Christine Muschik

Christine Muschik profile picture
Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC)
Areas of research:
Prof. Christine Muschik holds a University Research Chair at the University of Waterloo. She holds a faculty position at the Institute for Quantum Computing and an associate faculty position at the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics. Christine Muschik received a number of awards for her work on quantum computers, including an Ontario Early Researcher Award, a CIFAR Azrieli Global Scholar Fellowship for “Research Leaders of Tomorrow”, and a Sloan Fellowship for outstanding early career researchers. Her work on using quantum systems to perform hard calculations is internationally recognized and has been featured by Scientific American and Forbes. In 2016, her results on programming quantum computers to solve problems in particle physics has been named as one of the “Top 10 breakthroughs in Physics” of this year. Today she pushes the frontier of scientific computing by developing new hybrid methods in which a regular computer and a quantum co-processor work in tandem.
If you are interested in pursuing a MSc degree, please apply to the Perimeter Scholars International (PSI) masters program. If you are interested in working with me as a PhD student, please send me an email at [email protected]. If you are interested in working with me as a PhD student, please submit an application directly to my department at the University of Waterloo, Institute for Quantum Computing and indicate that you would like to be supervised by me. Perimeter Institute is committed to diversity within its community and I welcome applications from underrepresented groups.
My research program aims at building a bridge connecting quantum technologies with problems in particle physics. We are just beginning to understand the quantum behaviour of elementary processes. While numerical simulations have been pivotal in enhancing our understanding of subatomic physics, they are restricted in their predictive capabilities due to inherent limitations of classical computers to simulate quantum properties. There is thus an urgent need to find new simulation methods to address many open fundamental questions. The rapid developments now occurring with quantum technologies, which exploit the exotic properties of quantum mechanics, represent an enormous scientific opportunity. My team and I are working on developing new types of quantum-enhanced simulation techniques for fundamental particle interactions. Our work includes the development of a new generation of hybrid quantum-classical simulations. The development of these new quantum simulation techniques will have wide-ranging applications also in other areas, such as condensed matter physics and quantum chemistry.
  • University Research Chair, University of Waterloo, 2022-2027
  • Associate professor, Institute for Quantum Computing and University of Waterloo, 2022-present
  • Associate faculty member, Perimeter Institute, 2019-present
  • Assistant professor, Institute for Quantum Computing and University of Waterloo, 2017-2022
  • University assistant, Institute of Theoretical Physics, University of Innsbruck, 2016-2017
  • Postdoctoral Position, Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information in Innsbruck, 2014-2016
  • Postdoctoral position, ICFO - The Institute of Photonic Sciences in Castelldefels (Barcelona), 2011-2014
  • Alexander von Humboldt postdoctoral fellow, ICFO - The Institute of Photonic Sciences in Castelldefels (Barcelona), 2011-2013
  • MSc student Ryan Ferguson received Dean of Science award for innovative research, University of Waterloo, 2021
  • President's Research Excellence Award, University of Waterloo, 2021
  • Early Research Award, Government of Ontario, 2021
  • President's Research Excellence Award, University of Waterloo, 2020
  • Fellowship, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, 2019
  • New Frontiers in Research Fund, Government of Canada, 2018
  • Discovery Grant, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), 2018-2013
  • Miguel-Ramiro, J., Shi, Z., Dellantonio, L., Chan, A., Muschik, C. A., & Dür, W. (2023). Superposed Quantum Error Mitigation. Physical Review Letters, 131(23), 230601. doi:10.1103/physrevlett.131.230601
  • Miguel-Ramiro, J., Shi, Z., Dellantonio, L., Chan, A., Muschik, C. A., & Dür, W. (2023). Enhancing quantum computation via superposition of quantum gates. Physical Review A, 108(6), 062604. doi:10.1103/physreva.108.062604
  • Zhang, J., Ferguson, R., Kühn, S., Haase, J. F., Wilson, C. M., Jansen, K., & Muschik, C. A. (n.d.). Simulating gauge theories with variational quantum eigensolvers in superconducting microwave cavities. Quantum, 7, 1148. doi:10.22331/q-2023-10-23-1148
  • Meth, M., Haase, J. F., Zhang, J., Edmunds, C., Postler, L., Steiner, A., . . . Ringbauer, M. (2023). Simulating 2D lattice gauge theories on a qudit quantum computer. doi:10.48550/arxiv.2310.12110
  • Atas, Y. Y., Haase, J. F., Zhang, J., Wei, V., Pfaendler, S. M. -L., Lewis, R., & Muschik, C. A. (2023). Simulating one-dimensional quantum chromodynamics on a quantum computer: Real-time evolutions of tetra- and pentaquarks. Physical Review Research, 5(3), 033184. doi:10.1103/physrevresearch.5.033184
  • Chan, A., Shi, Z., Dellantonio, L., Dür, W., & Muschik, C. A. (2023). Hybrid variational quantum eigensolvers: merging computational models. doi:10.48550/arxiv.2305.19200
  • Wei, V., Coish, W. A., Ronagh, P., & Muschik, C. A. (2023). Neural-Shadow Quantum State Tomography. doi:10.48550/arxiv.2305.01078
  • Atas, Y. Y., Haase, J. F., Zhang, J., Wei, V., Pfaendler, S. M. -L., Lewis, R., & Muschik, C. A. (2022). Simulating one-dimensional quantum chromodynamics on a quantum computer: Real-time evolutions of tetra- and pentaquarks. doi:10.48550/arxiv.2207.03473
  • Kan, A., Funcke, L., Kühn, S., Dellantonio, L., Zhang, J., Haase, J. F., . . . Jansen, K. (2022). 3+1D $\theta$-Term on the Lattice from the Hamiltonian Perspective. In Proceedings of The 38th International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory — PoS(LATTICE2021) (pp. 112). Sissa Medialab Srl. doi:10.22323/1.396.0112
  • Atas, Y. Y., Zhang, J., Lewis, R., Jahanpour, A., Haase, J. F., & Muschik, C. A. (n.d.). SU(2) hadrons on a quantum computer via a variational approach. Nature Communications, 12(1), 6499. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-26825-4
  • Kan, A., Funcke, L., Kühn, S., Dellantonio, L., Zhang, J., Haase, J. F., . . . Jansen, K. (2021). 3+1D $\theta$-Term on the Lattice from the Hamiltonian Perspective. doi:10.48550/arxiv.2111.02238
  • Kan, A., Funcke, L., Kühn, S., Dellantonio, L., Zhang, J., Haase, J. F., . . . Jansen, K. (2021). 3+1D $?$-Term on the Lattice from the Hamiltonian Perspective. arxiv:2111.02238v2
  • Kan, A., Funcke, L., Kühn, S., Dellantonio, L., Zhang, J., Haase, J. F., . . . Jansen, K. (2021). Investigating a (3+1)D topological ?-term in the Hamiltonian formulation of lattice gauge theories for quantum and classical simulations. Physical Review D, 104(3), 034504. doi:10.1103/physrevd.104.034504
  • Paulson, D., Dellantonio, L., Haase, J. F., Celi, A., Kan, A., Jena, A., . . . Muschik, C. A. (2021). Simulating 2D Effects in Lattice Gauge Theories on a Quantum Computer. PRX Quantum, 2(3), 030334. doi:10.1103/prxquantum.2.030334
  • Ferguson, R. R., Dellantonio, L., Balushi, A. A., Jansen, K., Dür, W., & Muschik, C. A. (2021). Measurement-Based Variational Quantum Eigensolver. Physical Review Letters, 126(22), 220501. doi:10.1103/physrevlett.126.220501
  • Haase, J. F., Dellantonio, L., Celi, A., Paulson, D., Kan, A., Jansen, K., & Muschik, C. A. (n.d.). A resource efficient approach for quantum and classical simulations of gauge theories in particle physics. Quantum, 5, 393. doi:10.22331/q-2021-02-04-393
  • Simulating one-dimensional quantum chromodynamics on a quantum computer: Real-time evolutions of tetra- and pentaquarks, Qiskit Quantum Information Science Seminar Series, IBM, 2023/07/01, Video URL
  • Simulating one-dimensional quantum chromodynamics on a quantum computer: Real-time evolutions of tetra- and pentaquarks, Quantum Simulators of Fundamental Physics, 2023/06/05, PIRSA:23060002
  • Fresh approaches for scientific computing, Singapore MinDef Visit, Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC), 2023/06/01
  • Status and prospect of quantum simulating quantum fields: digital approaches, Toward Quantum Advantge in High Energy Physics, Munich Institute for Astro-, Particle, and Bio Physics (MIAPbP), 2023/04/01
  • Next Challenges in Quantum Simulation, APS March Meeting 2023, APS, 2023/03/01
  • Simulating Particle Physics with Quantum Computers, Synthetic Intelligence Forum, Synthetic Intelligence Forum, 2022/12/01, Video URL
  • Fresh approaches for scientific computing, TQT Scientific Advisory Council Meeting, Transformative Quantum Technologies (TQT), 2022/10/01
  • Teaching Quantum Computers to Simulate Particle Physics, Centre for Quantum Information and Quantum Control (CQIQC IX), University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, 2022/08/01
  • Teaching quantum computers to simulate gauge theories for particle physics, 2022 Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) Congress, McMaster University, 2022/01/01
  • Towards simulating 2D effects in lattice gauge theories on a quantum computer, QuantHEP, Quantum Computation and High Energy Physics online seminar series, 2021/06/02