Quantum Bits

Quantum Wiki idea revived

2005-10-13T21:16:00.000-04:00

My thesis supervisors and I tried something like that back in the day when wikis were obscure but it fell completely flat. Now that wikis are becoming mainstream, one can hope that this experiment (or this one) will pick up some steam!

Artur Ekert says,

"Few students attending one of the NATO workshop in
Crete and the Benasque meeting earlier this year decided to start a
quantum wiki - (see www.quantiki.org ). It is still in its beta
version and needs some good content before it is widely advertised.
Please encourage your colleagues to contribute in any possible way
(especially your post-docs and students). Or perhaps you have something
written which you would like to "wikinize" :). Apart from scientific
content it can serve as a repository of useful information about research projects in quantum information science, world funding,
roadmaps etc and may eventually save us lots of time when dealing with
admin matters. It does have a potential to evolve into a really useful
resource for everybody in the field. So do spread the word please :)
Cheers, Artur"

Open Article Archive

2004-11-10T08:47:00.000-05:00

Kaveh Khodjasteh's Open Article Archive, blogging and classifying quantum computing papers from Arxiv. Example: posts about decoherence.

Research in Quantum Computing and Information across the world

2004-09-28T15:02:00.000-04:00

Research in Quantum Computing and Information, all in a nice geography-based tree, with links to groups, people and example papers.

Quantum Information Science and Technology Roadmapping Project

2004-08-18T15:14:00.000-04:00

Quantum Information Science and Technology Roadmapping Project: "The overall purpose of this roadmap is to help facilitate the progress of quantum computation research towards the quantum computer science era. It is a living document that will be updated at least annually. "

The New York Times > Science > Scientists Teleport Not Kirk, but an Atom

2004-06-18T10:23:00.000-04:00

The New York Times > Scientists Teleport Not Kirk, but an Atom

Two teams of scientists report today that for the first time they have teleported individual atoms, taking characteristics of one atom and imprinting them on a second. [...] The Colorado team used beryllium; the Innsbruck researchers used calcium.

New look

2004-05-27T06:41:00.000-04:00

I've changed the template on this blog. I think it looks much better. Do you?

2004-04-25T12:39:00.000-04:00

BBC NEWS - Quantum codes debut in real world: "US company MagiQ and Swiss firm ID Quantique have already sold hardware to several customers keen to protect data with quantum cryptography."

2004-04-25T12:34:00.000-04:00

Steve Gets A Life: quantum bank transfer: "some researchers from the University of Vienna have reportedly transferred money from a bank to Vienna City Hall using a process secured by quantum cryptography. "

2004-04-13T14:40:00.000-04:00

So here's my updated list of bloggers who offer windows into
quantum information processing research :

Dave Bacon

Michael Nielsen, coauthor (with Ike Chuang) of the excellent book "Quantum Computation and Quantum Information"

Lance Fortnow, a computational complexity theorist who occasionally writes about quantum computational complexity

Jonathan Kleid

Kaveh Khodjasteh - more personal than professional

Qubit News - mostly announcements

And I learned by way of Hein Roehrig that the arXiv preprint archive now offers RSS feeds; here's the quant-ph feed.

2003-11-30T09:50:00.000-05:00

Another quantum blog

Jonathan Kleid's Quantum Algorithms.

2003-09-16T11:17:00.000-04:00

QubitNews: a portal with news, comments, forums, announcements, debates, and any type of information source and services from the Quantum Community - don't miss this!

2003-09-11T07:38:00.000-04:00

Job posting

Institut für Theoretische Physik,

Max-Planck Institut für Optik, Information und Photonik

Quantum Cryptography

(Quantum Information Theory)

Research Location: Erlangen (Germany)

Research Topic: Quantum Key Distribution

Key words: Design of efficient and practical quantum key distribution protocols.
Security evaluations, including quantum error correction techniques. Exploitation of quantum
correlations via classical communication protocols.

Within an existing DFG project and for a newly established EU funded collaboration we are
seeking to fill the following vacant positions:

Positions:

Postdoc

(2 years, extendible for additional 2 years, BAT IIa.)

Profile: Experience in quantum information theory, interest in quantum key distribution and
quantum optical implementations. Demonstration of independent research is expected.

Direction: Coordination and derivation of security evaluations for implementations of
state-of-the-art quantum key distribution platforms.

Target starting date: January 1st, 2004.

PhD-Student

(3 years, BAT IIa/2.)

Profile: Basic education in quantum information theory, interest in classical information theory
and quantum optical implementations.

Direction: Development of novel classical communications protocols utilizing quantum
correlations.

Earliest starting date: October 1st, 2003.

Research Group: Emmy-Noether Research Group ‘Quantum Information Theory’,
Institut für Theoretische Physik, University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.

Our group is one of the leading groups in the theory of quantum key distribution with a strong
international reputation for the security of practical systems. The group has clear
international character. More information about our group under:

www.optik.uni-erlangen.de/leuchs/qit/Main.html

If you are interested in these openings, please contact: Dr. Norbert Lütkenhaus,

norbert.luetkenhaus -at - physik -dot- uni-erlangen.de , +49-9131-852 8375

2003-08-29T15:56:00.000-04:00

All Things Distributed: Using 3 Qubits instead of 2: "There have been reports about some interesting quantum computing progress by researchers from UCL and Oxford. Simon Benjamin and Sougato Boise have proposed a radically different quantum computer design that no longer requires on-off interactions between the qubits storing the states. Instead of relying on metal electrodes to control the interaction between two qubits sharing superposition, the new design uses a third qubit that is attuned to a different energy frequency. The middle electron responds differently to energy frequencies than does its neighbors on both sides, and the device would be able to complete all necessary logic functions necessary for quantum computing. "

2003-08-29T14:31:00.000-04:00

QIP 2004 - the 7th workshop on Quantum Information Processing | Institute for Quantum Computing

To be held in Waterloo, Canada; hosted by the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and the Institute for Quantum Computing.

January 15 - 19, 2004

Quantum information processing is the recasting of computer science in a quantum mechanical framework. It tries to improve on classical computers and classical complexity bounds by making use of quantum mechanical phenomena. After Peter Shor's 1994 discovery of efficient quantum algorithms for factoring and the discrete log (threatening current "classical" cryptography), the field has grown explosively and is now one of the most active subfields of both computer science and physics. QIP 2004 is the seventh workshop on quantum computing, quantum cryptography, and quantum information theory in the tradition of AQIP 98 in Aarhus, AQIP 99 in Chicago, QIP 2000 in Montreal, QIP 2001 at the CWI in Amsterdam, QIP 2002 at IBM in Yorktown Heights, and QIP 2003 at MSRI, Berkeley. The conference will run from Thursday 15 January until Monday 19 January. It will consist of various invited talks, a display of posters, and an open session.

Co-chairs: Michele Mosca (IQC & PI), Daniel Gottesman (PI) and Ashwin Nayak (IQC & PI).

Steering Committee: Dorit Aharonov, Charles Bennett, Harry Buhrman, Isaac Chuang, David DiVincenzo, Miklos Santha, Umesh Vazirani, John Watrous.

2003-04-24T15:09:00.000-04:00

New Journal of Physics special issue on Quantum Cryptography

NJP is completely free to read and you may access all contributions to
this issue on the Web.

Focus on Quantum Cryptography Contents

Quantum key distribution over 67 km with a plug&play system
D Stucki, N Gisin, O Guinnard, G Ribordy and H Zbinden

Autocompensating quantum cryptography
Donald S Bethune and William P Risk

Practical free-space quantum key distribution over 10 km in daylight and at night
Richard J Hughes, Jane E Nordholt, Derek Derkacs and Charles G Peterson

Quantum key distribution with realistic states: photon-number statistics in the photon-number splitting attack
Norbert Lütkenhaus and Mika Jahma

Entangled-photon six-state quantum cryptography
Daphna G Enzer, Phillip G Hadley, Richard J Hughes, Charles G Peterson and Paul G Kwiat

Building the quantum network
Chip Elliott

Architectures for long-distance quantum teleportation
Jeffrey H Shapiro

Ground to satellite secure key exchange using quantum cryptography
J G Rarity, P R Tapster, P M Gorman and P Knight

Method for decoupling error correction from privacy amplification
Hoi-Kwong Lo

2003-04-10T16:39:00.000-04:00

POST-DOC IN QUANTUM COMPUTING

The Laboratory for Research in Computer Science (LRI) affiliated with
the CNRS and the Universite Paris-Sud at Orsay, France offers one,
possibly two

One-year post-doc positions in quantum computation.

Starting date is September 2003 (negotiable). The post-doc is funded
by the European Union's Fifth Framework project RESQ (Resources for Quantum
Information).

The successful candidate will join the quantum group
(http://www.lri.fr/quantum/) which is part of
the Algorithms and Complexity team of the LRI (http://www.lri.fr/algo).
The members of the group are Christophe Durr, Julia Kempe
Sophie Laplante, Frederic Magniez, Miklos Santha and Jean-Pierre
Tillich.

The main research interests of the group are quantum algorithms and
complexity.

Applications should be sent by March 25, 2003. Later applications will
also be accepted until the positions are filled. Please send
the following application material to Miklos.Santha@lri.fr:

- CV, including a list of publications

- statement of interest

- 2 or 3 recent publications

- Contact information for 3 references

For more information please email Miklos.Santha@lri.fr.

2003-02-03T16:27:00.000-05:00

Count all the legs, divide by four

Here's a well-informed, accessible article on recent developments in quantum computing (namely, the Innsbruck experiment implementing the Deutsch-Josza algorithm). The author, Chris Wenham, wasn't able to sell it to a commercial publication, perhaps because it was too informative?

2003-01-07T15:37:00.000-05:00

from Seth Lloyd to George W. Bush

This one from the Edge 2003 World Question Center:

"By their potential power, quantum computers pose a significant threat to the security not only of classified encoded material, but to the security of most commercial transactions, in particular those that take place electronically. Despite the clear application of quantum computation to problems of national security, your security agencies have elected to pursue the majority of their research on quantum computers by open competition for public funds, under the stipulation that the results of the research be published and made available to all.

This is a wise course."
[...]

Science is public knowledge. But science is not the only field where openness is important. The security failures of 9/11 were caused not by too little, but by too much secrecy. And the discussions that form public policy should be public.

I know that other advisors are offering you conflicting advice: keep your cards close to your chest—don't let our enemies (or our allies) benefit from our hard-earned knowledge. Don't listen to them. Science isn't poker: it only works when the cards are dealt face up. Don't go down in history as the Texan who closed the scientific frontier.

2003-01-07T15:28:00.000-05:00

Benasque Quantum Information Workshop

Artur Ekert and Ignacio Cirac:

Following the editions of Benasque 1998 and 2000 we are organizing a workshop on quantum information in the summer of 2003. This is to invite you to apply using the electronic form that you can find at the website specified below. We would very much appreciate it if you could apply as soon as possible and not later than March 2003. The number of participants at the Benasque Centre at a given time is limited to about 50 and although we will do our best to accommodate most of the applicants, in some cases we may be unable to find suitable time slots for all of them, i.e. we cannot guarantee acceptance. On the other hand, participants staying for the full period will be offered an allowance of about 400 Euro. We do hope to see you in Benasque next year!

Title: Quantum Information.
Venue: Benasque in the Spanish Pyrenees.
Date: The 3 week period 22 June -- 11 July 2003.
Website: http://sophia.ecm.ub.es/

2002-12-09T13:41:00.000-05:00

Postdoc position at CQC

Got this in my mailbox yesterday.

The Cambridge Centre for Quantum Computation expects to be in a position to appoint a postdoctoral researcher in theoretical quantum cryptography in the near future. The position is associated with the EU-funded project PROSECCO, which aims to develop new quantum cryptographic protocols and improved security analyses for quantum cryptography. PROSECCO is scheduled to run for three years from 1.1.03, and the starting date for the postdoctoral position would be on or after this date. Potentially interested candidates should contact Adrian Kent for informal discussion.

2002-12-05T17:44:00.000-05:00

The schedule for the QIP workshop which begins next week at Berkeley, has been posted on the MSRI site for the workshop.

2002-12-05T15:25:00.000-05:00

Quantum Information Science and Technology Roadmap

The Quantum Information Science and Technology Roadmap version 1.0 is now publicly available. From the web site: The overall purpose of this roadmap is to help facilitate the progress of quantum computation research towards the quantum computer science era. It is a living document that will be updated annually.

Section 6.8 gives a nice overview of the theoretical computer science contributions to quantum computing. [source: My Computational Complexity Weblog]

I've added this document to the literature page in the QIP wiki.

2002-12-02T11:07:00.000-05:00

Lance Fortnow: "Andris Ambainis was supposed to spend the fall at MSRI in Berkeley but instead is enjoying his native Latvia."

2002-11-29T16:04:00.000-05:00

Quantum computing milestones

The Wikipedia article on quantum computers has a nice short section with milestones in the history of the field.

2002-11-29T15:53:00.000-05:00

Silicon qubit chip and Deutsch-Josza implementation

This article from NewScientist.com:

The first element of a device that many believe holds the best hope for quantum information processing has been completed by Australian researchers, while an Austrian team has reported the first truly quantum calculation. The achievements go some way to dispelling the widely-held idea that doing anything useful with quantum computing is decades or even centuries away.