Jake Xuereb
About
Hi! I'm Jake, a fledgling quantum physicist from Malta. I once ran a private education start-up called LearnD, but I think I'm involved in other start-ups elsewhere in spacetime. I am a PhD Student in the QUIT Group at the TU Wien's Atominstitut in Vienna, supervised by the entangled anarchist. Broadly, I'm interested in what fundamental truths Quantum Information can tell us about the Universe and the foundations of Physics all the way from gravity to measurement, and how Quantum Computing can be the tool through which these truths are uncovered. Before this I was a research Master's student working within the Quantumalta Group at the University of Malta funded by an Endeavour Scholarship part of which I spent as a visiting research student with CATS at UCD and QuSys at Trinity College in Dublin. My Curriculum-Vitae is available on request. I live at and am part of Wohn Projekt Wien, a project trying to examine how to build sustainable human communities in large cities. I'm trying to get back into running right now. If you'd like to, you can read about how I find meaning in being alive, here. I also recently wrote a list of things I want to try to do outside of physics as a way to make sure I don't get too consumed by this work I love doing, you can read that here. Should you wish to support me you can send me cryptocurrency at 0x3D4FA832f5a9C02709A5d961E537DBB309A1F3ab
'The eye--it cannot choose but see; We cannot bid the ear be still; Our bodies feel, where'er they be, Against, or with our will.
From "Expostulation & Reply" by William Wordsworth. Oh! If you're confused that's probably because you're looking for André Xuereb, the first Maltese quantum physicist, my undergrad & MSc supervisor, quantum optomechanical legend and Malta's Ambassador for Digital Affairs amongst other things. NO, we are NOT related, Malta is just that small.
(!) - I was recently interviewed on the InsideQuantum Podcast, a space where quantum researchers from diverse backgrounds share their trajectory in the space. I think it's a great summary of what I'm up to and encourage you to have a listen if you'd like to the get to know me!
Find the podcast and transcript here - https://insidequantum.org/episodes_s2/episode_jakexuereb/
(!) - I was recently featured in a mini-documentary produced by FQxI as part of their Information as Fuel workshop. Watch it here - The Young Scientists learning Quantum Thermodynamics.
Qalypso - I am the founder of the Qalypso Schools on Quantum Science in Gozo. I was lead organiser for the 1st edition on Quantum Computing & Open Quantum Systems held from 5th-9th of September 2022. If you'd like to see any of the lectures from this edition head to this YouTube link.
Go to qalypso.info for more information.
Research Summary & Selected Publications
Below are a selection of papers I've worked on. You can find out more about these works and others as well as my research interests by heading to the Research Section of this website by clicking this scroll .
The main questions I've been interested in so far have been related to the physics of computation and the foundations of quantum thermodynamics. But I am generally interested in questions and ideas spanning all of quantum theory. I am happy to mentor undergraduate students interested in these topics, especially if you're a Maltese person making your first quantum steps.
If you'd like to discuss these ideas or you'd like me to give a talk about related work please do reach out.
arXiv:2402.00111 (2024) | Florian Meier, Marcus Huber, Pauli Erker and Myself
- Quantum Coding with Finite Thermodynamic Resources
arXiv:2311.14561 (2023) | with Tiago Debarba, Marcus Huber, and Paul Erker
- The Impact of Imperfect Timekeeping on Quantum Control
arXiv:2001.03685 (2023) | Phys. Rev. Lett. 131, 160204 | with Paul Erker, Florian Meier, Mark Mitchison, and Marcus Huber
Selected Talks & Articles
Here are some recent articles, presentations and talks I have given. -CPS3239 Guest Lecture - Computability & Complexity in the Quantum World (UM - 6/1/23)- Video -Quantum Lightning Talk (Qubit by Qubit Virtual School - 12/12/21)- Video -Open Letter on STEM Thinking to the Government of Malta (Times of Malta - 3/12/21) -Information is Hot & Building a Teleporter (Times Of Malta - 8/8/21) -Quantum Pastizzi (World Quantum Day - 14/4/21) - Video -Debate: Is Mathematics Invented or Discovered? (Malta Mathematical Society - 5/3/21)- Video -What do Entangled States & Steiner Trees have in common? (Malta Mathematical Society - 18/11/20) -What is Quantum? & Why is the Sky Blue? (Times Of Malta - 17/11/19) -What do pentagons and matter particles have in common? (Malta Mathematical Society - 9/11/19) -The forced Quantum Rendezvous Algorithm (QISKIT Camp 2019, Schilthorn, Switzerland) Here's a link to this -project's github.
Notes
I make notes about things I learn sometimes putting great effort into diagrams and trying to explain in as much depth as necessary. Many of these are works in progress or probably won't ever be finished but you're welcome to check them out just the same. -Intro to Quantum Channels and some Thermodynamics -Equilibrium & Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics with Quantum Information -Introduction to Quantum Optics -Introduction to Group Theory & Vector Spaces -Introduction to Real Analysis
Things I think everyone should know about
Podcasts - Lex Fridman's Podcast - My favourite episodes are with - Donald Knuth, Jim Keller, Georges St.Pierre, Manolis Kellis and Joscha Bach - amongst others. - Jon Mallia's Podcast - Sean Carroll's Mindscape - Sam Harris' Making Sense Music There's a lot to say here so in the interest of space check out my spotify analytics. If I can implore you to listen to four wildly different things it would be the band Toe, Jacob Collier, Common & Mahler. Start-Ups Running a start-up as a student can be an extremely educational and rewarding experience for science students. It teaches leadership, organisation, grit, tenacity and how to make ideas conceptually and financially real and sustainable. If you're a Maltese student thinking about doing this, just go for it. You can find funding or help here and here or reach out to me if you need an extra push. Tips based on mistakes I've made: -Don't launch a broken product early. Don't fail fast. Fail intelligently. -Make sure your product is very aligned with the business interests of your investor. -Think about the story your brand is trying to tell. -Don't get into saturated or well-served markets without a lot of cash to burn in marketing. General -If you're an anxious person you'd probably benefit a great deal from journaling and timeblocking, meditation and exercise. -You gotta watch Randy Pausch's Last Lecture. -David Whyte has some very stilling poetry. -The question you are asking is much more important than the answer you are trying to come up with. -The best opportunities come from taking chances on things which have very low probability of occuring and very high reward if successful. -In general, speak your mind. -Whatever beauty you're able to conjure, share it with the world. - If ever in Malta go have a drink at Kixott and swim at Ras il-~amrija.