Daniel Gottesman!
IQING 5 Registration Open
Michael Bremner writes that registration for IQING 5 is now open (new website: http://iqoqi003.uibk.ac.at/users/x22440/IQING5)
The fifth Informal Quantum INformation Gathering (IQING 5) is taking place in Innsbruck on April 11 – 14 2007. IQING 5 will bring together young researchers working in the field of quantum information science so that they can discuss their research in an informal environment.
Junior postdocs, PhD students, and Diploma/MSc students working on theoretical or experimental quantum information science are invited to attend. All participants are strongly encouraged to submit an abstract for a presentation.
Registration is due by the 31st of December 2006 (midnight GMT). Notification of acceptance will be given by the 31st of January 2007.
The organizers anticipate that there will be a limited accommodation subsidy available for those who need it.
The organizers would like to thank the University of Innsbruck, IQOQI, QAP, and SCALA for supporting this workshop
Reed Talk
Tomorrow I’m heading down to Portland, Oregon to give a talk at Reed College. What, you’ve never heard of Reed? Shame on you! Why should you have heard of it? Because it produces an astounding number of excellent students who go on to graduate school. In fact the leading institutions for producing undergraduates who go on to get Ph.D.’s (per capita) are 1. Caltech, 2. Harvey Mudd, and 3. Reed. (For details see this page. At Caltech, 42 out of every 100 undergraduates go on to get a Ph.D., a truly astoundingly high number.)
Quantum Book
Somewhere along the line I missed that Susan Loepp and William Wootters’ book on quantum cryptography, quantum computation, and quantum error correction had been published. Protecting Information: From Classical Error Correction to Quantum Cryptography
Washington Education Roundup
And now for something a little different 🙂 Yeah I’m growing tired of complaining about fault-tolerant haters too 😉
This article in the New York Times highlights concerns about math education here in the great state of Washington. Money quote:
In part, the math wars have grown out of a struggle between professional mathematicians, who say too many American students never master basic math skills, and math educators, who say children who construct their own problem-solving strategies retain their math skills better than those who just memorize the algorithm that produces the correct answer.
Which of course is silly. Mastery of basic math skills AND construction of their own problem-solving strategies is important for math education. It’s not an OR sort of game. Sadly I think “construction of their own problem-solving strategies” is a proxy for “water down the curriculum” while at the same time “mastery of basic math skills” is proxy for “only accepting answers done by the accepted algorithm.” Both are anoying as heck.
In related news, extremely long time readers of this blog are familiar with the WIT: the Washington Institute of Technology. WIT is my dream university which I’m planning on founding once I find the necessary billions of dollars to get it started. Well I’d better hurry up because the beginnings of a movement to build a polytechnic here in Washington: Seattle Times article here.
Anthropic Challenge
Andrew Jaffe has posted his review of The Goldilocks Enigma: Why is the Universe Just Right for Life? by Paul Davies. Which is an entertaining read, and got me to thinking (okay, what follows doesn’t exactly qualify as thinking, BTW) So some physicists want to use anthropic principles as a solution to the problem of explaining the physics of our universe. But why stop at explaining things like the value of the cosmological constant? Why not go for something bigger, like the question quantum foundations people love: “why quantum theory?” So a challenge: derive quantum theory from the anthropic principle. Do that and I might even begin to believe that the anthropic principle actually has some value beyond making me shout out in pain when reading anthropic arguments 🙂
Speed Equals Job?
Job title advertisement as seen on the APS job website:
Ultrafast Staff Physicists
Slow physicists, need not apply.
Vote You Silly Americans, Vote!
American politics? Best summed up by the Simpsons:
Kang (disguised as Bob Dole): Abortions for all
(Crowd boos)
Kang: Very well, no abortions for anyone.
(Crowd boos)
Kang: Hmm… Abortions for some, miniature American flags for others!
(Crowd cheers and waves miniature flags)
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t vote. Why should you vote? More wisdom from the Simpsons:
Marge: I still don’t understand why we have to build a ray gun to aim at a planet I’ve never even heard of.
Homer: Don’t blame me. I voted for Kodos. (he is whipped by an alien)
You don’t want to be enslaved by aliens, now, do you?
Update: Just in case this election threatens to send you into a bout of depression, I highly recommend, this laughing baby
Postdocs Obey a Perimeter Law?
Postdocs, postdocs, everywhere and not a faculty job to seek (just kidding….or am I 😉 )
Institute for Quantum Computing, University of Waterloo
Applications are invited for postdoctoral positions in any area of quantum information. The starting date of the appointment is open.
A Ph.D. and proven ability, or the potential, for excellent research is required. Successful candidates will be joining a substantial research and training centre in quantum information at Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC). Information about IQC personnel and activities can be found at www.iqc.ca. The IQC is based at the University of Waterloo, and includes, at present, more than a dozen researchers from the Faculties of Engineering, Mathematics and Science. The candidates will also have the opportunity to interact with scientists at the nearby Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, and UW’s Centre for Applied Cryptographic Research.
If interested please go to our application form on-line. https://www.iqc.ca/positions/postdocapp/postdocapp.php
The deadline for receiving applications is 15 November 2006.
Applications may be processed as they are received. Late applications will be accepted as long as positions are still available.
and, hoisted from the comments,
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics is seeking postdoctoral applicants in the areas of:
o Quantum Information Theory
o Quantum Gravity
o String Theory
o Cosmology
o Foundations of Quantum Theory
o Condensed Matter Physics
o Elementary Particle Physics
Perimeter Institute is located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada and offers a dynamic, multi-disciplinary research environment with much freedom. Successful candidates will benefit from mentorship by Faculty, ability to invite visitors, opportunity to organize innovative conferences and workshops, access to substantive travel funds, supervision of students, optional participation in scientific committees, assistance from PI’s administrative team, as well as enjoying the productive research atmosphere and amenities of the award winning facility.
The postdoctoral positions are normally for a period of three years. Outstanding candidates may also be considered for a senior postdoctoral position with a five-year term. Exceptional applicants are encouraged to apply by November 15th, 2006. Full details and application forms are available at www.perimeterinstitute.ca.
The Institute is presently staffed with 61 resident researchers including 10 Faculty and 8 Associate Members. Currently, there is a complement of 28 Postdoctoral Researchers and a very active Visitor Program including 15 Long Term Visitors with expectations of hosting some 300 scientists throughout this academic year. A list of Visitors and other researchers is available at www.perimeterinstitute.ca/people/
Help feed the blackberry hole!
Measurement-Based Conference
The fact that you can perform unitary quantum evolutions using simple (adaptive) measurements is, to a physicist, an unexpected result. Indeed, it could be that there is no unitary evolution in the universe, only measurements! If you’re interested in measurement based quantum computing, you might be interested in conference advertised below:
International Workshop on Measurement-based Quantum Computation (MBQC07)
St. John’s College, Oxford
18 – 21 March 2007
http://www.qunat.org/workshop/
Measurement-based quantum computing (MBQC) is an active and rapidly growing area of research. The formalism of graph states (or cluster states) has proven to be a powerful way of describing the essential entanglement resources needed to perform quantum information processing tasks. Initially conceived for systems such as optical lattices and linear optical computing, this theory is now shaping the latest experimental proposals across the full spectrum of QIP technologies. A key theme of this workshop will be to foster dialog between theoreticians involved in MBQC and the experimentalists who are positioned to embrace and implement the new ideas.
Registration is open until November 30th and the number of participants will be limited to 50.