Quantum computing and counterfeit tickets
Learning quantum programming and working on proofs at UT Dallas.
The question
A quantum ticket, or q-ticket, is a kind of digital ticket protected by the rules of quantum physics. In theory, it can't be copied. Our group asked how strong that protection really is and what happens when real-world noise gets in the way.
What I did
- Learned to program in Qiskit, IBM's quantum computing toolkit.
- Learned the basics: qubits, the Hadamard gate, and how quantum computing uses vectors and matrices.
- Read research papers from Harvard and Cambridge with Ph.D. professors and worked on proving theorems about how quantum computing can stop counterfeit q-tickets.
What's next
The next step is moving from proofs to simulations, to see how noise changes an attacker's chance of successfully faking a ticket.
This project is also why I wrote my children's book. I wanted younger kids to get excited about quantum computers the way I did.