Category: Physics

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More APS March Meeting GQI Goodness

As a follow up to my last post, I’d also note that Chris Fuchs has set up what looks likes a great lineup for the March meeting.  Because not all of you are GQI members (join!) here is the email Chris sent out that describes the lineup:

Dear GQI Membership,

I write to you as the chair-elect of the GQI executive committee and the program chair of our portion of the 2011 APS March Meeting.  This coming year the meeting will be in Dallas, Texas, 21-25 March 2011.

We believe we have put together an exciting venue of invited talks and focus sessions.  Please have a look at the attachment (see below) and you will see.  There will be some astounding experiments reported, and you will also have a chance to meet several of the founders of our field.  2011 is a hallmark year for quantum information as a field within physics  Also we are pleased to announce that one of our talks will be given by one of the two LeRoy Apker Award winners for “outstanding achievements in physics by undergraduate students.”

I should further mention that the meeting will host a talk from one of this year’s Nobel-Prize winners for the discovery of graphene, Konstantin Novoselov.  (Andre Geim may also speak, but has not yet confirmed.)  Moreover, there will be a recognition of the 100th anniversary of the discovery of superconductivity with a session of historical talks devoted to the subject, as well as a  Nobel-laureate session on it.  Speakers will include Ivar Giaever, Wolfgang Ketterle, Sir Anthony Leggett, K. Alexander Mueller, and Frank Wilczek, and there is word that there may be more.

In all, it should be a more-than-usual memorable meeting, with some quite wonderful GQI invited and focus sessions.  The executive committee and I hope the venue will be exciting enough to tip the scales for you if you have been indecisive about attending.

Particularly, we encourage you to submit a talk or poster on your latest  research.  The better showing GQI makes at this meeting, the greater the chance we have of increasing general APS awareness of our field, the better the chance the topical group may recruit enough members to attain APS Division status, and, MOST IMPORTANTLY, the better the chance we have of convincing American physics departments that it is worthwhile to create faculty and research positions for all of us.  Your participation is really, truly vital.  Quantum information needs you!

This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered—
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.

Please note that the deadline for abstract submission is NOVEMBER 19 (less than 11 days away!).  Please submit an abstract yourself; please get your students to submit an abstract too!  Please get your associates to submit an abstract as well!! The place to go to submit and register for the meeting is here:

http://www.aps.org/meetings/march/

The GQI executive committee and I hope to see you in Dallas.  It’ll be a whoppin’ good time!

Chris Fuchs

Chair-elect of APS Topical Group on Quantum Information

GQI Program Chair for 2011 APS March Meeting

The attachment reads:

Sunday, March 20, tutorial
Ivan Deutsch (University of New Mexico)
Quantum Simulation and Computing with Atoms

Tuesday, March 22, invited session, “Quantum Information: Featured Experi-
ments”

H. Jeff Kimble (California Institute of Technology)
Entanglement of Spin Waves among Multiple Quantum Memories

Christopher Monroe (Joint Quantum Institute and University of Maryland)
Quantum Networks with Atoms and Photons

Till Rosenband (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
Quantum-Logic Clocks for Metrology and Geophysics

Robert J. Schoelkopf (Yale University)
Towards Quantum Information Processing with Superconducting Circuits

Anton Zeilinger (University of Vienna)
Quantum Information and the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics: A Story of Mutual Benefit

Wednesday, March 23, invited session, “20 Years of Quantum Information in Physical Review Letters”

Charles H. Bennett (IBM Research)
The Theory of Entanglement and Entanglement-Assisted Communication

David P. DiVincenzo (Aachen University)
Twenty Years of Quantum Error Correction

Artur Ekert (University of Oxford and National University of Singapore)
Less Reality, More Security

Peter W. Shor (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
The Early Days of Quantum Algorithms

Benjamin Schumacher (Kenyon College)
A Brief Prehistory of Qubits

Thursday, March 24, invited session, “Symmetric Discrete Structures for Finite Dimensional Quantum Systems”

Berthold-Georg Englert (National University of Singapore)
On Mutually Unbiased Bases (MUBs)

Asa Ericsson (Institut Mittag-Leffler)
Quantum States as Probabilities from Symmetric Informationally Complete Measurements (SICs)

Steven T. Flammia (California Institute of Technology)
The Lie Algebraic Significance of Symmetric Informationally Complete Measurements

Christophe Schaef (University of Vienna)
Report on the Zeilinger Group SIC and MUB Experiments

William K. Wootters (Williams College)
States with the Same Probability Distribution for Each Basis in a Complete Set of MUBs

Focus Session: Superconducting Qubits

Chair: Robert McDermott (University of Wisconsin – Madison)

John Martinis (University of California at Santa Barbara)
Scaling Superconducting Qubits with the ResQu Architecture

Christopher Chudzicki (Williams College)
Parallel Entanglement Distribution on Hypercube Networks (Apker Award talk)

Focus Session: Quantum Optics with Superconducting Circuits

Chair: David Schuster (Yale University)

Andreas Wallraff (ETH, Zurich)
Tomography and Correlation Function Measurements of Itinerant Microwave Photons

Focus Session: Semiconducting Qubits
Chair: Jason Petta (Princeton University)

Amir Yacoby (Harvard University)
Control and Manipulation of Two-Electron Spin Qubits in GaAs Quantum Dots

Focus Session: Quantum Information for Quantum Foundations

Chair: Christopher Fuchs (Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics)

Giulio Chiribella (Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics)
Toward a Conceptual Foundation of Quantum Information Processing

Focus Session: Advances in Ion Trap Quantum Computation

Chair: Jungsang Kim (Duke University)

Richart E. Slusher (Georgia Tech Quantum Institute)
Trapped Ion Arrays for Quantum Simulation

Focus Session: 20 Years of APS Quantum Cryptography: Where Do We Stand?

Chair: Norbert Lutkenhaus (University of Waterloo)

Richard J. Hughes (Los Alamos National Laboratory)
Twenty-Seven Years of Quantum Cryptography!

Like I said, looks like a wonderful lineup.  So you should go (I mean I think it’s even strong enough to persuade a native Californian like me to go to Texas for a meet
ing.
  And that’s saying a lot.  Though it is easier considering the results of the World Series 🙂 )

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Quantum Foundations at the APS March Meeting

If you’re a member of the APS topical group on Quantum Information (GQI) you recently received an email from Chris Fuchs about the upcoming APS March meeting (to be held in Dallas, Texas this year.)  If you’re not a member, shame on you, you should become a member!  But more importantly Chris has made a very good effort this year to have a good showing of talks from the quantum foundations community.  There is a focus session this year, “Quantum Information for Quantum Foundations” with Giulio Chiribella (Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics) as the invited speaker.  Giulio will give a talk titled “Toward a Conceptual Foundation of Quantum Information Processing.”  Further Anton Zeilinger (University of Vienna) will be giving a symposium talk, “Quantum Information and the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics: A Story of Mutual Benefit.”

One of the explicit reasons for forming GQI, in addition to the explosive growth of quantum information science, was a place for all who are tightly tied to quantum theory and in particular for quantum foundations folks.  The mission statement of GQI makes this explicit:

The Group is committed to serving as the home within the American Physical Society for researchers in the foundations of quantum mechanics. The Topical Group will promote a continuation of the active and beneficial exchange of ideas between quantum foundations and quantum information science.

Over the years this has resulted in varying degrees of success.  I can remember a few foundations sessions at the March meeting that were top notch and very interesting, but increasingly there has not been a strong foundations showing.

I would, of course, encourage all quantum information related people to attend (submit a talk or a poster) to the March meeting (at worst you’re going to learn about the very exciting superconducting qubit experiments occurring at places like UCSB, Yale, and IBM) but I would particularly encourage you to submit a talk or a post if you are from the quantum foundations community.

My personal view is that foundations work lies very deep in the heart of quantum information science.  Not necessarily for the grand old debate about the interpretation of quantum theory, but because foundations seeks to bring conceptual clarity to a subject whose mystery is what we are trying to exploit.  So foundations people come out of yer closet and help shed some crazy light on quantum information science!

 

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So You Want to Build an Atomic Clock

Via Paul: Till Rosenband from the Time and Frequency Division of NIST has released as open source software that they use to control some of their atomic physics ion trap experiments:

Ionizer

Summary:

Control-software for atomic physics experiments in ion traps.
LaserBrothers software automatically re-locks lasers to reference cavities, and doubling-cavities to lasers.
Aluminizer software controls the NIST aluminum ion clock. This is an application with a graphical front-end (client) to an FPGA-based pulse-sequencer (server). Pulse-sequences are written as object-oriented C++ programs with timing resolution of 10 ns and jitter of about 1 ns. Many calibrations are performed automatically. This program is written specifically to control the NIST Al+/Mg+ clock, but effort was made to keep the code general enough to adapt to other tasks.
LabAC software controls a laboratory air-conditioning system. THIS CODE HAS NOT YET BEEN UPLOADED.
BullsIon software shows the coordinates of a laser-beam that’s on a webcam. THIS CODE HAS NOT YET BEEN UPLOADED.

So if you happen to be a tech mogul who has enough dollars to start your own lab, this looks like some good stuff for setting up your own ion trap experiments 🙂

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Morphing Science News?

Yesterday I noted that the New York Times article on the Nobel prize award for graphene said that the paper had been rejected by Nature and accepted by Science. Interestingly, today I got an email from a science journalist who noted that this statement doesn’t appear anywhere in the article. And the journalist is right! Since the New York Times isn’t cached by Google I have no way to verify the original statement. Anyone else remember that line from the article? And why does the New York Times not allow access to all versions of an article (like the arXiv!) or at least make a statement that the article has been modified from its original form. Inquiring minds want to know 🙂
Update: Of course, not to be a hypocrite, shouldn’t my blog also have access to all versions, including the ones where I spelled graphene “graphine” and the one where there isn’t this update? Is there a plugin that does this? And also I would like to know if I hallucinated this entire episode (i.e. the last sentences above only make sense if it was my own hallucination 🙂 )

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Nobel Prize in Physics 2010

The Nobel prize in physics for 2010 goes to Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov for their discovery of a method for obtaining samples of graphene, a single atom thick layer of carbon atoms. In case you hadn’t noticed, studying the unusual properties of graphene has taken over large portions of condensed matter physics 🙂 Today, somewhere out there, there is a very very very proud hamster (via Michael and NPR.) Oh, and look at the age of Konstantin Novoselov. Score one for the young’uns!
Oh and note that the original paper describing the method was rejected by Nature but accepted by Science (according to the NYTimes.) I wrote that last sentence only because I find it funny for something to be rejected by nature but accepted by science 🙂

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2010 MacArthur Awards

The 2010 MacArthur Fellows have been announced. Among them are a physics teacher, a quantum astrophysicist, an optical physicist, a biophysicist, and a computer security expert:

  • Amir Abo-Shaeer Physics Teacher inspiring and preparing public high school students for careers in science and mathematics through an innovative curriculum that integrates applied physics, engineering, and robotics.
  • John Dabiri Biophysicist investigating the hydrodynamics of jellyfish propulsion, which has profound implications for our understanding of evolutionary adaptation and such related issues in fluid dynamics as blood flow in the human heart.
  • Michal Lipson Optical Physicist working at the intersection of fundamental photonics and nanofabrication engineering to design silicon-based photonic circuits that are paving the way for practical optical computing devices.
  • Nergis Mavalvala
    Quantum Astrophysicist linking optics, condensed matter, and quantum mechanics in research that enhances our ability to detect and quantify gravitational radiation.
  • Dawn Song Computer Security Specialist exploring the deep interactions among software, hardware, and networks to increase the stability of computer systems vulnerable to remote attack or interference.

A good year for physics…well if you want to buck the feelings of the old codgers and insist physics does not just equal particle physics. I guess it no longer takes a genius to do particle theory (just a context free grammar generator?) Just kidding fellows 🙂

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More Postdocs, Conferences, Oh My!

Singapore/Oxford quantum nanoscience postdoc:

ADVERT: Two postdocs in Quantum Nanoscience Theory: Fundamental physics and high-level structures.
The two postdoctoral researchers in the theory of quantum information and technologies will be appointed to work jointly in Singapore and in Oxford, UK. The researchers will be employed by the Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT) in Singapore, but will spend up to 10 months each year working in the University of Oxford. The appointments are for 3 years, and form part of a larger initiative on quantum nanoscience. The annual salary is up to $86,000 Singapore dollars (approx. $63,800) plus housing benefits. Each individual will be supervised by two of the following researchers: Simon Benjamin, Bob Coecke, Dieter Jaksch, Vlatko Vedral. The posts are available immediately and will be advertised until they are filled. It is hoped that the appointees will be in post on or before the 4th Jan 2011.  For more information including further particulars and selection criteria please email Irene Tan <irene.tan [atatat] nus.edu.sg>.
Further particulars:
http://www.quantumlah.org/openings/QuantumNanoscienceFurtherParticulars.pdf
Selection criteria:
http://www.quantumlah.org/openings/QuantumNanoscienceSelectionCriteria.pdf

Are you good at quantum information theory?  BBN:

Title: Quantum Optical Information Theorist
Department: Disruptive Information Processing Technologies
Location: Cambridge MA
Raytheon BBN Technologies’ Disruptive Information Processing Technologies Business Unit, located in Cambridge, MA, is seeking a qualified theorist with a strong background in quantum optics and information theory. The ideal candidate should have a good working knowledge of Fourier optics, optical imaging, stochastic processes, estimation theory, digital communications and coding theory, and be familiar with quantum measurement theory. The candidate will join a highly entrepreneurial group of researchers advancing optical communications and imaging technologies by pursuing an in-depth study of the fundamental limits on the information carrying capacity of light waves. The candidate will work with experts in quantum information theory in leading efforts in developing a deep understanding of designing quantum-limited optical communications and imaging systems, and will also provide strong theory support to diverse new and existing efforts on quantum, atomic, superconducting and optical phenomena. Position responsibilities will include building and developing novel information theoretical understanding of quantum optical systems, as well as working closely with experimentalists to perform modeling and simulation of advanced concepts in a system environment.

And Howard sends a note for a conference in Florida in April with an abstract due date of Oct. 2010:

I encourage you and your students and/or associates to participate in the conference QUANTUM INFORMATION AND COMPUTATION IX (DS216) to be held during the SPIE International Symposium on Defense, Security and Sensing, 25-29 April 2011 in Orlando, Florida, USA.
Please see the website: http://spie.org/ds216

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Beyond Postdocalypse

Even more postdocs 🙂 Peter Love from Haverford College has postdocs for quantum simulation, the most important, yet with apologies to those who have made major progress in this field, still least understood portion of quantum algorithms.  Which is why you should do this postdoc and help us all understand the power of quantum simulation:

Postdoctoral position in Quantum Information
Applications are invited for a postdoctoral research position in quantum information at Haverford College.  The successful applicant will work with Peter Love and collaborators on the development of methods for the simulation of quantum systems on quantum computers, but will also be able to pursue their own research agenda. Applications of particular interest include methods for quantum chemistry, including electronic
structure and chemical reactions.  Candidates must hold a Ph.D. in Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Computer Science or other relevant subject by the starting date.
Haverford College, located 10 miles from downtown Philadelphia, is one of the country’s leading liberal arts colleges.  Its Physics and astronomy program emphasizes research both in and out of the classroom. The Departments of Physics and astronomy comprise seven faculty and three existing postdoctoral scholars. The qualified and interested applicant will have the option to participate in this program by advising undergraduate research students and possibly teaching within the physics department.
The initial appointment will be for one year, with possible extension to three years.  The position is available to begin on the 1st January 2011, but the starting date is negotiable.  Applicants should send a cover letter, CV, bibliography, and a statement of research experience and interest, and arrange to have at least two letters of recommendation sent
to:
Peter Love
Department of Physics, KINSC
Haverford College
370 Lancaster Avenue
Haverford PA 19041
Applications received by Nov. 1 2010 will be given full consideration, but will be accepted until the position is filled.
Included Benefits:
A full benefits package is provided with this job.  The full dental coverage and maternity leave begin after one year of employment.

And as always, the best postdoc positions around, okay so I’m biased…the Omidyar Postdocs at the Santa Fe Institute:

The Omidyar Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Santa Fe Institute offers you:

  • – unparalleled intellectual freedom
  • – transdisciplinary collaboration with leading researchers worldwide
  • – up to three years in residence in Santa Fe, NM
  • – competitive salary and generous benefits
  • – discretionary research and collaboration funds
  • – individualized mentorship and preparation for your next leadership role
  • – an intimate, creative work environment with an expansive sky

The Omidyar Fellowship at the Santa Fe Institute is unique among postdoctoral appointments. The Institute has no formal programs or departments. Research is collaborative and spans the physical, natural, and social sciences. Most research is theoretical and/or computational in nature, although may include an empirical component. SFI averages 15 resident faculty, 95 external faculty, and 250 visitors per year. Descriptions of the research themes and interests of the faculty and current Fellows can be found at http://www.santafe.edu/research.
Requirements:

  • – a Ph.D. in any discipline (or expect to receive one by September 2011)
  • – computational and quantitative skills
  • – an exemplary academic record
  • – a proven ability to work independently and collaboratively
  • – a demonstrated interest in multidisciplinary research
  • – evidence of the ability to think outside traditional paradigms

Applications are welcome from:

  • – candidates from any country
  • – candidates from any discipline
  • – women and minorities, as they are especially encouraged to apply.

SFI is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Application Materials:
Interested candidates must submit the following:

  1. Curriculum vitae (including publications list).
  2. Statement of research interests (max. 2 pages) to include a short description of the research you would like to pursue and why.
  3. Description of interest in SFI (max. 1 page) that describes your potential contribution to the SFI community and also explains the potential impact of SFI on your research. Consider addressing one or more of the following: What sort of input from other fields would most improve your future research? What type of multidisciplinary workshop might you want to organize during your Fellowship? What aspects of your present or future research are difficult to pursue in a traditional academic environment?
  4. Three letters of recommendation from scholars who know your work. (The letters should be sent independent of the application. When you complete the online application, please be prepared to provide e-mail addresses of the three individuals who will recommend you. SFI will contact them directly with instructions for submitting letters.)
  5. (Optional) A copy of one paper you have written in English, either published or unpublished.

The Omidyar Fellowship at the Santa Fe Institute is made possible by a generous gift from Pam and Pierre Omidyar.
The Santa Fe Institute is a private, independent, multidisciplinary research and education center founded in 1984. Since its founding, SFI has devoted itself to creating a new kind of scientific research community, pursuing emerging synthesis in science. Operating as a visiting institution, SFI seeks to catalyze new collaborative, multidisciplinary research; to break down the barriers between the traditional disciplines; to spread its ideas and methodologies to other institutions; and to encourage the practical application of its results.
To apply:
Online application site open 1 Sept – 1 Nov 2010.
We ONLY accept online applications via the online-application site.
To begin your online application click HERE
Inquiries: email to (Javascript must be enabled to see this e-mail address) // < ![CDATA[
document.write('ofellowshipinfo@santafe.edu’)
// ]]>ofellowshipinfo [atatat] santafe.edu

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Two Yreka Physicists in the Papers: Hella Cool

Carlos Alcala from McClatchy Newspapers has written a nice article about Austin Sendek and his quest to get “hella” as the official prefix for 1027. It even has a quote from another Yrekan physicist about the prospects for “hella”:

The CCU may not be the last word, though, said David Bacon, a University of Washington computer science/physics research professor.
Bacon has blogged in support of hella and claims it isn’t just because he, too, hails from Yreka.
“It’s just a cute idea,” he said.
And, the United States could adopt it irrespective of the international measurement authorities, he said. “We don’t use the metric system, right?”

Sadly it seems that the committee has no sense of humor about the serious work of SI unit-ology:

Sendek’s most recent effort was an e-mail Wednesday to professor Ian Mills, an English physicist who chairs the international Consultative Committee on Units – the group with the last say on measurement lingo. He asked if he could present the hella proposal to the committee in person.
“I believe a personal proposition would be a fitting way to top off this whimsical international discussion, even if the committee has no intentions of actually implementing the prefix,” he wrote.
Mills responded Thursday, but in the negative.
“I am afraid it is not practical,” wrote Mills, who earlier agreed to share the idea with his committee. “I will let you know how your proposal is received.”

Oh, that is sooooo hella weak.