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Quantum Communications at CLEO 2011

Richard Hughes send along a call for contributed papers for the Quantum Communications Symposium at CLEO2011:

Call for contributed papers: Quantum Communications Symposium, CLEO2011

1-6 May, 2011, Baltimore, MD

http://www.cleoconference.org/

Deadline for submissions: December 2, 2010 at 1700GMT

Dear Colleagues,

Tom Chapuran (Telcordia), Norbert Lutkenhaus (Waterloo), Iain McKinnie (Kapteyn Murnane Labs) and I are organizing a Quantum Communications Symposium at CLEO2011: http://www.cleoconference.org/conference_program/symposia.aspx

We are close to finalizing an outstanding line-up of invited talks from internationally-leading quantum communications researchers. At this time we are issuing a call for contributed papers to the symposium: please consider submitting your latest quantum communications research results at: http://www.cleoconference.org/submissions/Electronic_Submissions.aspx

To have your contribution considered for the symposium, please submit it to one of the following subcommittees:

CLEO:QELS – Fundamental Science 2: Quantum Science, Engineering and Technology;

CLEO: Science & Innovations 12: Lightwave Communications and Optical Networks;

CLEO: Applications & Technology 3: Government & National Science, Security & Standards Applications

no later than 1700GMT December 2, 2010.

Thanks,

Richard Hughes

Physics Division, LANL

*******************************************************

Quantum Communications Symposium description:

Quantum communications is a rich interdisciplinary field encompassing fundamental science, innovative technologies, and a broad range of potential applications to computing, cryptography, and networking. Since the first experiments two decades ago, the transmission of quantum states has been extended to ranges of hundreds of kilometers, in optical fiber and in free space. Novel optical networking techniques have been developed to enable scalable communications among large numbers of users. Investigations of entanglement, teleportation, and other uniquely quantum phenomena have provided fundamental insights into the quantum world, while also laying critical groundwork for the development of quantum repeaters. Theoretical research has led to the emergence of wholly new cryptographic paradigms and applications, such as quantum key distribution, quantum secure identification and quantum secret sharing, whose security assurances are rooted in the laws of physics. Large-scale quantum communications testbeds have been demonstrated in recent years in several countries, and commercial standards activities are underway. The symposium will highlight the latest research results across the broad spectrum of quantum communications topics from fundamental science to practical applications. It will provide an overview of quantum communications in optical fiber networks and free-space, including the underlying science, components and technology impacting systems, networks, and field trials, with invited presentations from leading research groups around the world.

Organizers:

Thomas Chapuran, Telcordia

Richard Hughes, Los Alamos National Lab

Norbert Lütkenhaus, Univ. of Waterloo

Iain McKinnie, Kapteyn Murnane Labs

CLEO2011 blog:

http://cleoqels2010.blogspot.com/

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GIANTS!

Freaks, beards, panda bears.  Aubrey, Buster, Timmy.  Hell yeah, the SF GIANTS are world series champions!!!!  GIANTS!!!
For some reason, the only words that really come to mind are the opening lines to a place just down the road from San Francisco, a place called “Cannery Row”:

Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream. Cannery Row is the gathered and scattered, tin and iron and rust and splintered wood, chipped pavement and weedy lots and junk heaps, sardine canneries of corrugated iron, honky tonks, restaurants and whore houses, and little crowded groceries, and laboratories and flophouses. Its inhabitants are, as the man once said, ‘whores, pimps, gamblers and sons of bitches,’ by which he meant Everybody. Had the man looked through another peephole he might have said, ‘Saints and angels and martyrs and holy men,’ and he would have meant the same thing.

Truly a team of Everybody, sinners and saints (and a few good pitchers), scratched and clawed their way past teams five time their size this post season to win the first world series in San Francisco history.  In typical San Francisco fashion they looked nothing like you’d expect, were assembled from the dregs the rest of the nation threw out, and destroyed the predictions made by certain East coast pundits who shall remain nameless.  Tonight in San Francisco they will celebrate!
Hell the high (vote yes on 19?) might even last long enough that their leftist butts won’t even feel the pain of the November 2 election 😉

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Quantum Jobs in the DC Area

Some more quantum jobs.

Booz Allen Hamilton in DC area (a contact is Mark Bowman, bowman_mark [atathereisanat] ne dot bah dot com):

Booz Allen Hamilton is seeking a skilled computer scientists to provide technical support for clients in the Washington, DC area.  An advanced degree with a research background in the following areas is desired: programming language design, compiler theory, software engineering, error correcting codes, and optimal control theory.  See their announcement at https://bah.taleo.net/careersection/10020/jobdetail.ftl.

SAIC in DC area:

Quantum Information Scientist (SAIC Arlington VA)

SAIC has an opening for a physicist, or computer scientist with research experience in quantum computing or quantum information science. Areas of interest include: device and condensed matter theory: (superconducting devices, ion-traps, quantum dots), quantum simulation, quantum algorithms, and quantum error correction. Experience in the design and operation of qubit devices is desired. Knowledge of techniques for implementing quantum algorithms within realistic settings is also desired.

In the area of quantum simulation, expertise in the theory of using quantum computers to simulate other quantum systems is desired, as well as experience in techniques to simulate quantum computation on classical computers.

The candidate must have a track record of doing exceptional research in quantum computing and/or quantum information. The position entails performing theoretical and applied research in quantum information science within a small academic-style research and development group.

The position requires a Ph.D. in physics, computer science, or related field and direct experience in quantum computing and/or quantum information. Postdoctoral experience is preferred but not required. Experience with programming languages and tools including: Matlab, Mathematica, C++, C, or Fortran is desired.

The candidate must be able to obtain a Top Secret DoD security clearance. The work will be performed at SAIC in Arlington Virginia, and relocation assistance is available. A small amount of domestic travel may be required.

To apply for this position please visit the SAIC career site at http://www.saic.com/career/ and
search for the position “Quantum Information Scientist”

 

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Post Quantum Cryptography

Today I’m at the Joint Quantum Institute attending a workshop on quantum computing.  This morning’s session is on “post quantum cryptography.”  Post quantum cryptography is the study of classical (public key) cryptosystems which could replace the plethora of cryptosystems that quantum computers break (RSA, Diffie-Hellman, elliptic curves.)  These new systems include lattice based cryptography, the McEleise crypstosystem, and more (The name is kind of confusing, because post quantum cryptography, to me, sounds like the study of cryptosystems based on possible extensions or modifications of quantum theory, but that’s probably just because I spend too much time listening to foundations of quantum theory folks 🙂 )  Of course as a quantum computing person, my interest mostly is in hearing about problems that I can try to crack using a quantum computer 🙂

RSA and its ilk have a security that is based upon the computational difficulty of problems that now have a long history of study (factoring, discrete logarithm, etc.)  While it is completely possible that there is an efficient classical algorithm for factoring, a lot of our confidence in this not being true is based upon the large amount of effort that has been put into solving this problem.  We could even define a quantity: the integrated number of theorist hours spent on the problem.  This is certainly a very large number.  How large?  Well one probably has to know the size of the National Security Agency’s payroll to calculate it, but even in the public sphere this number is pretty high.  So for the post quantum cryptography world, the new (or old, but now more relevant) cryptosystems that have been proposed, we could also calculate this number.  More interestingly we could try to calculate this number for people working on quantum attacks on these problems.  I think I could actually do this calculation myself, as I know most of these people (or at least the ones in the public sphere), and even something about their working habits 🙂  But this is certainly a very very small number.  So it seems to me that if one really wants to study post quantum cryptography, one needs to invest heavily not just in people classically attacking the problems, but also in quantum theorists attacking the problem in order to insure confidence that this is truly “post quantum.

So…um, it seems that there is a very strong need to establish a very large effort in quantum algorithms, not just because we’d like to know what else quantum computers are good at, but also because we need to make sure “Shor, part II” doesn’t occur and the post quantum cryptography systems that are deployed aren’t themselves vulnerable to quantum attack.  I was at a program review recently where a speaker who funds quantum computing got up and said roughly “I got into quantum computing because it scared me.  What I want to see today is more things that scare me.”  Damn straight, but in practice I worry that the size of the effort directed this way in quantum computing is not nearly large enough.  The U.S. in particular has a severe dearth of quantum computing theorists, or at least such theorists who advance beyond the graduate student / postdoc level.

So post quantum cryptography is great, but it needs to be really “post quantum.”  And that scares me, because I look around and just don’t see the basis for a concerted effort to insure the security of these new cryptosystems against quantum attacks.

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The Giants Win the Pennant! The Giants Win the Pennant!

Okay, not quite as memorable, but the fan going nuts below is how I felt with my SF Giants going to the World Series:

I think I learned some of my first swear words in Candlestick park, growing up with Jeffrey Leonard, Jose Uribe, Will “the Thrill” Clark, and friends. The Bonds years were interesting, but I’m glad to see this new bunch of Giants. Brian Wilson is, as far as I can tell, absolutely crazy. Buster Posey has no idea he should be scared to death. And man, this team is completely and totally CLUTCH.
Go Giants!!!!

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Vegas Quantum Conference

Ever wondered if entanglement helps for beating the casinos?  Well you might not find out the answer to this question at ITNG 2011, but you might learn some quantum computing at the Special Track.  Deadline Oct 30, 2010:

Call for Papers
Special Track on Quantum Information Computing and Communications (STQICC)






Part of ITNG 2011
April 11-13, 2011, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
www.itng.info
(Proceedings to be published by the IEEE Computer Society-CPS)
Theme:
A special track on Quantum Information Computing and Communication will be organized within the ITNG2011. This is the second annual meeting on quality research oriented papers focusing on the latest research, and development in quantum information science. The objective of this special track is to provide the opportunity for research discussion, and collaborations between scientists, faculties, graduate students, and researchers.
The Special Track will feature the following topics:
1.         Quantum Information Theory
2.         Quantum Computing
3.         Quantum Communications
4.         Quantum Cryptography
5.         Developing and implementing quantum information
6.         Topological quantum computing
7.         Modeling and simulation of quantum computing
Paper Submission:
Papers must represent high quality and previously unpublished work, not currently under review by another conference, workshop, or journal. Your submission should include the author names, complete mailing addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and the email addresses of the authors. Interested authors should email a 6-page summary of their original and unpublished work including 5 keywords in the IEEE format through https://www.softconf.com/b/itng2011/. You can also email your paper to track chair with the subject line set as “ITNG 2011/STQICC”.
Evaluation Process:
Papers will be evaluated for originality, significance, clarity, and soundness. Per ITNG policy, except for invited papers, all papers will be reviewed by at least two independent reviewers. Accepted papers will be included in the conference proceedings published by the Conference Publishing Services-CPS and available on the IEEE digital library.
Best Student Paper:
The Best Student Paper will be awarded at the conference. To be eligible, the student must be the sole author of the paper, or the first author and primary contributor. (The winner of the award will present the paper in a plenary session at the conference). A cover letter to the General Chair/Track Chair must identify the paper as a candidate for this competition at the time of submission.
Track Chair:
Mehrdad S. Sharbaf, Loyola Marymount University, Adjunct Professor,
Chair IEEE Computer Society Coastal Los Angeles Chapter
Track Steering Committee:
Dr. Daniel Lidar, USC, Director and co-founding member of the USC Center for Quantum Information Science & Technology
Dr. Sanders Barry, University of Calgary, iCORE Chair of Quantum Information Science
Dr. Anton Zavriyev, MagiQ Technology, Director of R & D
Dr. Todd Brun, USC, Deputy Director USC Center for Quantum Information Science & Technology
Dr. Myungshik Kim, Queen’s University, Belfast, UK, Chair in Theoretical Physics, School of Mathematics and Physics
Dr.Kae Nemoto, Associate Professor, National Institute of Informatics, Japan
Important Dates:
Submission Deadline: October 30, 2010
Author Notification by: November 26, 2010
Camera Ready Due: February 4, 2011

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Radio Free Albemuth, the Film

Fans of Philip K. Dick delight!  “Radio Free Albemuth”, the film, premiered on October 7th at the Gotham Screen International Film Festival.  For those who don’t know, Radio Free Albemuth (RFA) is one of Dick’s last novels, and was basically a warm up exercise or first version of his strange and incomparable gnostic hallucination known as Valis. For some reason RFA, Valis, and my favorite PKD novel, The Transmigration of Timothy Archer, are often considered the Valis Trilogy, but I don’t think there is any evidence PKD thought of these in these terms about these three novels.
It seems that the film is currently just being screened at film festivals, and I can’t quite back up from the website whether or when it is destined for wider release.  Come on Holywood, you know PKD is worth some dollars!  By the way, Alanis Morrssette plays the character Sylvia in the movie.
In other PKD news there are rumors that Ridley Scott is producing a miniseries of PKD’s The Man in the High Castle.

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On the Road Again

Next week, Wed-Fri, I’ll be at University of Maryland for a workshop titled “From Quantum Information and Complexity to Post Quantum Information Security” sponsored by the Joint Quantum Institute (JQI), NIST, and the University of Maryland.  This should be a lot of fun: my talk is titled “Help!  There is a Computer in My Physical System!” and the program looks to have some fun talks as well.  And…here is the important part…it looks like I will have about three extra hours to spend in downtown D.C. (I’m flying out of DCA).  This is amazing because, while I fly in to Washington D.C. a lot, I never ever seem to have any extra time in my schedule when visiting.  So, if you had three hours in Washington D.C. what would you do?  (Cue Libertarian jokes about destroying the government in 3,2,1…)

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John Stewart Bell Prize 2011 Nominations

John Bell Prize nominations:
REQUEST FOR NOMINATIONS FOR THE JOHN STEWART BELL PRIZE 2011 FOR RESEARCH ON FUNDAMENTAL ISSUES IN QUANTUM MECHANICS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS
Dear friends and colleagues:
We are pleased to announce John Stewart Bell Prize 2011, and ask for your assistance in identifying candidates for the award.
The John Stewart Bell Prize for Research on Fundamental Issues in Quantum Mechanics and their Applications (short form: “Bell Prize”) will be awarded every other year, in particular again in 2011, for significant contributions first published in the 6 years preceding January 1st of the award year.  The award is meant to recognize major advances relating to the foundations of quantum mechanics and to the applications of these principles – this covers, but is not limited to, quantum information theory, quantum computation, quantum foundations, quantum cryptography, and quantum control.  The award is not intended as a “lifetime achievement” award, but rather to highlight the continuing rapid pace of research in these areas.  It is intended to cover even-handedly theoretical and experimental research, both fundamental and applied.
The award is funded and managed by the University of Toronto, Centre for Quantum Information and Quantum Control (CQIQC), but the award selection will be handled by an arms-length selection committee.  The membership of the 2011 committee is
Alain Aspect
Nicolas Gisin (winner of the inaugural Bell Prize 2009)
Aephraim Steinberg, ex officio vice-chair
John Preskill
Peter Zoller chair
The award will be presented as part of the biennial CQIQC conference, during which the awardee will be invited to deliver a prize lecture.
To nominate a candidate for this award, please email your nomination to Anna Ho, CQIQC administrative assistant, at aho [atatat] chem.utoronto.ca.  The nomination should include the name and affiliation of the nominee, a 1-2 paragraph statement of the importance of the contribution on the basis of which you are making the nomination and the principal literature citations to this work (which must have been published between January 2005 and December 2010). Self-nomination is prohibited.
All nominations received prior to December 25, 2010 will be considered (although the committee will not be bound to restrict itself to these nominations).
Thank you in advance for your assistance,
Peter Zoller
on behalf of the Bell Prize selection committee