Conventional Computers Can Learn to Solve Tricky Quantum Problems

There has been a lot of buzz about quantum computers and for good reason. The futuristic computers are designed to mimic what happens in nature at microscopic scales, which means they have the power to better understand the quantum realm and speed up the discovery of new materials, including pharmaceuticals, environmentally friendly chemicals, and more. "Normally, when it comes to machine learning, you don't know how the machine solved the problem. It's a black box, but now we've essentially figured out what's happening in the box through our mathematical analysis and numerical simulations." says Hsin-Yuan (Robert) Huang, a graduate student working with John Preskill, Richard P. Feynman Professor of Theoretical Physics; Allen V. C. Davis and Lenabelle Davis Leadership Chair, Institute for Quantum Science and Technology (IQIM). [Caltech story]