Experimental quantum adversarial learning with programmable superconducting qubits

Quantum computing promises to enhance machine learning and artificial intelligence. Different quantum algorithms have been proposed to improve a wide spectrum of machine learning tasks. Yet, recent theoretical works show that, similar to traditional classifiers based on deep classical neural networks, quantum classifiers would suffer from the vulnerability problem: adding tiny carefully-crafted perturbations to the legitimate original data samples would facilitate incorrect predictions at a notably high confidence level. This will pose serious problems for future quantum machine learning applications in safety and security-critical scenarios. Here, we report the first experimental demonstration of quantum adversarial learning with programmable superconducting qubits. We train quantum classifiers, which are built upon variational quantum circuits consisting of ten transmon qubits featuring average lifetimes of 150 $\mu$s, and average fidelities of simultaneous single- and two-qubit gates above 99.94% and 99.4% respectively, with both real-life images (e.g., medical magnetic resonance imaging scans) and quantum data. We demonstrate that these well-trained classifiers (with testing accuracy up to 99%) can be practically deceived by small adversarial perturbations, whereas an adversarial training process would significantly enhance their robustness to such perturbations. Our results reveal experimentally a crucial vulnerability aspect of quantum learning systems under adversarial scenarios and demonstrate an effective defense strategy against adversarial attacks, which provide a valuable guide for quantum artificial intelligence applications with both near-term and future quantum devices.Comment: 26 pages, 17 figures, 8 algorithm

Power-Aware I/O Virtualization

Power consumption is one of the key concerns in modern computers within which I/O consumes a significant portion of power, from portable devices to servers. This concern has led to the development of various hardware and software techniques to improve the energy efficiency of I/O subsystems in the native platform. However, virtualization poses new challenges, preventing those techniques from achieving the desired level of energy efficiency. In this paper, we analyze how I/O virtualization challenges impact energy efficiency, and propose a novel power-aware I/O virtualization architecture to tackle them. Our preliminary research on portable devices shows that new architecture can significantly extend battery life in a typical idle scenario, compared to existing solutions

Topological Isomerism in Three-Dimensional Covalent Organic Frameworks

Although isomerism is a typical and significant phenomenon in organic chemistry, it is rarely found in covalent organic framework (COF) materials. Herein, for the first time, we report a controllable synthesis of topological isomers in three-dimensional COFs via a distinctive tetrahedral building unit under different solvents. Based on this strategy, both isomers with a dia or qtz net (termed JUC-620 and JUC-621) have been obtained, and their structures are determined by combining powder X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Remarkably, these architectures show a distinct difference in their porous features; for example, JUC-621 with a qtz net exhibits permanent mesopores (up to ∼23 Å) and high surface area (∼2060 m2 g–1), which far surpasses those of JUC-620 with a dia net (pore size of ∼12 Å and surface area of 980 m2 g–1). Furthermore, mesoporous JUC-621 can remove dye molecules efficiently and achieves excellent iodine adsorption (up to 6.7 g g–1), which is 2.3 times that of microporous JUC-620 (∼2.9 g g–1). This work thus provides a new way for constructing COF isomers and promotes structural diversity and promising applications of COF materials

Topological Isomerism in Three-Dimensional Covalent Organic Frameworks

Although isomerism is a typical and significant phenomenon in organic chemistry, it is rarely found in covalent organic framework (COF) materials. Herein, for the first time, we report a controllable synthesis of topological isomers in three-dimensional COFs via a distinctive tetrahedral building unit under different solvents. Based on this strategy, both isomers with dia or qtz net (termed JUC-620 and JUC-621) have been obtained, and their structures are deter-mined by combining powder X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Remarkably, these architectures show a dis-tinct difference in their porous features, e.g., JUC-621 with qtz net exhibits permanent mesopores (up to ~ 2.3 nm) and high surface area (~ 2060 m2 g-1), which far surpasses those of JUC-620 with dia net (pore size of ~1.2 nm and surface area of 980 m2 g-1). Further-more, mesoporous JUC-621 can remove dye molecules efficiently and achieves excellent iodine adsorption (up to 6.7 g g-1), which is 2.3 times that of microporous JUC-620 (~2.9 g g-1). This work thus provides a new way for constructing COF isomers and promotes structural diversity and promising applications of COF mate-rials