Seminario de Investigacion

Research Seminar: Optimization on Manifolds and Quantum Computation

Instructor: Anastasios Matzavinos, amatzavinos@uc.cl 

Class meeting times: Tuesday & Thursday 11:00 am - 12:10 pm in room ED216.

Instructor's office hours: Tuesday 12:20 pm - 1:30 pm or by appointment.

Course description: IMT 3430 is designed to enhance the presentation and technical writing skills of engineering students through consistent practice. This semester, we will explore two main topics: optimization algorithms on Riemannian manifolds and quantum search algorithms. Students will engage in regular presentations and discussions on these subjects, guided by the instructor. Additionally, towards the semester's end, students will compose a paper on a related topic.

References: The following references will be used in different parts of the course. 

• N. Boumal, An Introduction to Optimization on Smooth Manifolds Cambridge University Press, 2023.
• R. Portugal, Quantum Walks and Search Algorithms 2nd Ed., Springer, 2018.
• M.A. Nielsen, M.R. Dowling, M. Gu, and A.C. Doherty, Quantum Computation as Geometry Science, Vol 311, Issue 5764, pp. 1133-1135, 2006.

These online lectures by Nicolas Boumal may also be helpful for the first part of the seminar. They offer clear explanations and insights that can support your understanding.

Regarding quantum computing, we’ll mainly focus on Grover’s algorithm and Shor’s algorithm The videos by John Watrous on the IBM Quantum Platform provide clear explanations and serve as a great complement to our discussions.

Grading Policy: The final grade will be based on attendance (10%), student presentations (60%), and a final paper (30%).

A PDF copy of the syllabus can be found here: IMT_3430.pdf