C++17 standard + higher optimizations in Release build

[aminya]

atom#82

Description of the change

This PR adds a release configuration (as the default configuration) that:

• Uses C++17 standard
• Uses higher compiler optimizations
• Target MacOS 10.15 and higher

Benefits

• Newer C++ standard allows using better algorithms, optimizations, and better defaults in general. In future PRs, we can make use of C++17 features such as built-in optional support.
• Higher compiler optimizations instruct the compilers to work hard for optimizing the code. This results in higher performance

Verifications

The tests pass.

Release Notes

• Uses C++17 standard
• Uses higher compiler optimizations