The Institute for Quantum Computing at the University of Waterloo, Canada, will once again go ahead with its Undergraduate School on Experimental Quantum Information Processing (USEQIP 2011). We have locked down our dates for May 30th to June 10th, 2011. Please pass this information to any Undergraduate student that may be interested. (http://go.iqc.ca/useqip2011)
USESIP is a two-week program on the theory and experimental study of quantum information processors aimed primarily at students just completing their junior year. The program is designed to introduce students to the field of quantum information processing. The lectures are geared to students of engineering, physics, chemistry and math, though all interested students are invited to apply. The program has space for 12 students and is fully funded through the Institute for Quantum Computing. All travel and housing costs are funded.
The summer school is staffed by the faculty of the Institute for Quantum Computing, a multidisciplinary research center at the University of Waterloo and an internationally recognized leader in the development of quantum information processors. The 2-week program will consist of lectures introducing quantum information theory and experimental approaches to quantum devices, followed by hands-on exploration of QIP using the experimental facilities of the institute.
The program will include:
- Introduction to quantum information processing, including a brief review of quantum mechanics and linear algebra
- Introduction to nuclear magnetic resonance, which is a versatile test-bed for QIP and will be used to experimentally explore QIP concepts
- Introduction to optics, Mach-Zender interferometry and Bell inequalities
- Introduction to quantum cryptography
- Introduction to quantum error correction
- Introduction to quantum algorithms
- Introduction to current questions in foundations of quantum mechanics including quantum measurement
O brave new quantum world!
I attended this a month or so ago and I very highly recommend it to anyone interested in quantum computation. We got to do a lot of hands on things that most students typically only read about. Met a lot of cool people too. And dining at Perimeter’s Black Hole Cafe was worth the entire trip. It’s the only place I’ve ever found great bear, gourmet grade food, and a chalk board all within arms reach. Not to mention that IQC gives you 3+ free meals a day. The faculty are all great as well.
Since it is so short, I’d also recommend extending it by attending MIT’s QuISU. Though not hands on and twice as short, I still enjoyed it thoroughly. I also got to continue to hang out with some of the same people I met in Waterloo.