Category: Quantum Computing

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Chess, Backgammon, and the Algorithmic Lens

An interesting interview with Christos Papadimitriou (recent winner of the Katayanagi Prize for Research Excellence) on Dr. Dobb’s Journal. On chess and backgammon:

In chess, when you play like an idiot, you always lose, so you learn. In backgammon, you can play 10 games, not play well, and win. So you think you are great but you have made a great number of mistakes. Tragically, life is closer to backgammon, because you can play a perfect game and lose!

Which made me wonder which game is the closest game to “real life?” (Okay I’ll dispense with the obvious answer which is the board game “Life.” Bzzt! Disqualified for using little pegs that are always getting lost for people. I mean those damn blue and pink pegs get in more car accidents in a typical game of “Life” than most people get into in their real life.)
Continue reading “Chess, Backgammon, and the Algorithmic Lens”

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QIP 2009 in Santa Fe, New Mexico

I can taste the green chilies and after conference ski trip already:

QIP 2009 — 12th WORKSHOP ON QUANTUM INFORMATION PROCESSING
Santa Fe, New Mexico USA. January 12-16, 2009.
http://qipworkshop.org
……………………………………………………….
First call for papers
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IMPORTANT DATES:
Submission deadline for talks: October 20, 2008, 23:59 GMT.
Acceptance notification for talks: November 20, 2008.
Submission deadline for posters: December 1, 2008.
Acceptance notification for posters: December 8, 2008.
QIP 2009 workshop: January 12-16, 2009.
CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS:
Quantum Information processing is the recasting of computer
science in a quantum mechanical framework. QIP 2009 is the twelfth
workshop on theoretical aspects of quantum computing, quantum
cryptography and quantum information theory in a series which
started in Aarhus in 1998. QIP 2009, like its previous editions,
will feature invited talks, contributed talks and a poster session.
Submissions of abstracts for contributed talks are sought in
research areas related to quantum information science and quantum
information processing. All submissions will be judged primarily
on their first two pages. Therefore these two pages should clearly
describe the ideas, results and techniques, and make a comparison
with previous related work, as appropriate. Beyond the first two
pages, more details can be provided; however any material beyond
the first two pages may be ignored at the discretion of the
Program Committee. Submissions that deviate from this format risk
rejection without consideration of their merits.
Submissions should be made through the conference website
http://qipworkshop.org (linked to an electronic
submission server). The deadline for contributed talk submissions
is 23:59 GMT, October 20, 2008.
STEERING COMMITTEE:
Dorit Aharonov (Hebrew University)
Cris Moore (UNM/SFI) (Chair)
John Preskill (Caltech)
Jaikumar Radhakrishnan (TIFR, Mumbai)
Renato Renner (ETH Zurich)
Peter Shor (MIT)
John Watrous (Waterloo)
Andreas Winter (Bristol)
Ronald de Wolf (CWI, Amsterdam).
PROGRAM COMMITTEE:
Hans Briegel (University of Innsbruck)
Harry Buhrman (CWI, Amsterdam)
Wim van Dam (UCSB)
Daniel Gottesman (Perimeter Institute)
Aram Harrow (Bristol)
Patrick Hayden (McGill)
Richard Jozsa (Bristol) (Chair)
Julia Kempe (Tel Aviv)
Manny Knill (NIST)
Andrew Landahl (University of New Mexico)
Debbie Leung (IQC Waterloo)
Keiji Matsumoto (NII Tokyo)
Ben Reichardt (Caltech)
Alex Russell (University of Connecticut)
Barbara Terhal (IBM)
Frank Verstraete (University of Vienna)
LOCAL ORGANIZERS:
Howard Barnum (LANL)
Jim Harrington (LANL)
Andrew Landahl (University of New Mexico) (Chair)
Cris Moore (University of New Mexico / Santa Fe Institute)
Jon Yard (LANL)

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Rhythm is a Quantum Concatenated Code

I do believe this is the first time I’ve performed the paper dance on the scienceblogs incarnation of this blog. Yep, it’s that time again: it’s the paper dance!
“A far away light in the futuristic place we might be; It’s a tiny world just big enough to support the kingdom of one knowledgeable; I feel a wave of loneliness and head back down I’m going too fast (I’m going too fast)”

arXiv:0806.2160
The Stability of Quantum Concatenated Code Hamiltonians
Authors: D. Bacon
Abstract: Protecting quantum information from the detrimental effects of decoherence and lack of precise quantum control is a central challenge that must be overcome if a large robust quantum computer is to be constructed. The traditional approach to achieving this is via active quantum error correction using fault-tolerant techniques. An alternative to this approach is to engineer strongly interacting many-body quantum systems that enact the quantum error correction via the natural dynamics of these systems. Here we present a method for achieving this based on the concept of concatenated quantum error correcting codes. We define a class of Hamiltonians whose ground states are concatenated quantum codes and whose energy landscape naturally causes quantum error correction. We analyze these Hamiltonians for robustness and suggest methods for implementing these highly unnatural Hamiltonians.

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Blackberry Hole Grows Larger

Blessed be Mike Lazaridis:

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, June 4, 2008 – In a new and generous act of personal philanthropy, Mike Lazaridis has provided an additional $50 million (Canadian) to Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI). This private donation increases his personal contributions to $150 million in the research institute.

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DARPA's Real Quantum Project?

From the Uncyclopedia entry on computers:

How Computers Work
Inside a computer case is a midget that intakes power and outputs graphics. On an average computer, this is an average male midget. High end computers contain baby giraffes or sometimes Links (which will periodically shut down, some blame this on power consumption, but this is actually due to the Links leaving the computer in order to save Zeldas from Gilbert Gottfrieds). Cheaper Hewlett-Packard computers generally come standard with a retard midget. Macs and Dells run on magnets which make them better then anything else! Rumors have surfaced recently that DARPA is working on a computer that runs on zombie midgets, the name for this project is quantum computing. But this does not include Mall Zombies.

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Wanted: Quantum Loonies

Dude, can I get a Canadian aerospace company to win a United States federal contract and as a consequence have to fund my quantum computing research?

Dalhousie research is taking a quantum leap into next-generation computing.
The university has received $2 million from Lockheed Martin that will benefit the university’s basic scientific research in an area of quantum computing, physics and material sciences.
The money, to be spread over four years, is part of the company’s commitment to spend $242 million in Atlantic Canada as part of its industrial benefits obligation arising from the federal government’s contract with Lockheed Martin to buy 17 C-130J Super Hercules aircraft.

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BQP, NP, and All That

The mothership, aka Seed magazine, has a crib sheet for quantum computing. Its not half bad, considering how bad things like this can go. And of course this is probably due in part to the fact that they list the Optimizer as a consultant. But the real question is whether that little shade of black outside of NP is an illustrators trick or the result of a complexity theorist being the person they asked to vet the cheat sheet?