
IBM Quantum Creative Challenge
Quantum computers operate on different sets of physical laws than classical computers. One consequence of this is "interference". Like with waves, there can be constructive (additive) or destructive (subtraction) interference. Harnessing this property in a quantum circuit can lead to 'correct' answers interfering constructively and 'wrong' answers destructively, essentially nullifying them.
In this challenge, we'd like you to use the concept of quantum interference to make a creative project showcasing the idea. It can be artistic, technical, or interactive. The most creative (and correct) use of this idea will be the winner.
Challenge Resources:
QCHack x YQI Non-technical Challenge
You are at Company X trying to get the leadership to invest in quantum. Create a pitch / whitepaper / presentation to convince your boss why this is worthwhile thing to do.
Submissions should be a pitch video (maximum of 4 minutes) along with a paper with no limit. These submissions will be graded by members of Yale Quantum Institute and the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale.
Prizes:
Cash prize of 100 per team member, or
A care package per team member with cool Yale swag