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Ode to Self-Correcting Quantum Computers

With apologies to Radiohead’s “There, there”:

in pitch dark i go walking in your codespace.
broken errors trip me as i speak.
just ’cause you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.
just ’cause you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.
There’s always decoherence
Singing you to shipwreck
(Don’t reach out, don’t reach out
Don’t reach out, don’t reach out)
Steer away from these errors
We’d be a decohering disaster
(Don’t reach out, don’t reach out
Don’t reach out, don’t reach out)
just ’cause you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.
(there’s information on your shoulder)
(there’s information on your shoulder)
just ’cause you don’t see it doesn’t mean it’s not there.
(there’s information on your shoulder)
(there’s information on your shoulder)
There there!
Why so green and incoherent?
and incoherent
and incoherent
heaven sent you to me
to me
to me
we are accidents
waiting waiting to be corrected.
we are accidents
waiting waiting to be corrected.

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USEQIP

Undergrad program which looks cool:

IQC will be hosting an Undergraduate School on Experimental Quantum Information Processing (USEQIP) from June 1st to 12th, 2009 and we would like to ask you if you could share the information below with potential students in your department.
This two-week program on the theory and experimental study of quantum information processors is aimed primarily at students just completing their junior year (third year of undergraduate studies). The program is designed to introduce students to the field of quantum information processing and allow to have hands experience in the lab in this field. The lectures are geared to students of engineering, physics, chemistry and math, though all interested students are invited to apply. Space is limited. If you know of any students who would benefit from this type of school, please point them to the following url where they will find more information and registration details: http://www.iqc.ca/conferences/useqip/

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Quantum Booz (Allen Hamilton) Jobs

Charles passes along that Booz Allen Hamilton is looking for a few good quantum people:

JOB POSITION IN QUANTUM PHYSICS IN ARLINGTON, VA – BOOZ ALLEN HAMILTON, INC.
As you may already know from interacting with us at review meetings and conferences, our team at Booz Allen Hamilton provides scientific and technical expertise to a variety of government agencies. As consultants, we work with our clients to develop new research programs, monitor ongoing research, and to help transition technologies to other government agencies and industry.
Currently, we are looking to expand our physics team to meet the growing needs of our clients. To this end, we are actively searching for graduate students and postdocs, particularly those with a background in quantum science (information, computing, many-body physics, condensed matter/solid-state physics, quantum optics, degenerate gases, precision clocks, etc.), however we are searching in other areas as well.
A detailed description of the job is provided below. In addition, we will be attending the American Physical Society 2009 March Meeting Job Fair on March 16 – 17. Interested attendees are encouraged to get in touch with us at our booth to discuss employment opportunities, share their resume and/or interview. (If you will be at the March Meeting please email me directly to set up an interview or for more information: tahan_charles [[[[at]]]] bah.com )
– Charles Tahan
Science & Technology Consultant Position Description:
Serve as a strategic consultant to government science and technology research and development clients. Contribute to DoD investment in advancing the state of the art in a wide range of physical sciences-based technologies by combining strategic planning and technical analysis. Assist clients with developing and researching ideas for the formulation of new programs. Provide in-depth expertise in the assessment of proposals to determine the technical merit of proposal objectives and methodologies. Conduct background research and interface with the research community at large to evaluate the feasibility of new technological concepts and shape research program goals. Assist with the management of high-risk research programs. Generate and present comprehensive technical briefings, technical papers, and strategic recommendations to colleagues and clients. Perform and publish original technical analysis in support of client needs.
Basic Qualifications: PhD degree in quantum physics (condensed matter, AMO, quantum information, or related area) with demonstrated expertise in a technical area; Ability to commute to Arlington, VA; Ability to obtain a security clearance
Additional Qualifications: Ability to convey complex technical insights to specialist and generalist audiences; Ability to apply expertise across a wide variety of technical problems; Possession of excellent oral and written communication skills
Clearance: Applicants selected will be subject to a security investigation and may need to meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.
Please submit cover letter and CV electronically to tahan_charles [[[[at]]]] bah.com .

Those who wish for more contact info for Charles can send me an email (dabacon [[[[at]]]] gmail.com).

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links for 2009-02-18

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Quantized Poker?

I like poker and I like quantum computing and lo and behold here is a paper with both:

arXiv: 0902.2196
Title: Quantized Poker
Authors: Steven A. Bleiler
Poker has become a popular pastime all over the world. At any given moment one can find tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of players playing poker via their computers on the major on-line gaming sites. Indeed, according to the Vancouver, B.C. based pokerpulse.com estimates, more than 190 million US dollars daily is bet in on-line poker rooms. But communication and computation are changing as the relentless application of Moore’s Law brings computation and information into the quantum realm. The quantum theory of games concerns the behavior of classical games when played in the coming quantum computing environment or when played with quantum information. In almost all cases, the “quantized” versions of these games afford many new strategic options to the players. The study of so-called quantum games is quite new, arising from a seminal paper of D. Meyer cite{Meyer} published in Physics Review Letters in 1999. The ensuing near decade has seen an explosion of contributions and controversy over what exactly a quantized game really is and if there is indeed anything new for game theory. With the settling of some of these controversies cite{Bleiler}, it is now possible to fully analyze some of the basic endgame models from the game theory of Poker and predict with confidence just how the optimal play of Poker will change when played in the coming quantum computation environment. The analysis here shows that for certain players, “entangled” poker will allow results that outperform those available to players “in real life”.

Steven?