Month: June 2010

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Hybrid Research/IT Position at PI

Rob sends me information about an interesting new position at the Perimeter Institute (more info here):

The Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI) is looking for a Scientific IT specialist — a creative individual with experience in both scientific research and information technology (IT). This is a new, hybrid, research/IT position within the Institute, dedicated to helping PI’s scientific staff make effective use of IT resources. It has two clear missions. First, to directly assist researchers in using known, available IT tools to do their research. Second, to uncover or develop cutting-edge IT resources, introduce and test them with PI researchers, and then share the things we create and discover with the worldwide scientific community.
By “tools”, we mean almost anything. Coding techniques are an obvious example. Collaboration and communication technologies are another: tools for peer-to-peer interactions (such as skype), virtual whiteboards, video conferencing tools, platforms for running virtual conferences (that can do justice to talks in the mathematical sciences), and novel ways of presenting research results such as archives for recorded seminars, blogs, and wikis. Further examples include tools for helping researchers organize information (e.g., specialized search engines and filtering schemes), and end-user software that facilitates bread-and-butter scientific activities like writing papers collaboratively, preparing presentations, and organizing references.
We are seeking a person who brings an independent and ambitious vision that will help define this vision. The job is as yet quite malleable in its scope and duties! We’re looking for someone who is inspired by the possibility that new IT tools can improve or perhaps even revolutionize the way that physics research is done, and someone who can take full advantage of a mandate to create and implement that vision.
Some Duties and Responsibilities:

  • Act as a knowledge broker among Researchers. That is, find and test new programs and practices, advertise them, and be prepared to train others in their use.
  • Participate in the creation of a high quality “standard” Researcher IT environment (desktop hardware, software set-up), built from a mix of open source software and popular commercial packages.
  • Help with High Performance Computing demands.
  • Maintain expert level knowledge in the use of the main packages used by Researchers, including Mathematica, Maple, LaTex, etc.

For the official job ad, go here:
http://www.perimeterinstitute.ca/Scientific/Applications/Scientific_IT_Specialist/

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An Adiabatic Tale of the Cat and Mouse

Customer X: Hi, D-wave? So, I hear that you have this computer that can be used to solve computationally hard problems. Oh, yes, sorry, should have said a quantum computer, my bad. Well, you know we’ve got this hard computational problem, [Editor: problem description deleted to protect identity of involved company.] So what do you think, can you solve this problem for me? Great! Let me put you in contact with my technical guy. Yes, I’ll wire the money to your account today.
Months later.
Customer X: Hi D-Wave, thanks for all your help with getting us set up to use your machine to solve these hard computational problems. We ran the adiabatic algorithm a few times, but it doesn’t seem to be working. Do you have any suggestions? Oh, try a different adiabatic annealing schedule, okay, I’ll pass this on to my technical guy. Thanks for your help. Is it still raining in Vancouver?
A day later.
Customer X: So we tried a new annealing schedule, but it didn’t seem to help. Well it helped on a few of our instances, but not all of them. Any suggestions? Okay I can hold. [Celine Dion music ensues for twenty minutes.] Right. Your tech guys suggest this particular annealing schedule. Great, we’ll try that! How’s the rain?
An hour later
Customer X: Well okay, so we tried that one and again it got a few more answers correct, but now it doesn’t work on the other instances. Can you tell me where that annealing schedule came from? Oh, I understand company secret. Okay can you send me another annealing schedule? Rain again? Sheesh, Noah would have loved Vancouver.
Days later, many annealing strategies shown not to work.
Customer X: So, um, I guess I should have asked this when we started, but what understanding do you have about the speed-ups guaranteed by your machine? I mean, certainly you have at least some evidence that the machine will be able to solve the instances that matter, right? Or at least tell me if my instances will be sped up on your computer? Hello? Hello?
[This blog post brought to you by the letter R and the quote “For now the adiabatic quantum optimizers have the upper hand.”]

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Not True in Any Base

Yes, dear Gray Lady, you certainly sound more sophisticated when you use the word “prime number” in your newspaper. But perhaps you might want to look up the actual meaning of the word before placing those words prominently beside two times five times five.

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Quantum Information Theory Conference in Stockholm Sweden

Mary Beth Ruskai sends a note about a travel grant program for a quantum information theory conference in Sweden this fall:

US NSF Travel Grant Program for Nordita/Mittag-Leffler Conference on Quantum Information Theory 4-8 Oct. 2010
This program will provide funds to support travel and lodging for US scientists to participate in the International Conference on Quantum Information Theory to be held in Stockholm Sweden during 4-8 October 2010. Information on the conference is available at
http://agenda.albanova.se/conferenceDisplay.py?confId=1440
The program is contingent on funding expected from the US National Science Foundation and will be administered by Tufts University. It is intended to cover most of the costs of travel and lodging.
In addition, funds are available to cover lodging for 1-2 weeks before or after the conference to participate in the fall programs at Nordita and Mittag-Leffler or to engage in collaborative research at other institutes in Scandanavia. For information on these programs see
http://www.nordita.org/ http://www.mittag-leffler.se/programs/future/1011f/
Those not constrained by teaching obligations are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity.
Eligibility: Open to US scientists, i.e., US citizens or those affiliated with a US institution.

  • Preference will be given to junior scientists (advanced graduate students and recent PhD’s) and faculty at undergraduate (RUI) institutions. Members of under-represented groups are especially encouraged to apply.
  • In general, those who have current grants with travel funds are not eligible. Partial institutional support is permissible.
  • US scientists participating in the Nordita or Mittag-leffler programs in Sept. or Oct. who
    wish to extend their stay to include the conference week are eligible for lodging support that week.
  • Transatlantic travel must use US flag carriers (even if more expensive).

Application process: Applications must be submitted by e-mail to Chris King c.king [atatat] neu.edu Send a CV with a cover letter containing a brief description of research interests. Those who want to extend their stay should also describe their plans and/or interest in this. Graduate students and new PhD’s should arrange for one (at most two) letters of recommendation to be sent separately.
Application Deadline: 15 July 2010
Selection Process: Applications will be reviewed by a selection committee of Charles H. Bennett, Alan Aspuru-Guzik, Julio Gea-Banacloche, Christopher King (chair), Marius Junge, Mary Beth Ruskai (PI) and Wim van Dam. We expect to notify applicants by the start of August.
Questions: Contact the PI, Mary Beth Ruskai, by e-mail to marybeth.ruskai [atatatat] tufts.edu

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Milburn Interview

Another interview from the Science Watch special topic on quantum computing interview series: Gerard Milburn. Most interestingly is Milburn’s comments on linear optics quantum computing funding:

SW: How has the field of quantum computing changed in the past decade? Where do you hope to see it go in the next?
No matter what technology is ultimately used for quantum computing, optics will necessarily be used for short- and long-distance communication both within and between quantum computers (as is currently the case for conventional computing).
I was thus somewhat puzzled to learn that the US government had recently stopped funding research on optical quantum information processing. We certainly will continue to develop optical quantum information processing. At some point the solid-state QC community will need to return to quantum optical interconnects.

I had heard that the latest round of grants from the x-ARPA’s didn’t include linear optics quantum computing. (Though one could argue that some of the funding for systems that produce or detect single photons is really linear optics research in a bad disguise.) I wonder what the reasons for this were? Oh well, hopefully Australian and the UK, among others, will keep the candle alive.