-
winter 2011
InsIde the
PerImeterwww.perimeterinstitute.ca 31 Caroline Street North,
Waterloo, ON, Canada N2L 2Y5 I 519.569.7600
whAts insideUPCOMING SCIENTIFIC EVENTS
............................... 2
NEILS NOTES ...................... 3
PI NEWS .............................. 4
CONFERENCE RECAPS ............................. 13
PI PUBLICATIONS ................ 16
GLOBAL OUTLOOK .............. 18
OUTREACH UPDATE ............ 20
CULTURE @ PI .................... 24
PI COMMUNITY ................... 26
THE LIFE OF PI IN PHOTOS ........................ 28
Guifre Vidal Joins pi p.4
$4 Million Gift from BMo Creates new Chair p.5Black Strings
p.10
pi and Cita Join liGo p.9
-
02 winter 2011
ColloQuiaFor up-to-date information on colloquia, please visit:
www.perimeterinstitute.ca/Scientifi c/Seminars/Colloquium
adrian Kent, University of Cambridge/ Perimeter Institute TBA
MARCH 23 AT 2 PM, Theatre
Simon white, Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics The structure
of the dark matter distribution on laboratory scales MARCH 30 AT 2
PM, Theatre
roger penrose, University of Oxford Conformal Cyclic Cosmology:
Equations of Evolution, Observational Consequences APRIL 6 AT 2 PM,
Theatre
Christopher Stubbs, Harvard University TBA APRIL 20 AT 2 PM,
Theatre
eduardo Fradkin, University of Illinois TBA APRIL 27 AT 2 PM,
Theatre
Sandu popescu, University of Bristol TBA MAY 11 AT 2 PM,
Theatre
SeMinarSFor up-to-date information and locations, please visit:
www.perimeterinstitute.ca/Scientifi c/Seminars/Series
Gil holder, McGill University Particle Physics MARCH 25 AT 1 PM
abhay ashtekar, Pennsylvania State University ILQG
MARCH 29 AT 10 AM thomas Vidick, University of California,
Berkeley PI Quantum Discussions
MARCH 30 AT 4 PM andreas ross, Carnegie Mellon University Strong
Gravity
MARCH 31 AT 1 PM tarun Grover, University of California,
Berkeley Condensed Matter April 1 at 11 AM tadashi takayanagi,
Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe
Strings
APRIL 5 AT 11 AM lawrence price, California Institute of
Technology Cosmology & Gravitation
APRIL 5 AT 2 PM Brien nolan, Dublin City University Strong
Gravity
APRIL 7 AT 1 PM Kristan Jensen, University of Victoria Strings
APRIL 11 AT 11 AM
upCoMinG ConFerenCeS at piFor more details on PI conferences,
please visit: www.perimeterinstitute.ca/Scientifi
c/Conferences/Conferences
Back to the Bootstrap APRIL 12 14, 2011
4-Corner Southwest ontario Condensed Matter Symposium 2011 APRIL
26, 2011
Conceptual Foundations and Foils for Quantum information
processing MAY 9 13, 2011
uPcOming scientiFic eVents
Scientific OrganizersGiulio Chiribella, Perimeter Institute
(main organizer)Anne Broadbent, Institute for Quantum
ComputingRobert Spekkens, Perimeter Institute
Deadline for registration is May 3, 2011
www.perimeterinstitute.ca/Conceptual_Foundations_and_Foils_for_QIP
Invited SpeakersScott Aaronson, MITAntonio Acn, ICFO
BarcelonaHoward Barnum, University of New Mexico Jon Barrett, Royal
Holloway*Gilles Brassard, Universit de MontralNicolas Brunner,
University of BristolDan Browne, University College London*Caslav
Brukner, University of ViennaBob Coecke, University of OxfordRoger
Colbeck, Perimeter InstituteMauro DAriano, University of PaviaChris
Fuchs, Perimeter InstituteLucien Hardy, Perimeter InstituteMarc
Kaplan, Universit de MontralGen Kimura, Shibaura Institute of
Technology*Tsuyoshi Ito, Institute for Quantum Computing Lluis
Masanes, ICFOMarkus Mueller, Perimeter InstituteJonathan Oppenheim,
University of CambridgePaolo Perinotti, University of PaviaSandu
Popescu, University of BristolRenato Renner, ETH ZurichValerio
Scarani, National University of SingaporeBen Schumacher, Kenyon
CollegeAnthony Short, University of CambridgeStephanie Wehner,
National University of SingaporeAlex Wilce, Susquehanna University
Andreas Winter, University of Bristol*to be confirmed
Conceptual Foundations and Foils for Quantum Information
ProcessingMay 9 - 13, 2011Perimeter Institute for Theoretical
Physics, Waterloo, Ontario, CanadaThe interplay between
information-processing protocols and basic physical principles has
attracted increasing interest in the past few years and has been
the subject of many new and exciting results. Such investigations
offer a new perspective on the foundations of quantum theory, a
deeper understanding of the origin of quantum advantages for
information-processing, and a framework for exploring the nature of
information-processing within alternatives to quantum theory (foil
theories).
PirsA Pick of the issuenew Best hope for Quantum Gravity?
(http://pirsa.org/11020085/)
renate loll, utrecht university
Series: Colloquium
InsIde the PerImeter
-
winter 2011 03
Some view winter here as an ordeal: for me its a wonder, to look
out on the deep, bright snow and see the land-scape transformed.
Its also a reminder of how quickly things can change. Like
Perimeter, now in the throes of a major renewal. Laying the seeds,
we hope, for a springtime bringing transforma-tive insights to our
research. As you have often read in these pages, we are building a
research community here of exceptional depth, around the central
themes of quantum theory and spacetime: the basic laws and the
arena for physics. A major emphasis naturally falls on enlarging
our research faculty, and I am delighted to report that Guifre
Vidal, a pioneer working at the interface of quantum information
and condensed matter physics, will shortly be joining PI from the
University of Queensland. No other institute in our field,
worldwide, has such ambitious growth plans. To support them and
secure Perimeters long-term future, we have launched Expanding the
Perimeter, a major campaign to build our endowment and widen our
circle of supporters. We have been thrilled at the intensity of
interest and commitment so far garnered across Canada. Innovators
and leaders from many arenas have joined our Leadership Council and
are generously lending their time and talents to the campaign. In
late November, Expanding the Perimeter celebrated a major success.
The BMO Financial Group contributed $4 mil-lion to create the BMO
Financial Group Isaac Newton Chair in Theoretical Physics at
Perimeter Institute. This is the largest single gift BMO has ever
made to an academic institution. Coming from a major financial
institution this is an extraor-dinary endorsement of our conviction
that investment in fundamental research is an essential element of
ensuring our shared future prosperity as a society. The Newton
Chair is only the first of five Research Chairs we plan to create
at Perimeter, each named after a scientist whose insights helped
define modern physics: Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell, Albert
Einstein, Niels Bohr and Paul Dirac. The holders of the Perimeter
Research Chairs will be chosen from among the worlds leading
physicists, building the strength of our research community and
helping us to fulfill our mission of fostering major breakthroughs
in our understanding of the universe. Surprisingly, in view of
Newtons pre-eminence in modern science, this Chair is, as far as I
know, the first to be named
for him worldwide. And who was Newton? He came out of nowhere
(the backwoods of Lincolnshire in England to be precise) to solve
thousand-year-old riddles. He invented entirely new mathematics
calculus and used it to create the new sciences of mechanics,
gravitation, optics, fluids. His equations were far more powerful
than even he knew. For example, they describe the expansion of the
universe and the formation of galaxies and stars. As the Russian
astrophysicist Zeldovich said: There is nothing wrong with
Newtonian cosmology all it takes is courage. Today, giant
supercomputers solve Newtons equations to describe the clustering
of galaxies and stars, although even Newton him-self never
attempted to describe the universe in this way. The economist John
Maynard Keynes, who collected many of Newtons original manuscripts,
stated that Newton was not the first of the age of reason, but
rather the last of the magicians. In his rooms at Trinity College,
Cambridge, he famously spent more time on alchemy than he did on
physics. Some find this surpris-ing, but perhaps there is really no
puzzle. One definition of theoretical physics is simply that it is
magic which works. Newton was looking for magic, and he found it in
physics, discovering that the world works according to mathematical
rules. With persistence, we can reveal them and use them to create
phenomena which are truly magical. So in a sense, Newton marked the
transition from magic based on traditional beliefs and superstition
to scientific magic which transcends us all and which is our
greatest hope for the future. One of the most moving experiences of
my career was to examine Newtons own private library, a small
collection held in the Wren Library in Trinity College at
Cambridge. It includes Galileos manuscripts, with Newtons comments
scribbled in the margins. Newton and his peers were the beginning
of the modern scientific community like us, they worked in special
institutions which gave them the space and the support they needed.
And just who will occupy the Newton Chair? Stay tuned...
Neil Turok
On Alchemy And Physics
NEILS NOTESInsIde the PerImeter
-
Dr. Etera Livine has been appointed as Perimeters first Visiting
Fellow. The new Visiting Fellows program will bring accomplished
early career scientists to Perimeter for extended research periods
of up to six months each year, while maintaining their positions at
other institutions. The appointments are for three-year terms. Dr.
Livine is a Charg de Recherche for the Centre National de la
Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) at the Laboratoire de Physique of the
cole Normale Suprieure de Lyon, in France. He works in the area of
quantum gravity, with a focus on spinfoam models, and has recently
developed an interest in deriving effective dynamics for quantum
cosmology from these models. From 2003 - 2006, Dr. Livine was a
Postdoctoral Fellow at PI, and he is looking forward to returning
to Waterloo to
work with past collaborators including Faculty member Laurent
Freidel and postdoc-toral researcher Valentin Bon-zom as well as
developing new collaborations. As he puts it, I like the
interactive atmosphere at PI; theres always something new and
exciting every day. I like working on the comfortable sofas,
discussing physics in the evening at the Bistro or sorting out
controversies in the squash court. I like the whole friendly and
very active ambiance at PI.
Natasha Waxman
Pi APPOints First Visiting FellOw
04 winter 2011
t his May, Perimeter Institute will welcome a new member to its
research faculty, as current Distinguished Research Chair (DRC)
Guifre Vidal is set to arrive with two post-doctoral researcher
colleagues. In addition to serving as a DRC since 2009, Dr. Vidal
is currently an Australian Research Council Federation Fellow at
the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. In making the
announcement, PIs Director Neil Turok said, Professor Vidal has
pioneered powerful new methods for understanding large quantum
systems which exhibit fascinating collective phenomena. His
research combines insights from quantum information, computational
physics, and condensed matter physics and lays the basis for a far
more sophisticated understanding of the real quantum world around
us. We are thrilled to have Guifre join us at PI he will greatly
strengthen and broaden our expertise in quantum information, field
theory and condensed matter. Dr. Vidal works at the inter face of
quantum information and condensed matter physics. He has done
extensive work on quantum entanglement, both with regards to
quantum computing and in the broader context of many-body systems.
He has developed new computational approaches, such as entanglement
renormalization, to gain a better understanding of condensed matter
systems. His present work concerns the use of tensor network
states, such as the multi-scale entanglement renormalization ansatz
(MERA) and projected entangled pair states (PEPS), to compute the
ground state of quantum many-body systems on a lattice, and to
issue a classification of the possible phases of quantum matter,
corresponding to the different fixed points of the renormalization
group flow. The tensor network formalism is likely to become
relevant across many research areas involving many-body physics,
which made Perimeters interdisciplinary environment particularly
appealing. Dr. Vidal said, I very much look forward to starting to
work as a Faculty member at Perimeter Institute. I have visited PI
several times since its creation, and have always enjoyed the
special atmosphere it offers to researchers. However,
what finally made me decide to join the Institute was the recent
inclusion of condensed matter theory as one of its core research
areas. Dr. Vidal received his PhD from the University of Barcelona
in 1999 under the supervision of Prof. Rolf Tarrach. He was a
postdoctoral fellow in Prof. Ignacio Ciracs group at the University
of Innsbruck in Austria from 1999 - 2002 and then worked as a
postdoctoral fellow with Prof. John Preskill at the Institute for
Quantum Information at the California Institute of Technology from
2002 - 2005. He has been a professor in the School of Mathematics
and Physics at the University of Queensland since 2005. Dr. Vidals
past honours include a Marie Curie Fellowship, awarded by the
European Union, and a Sherman Fairchild Foundation Fellowship.
Mike Brown
Further exploration: Dr. Vidal recently spoke with Science Watch
about some of his highly-cited work. You can read that interview
at: http://www.sciencewatch.com/ana/st/quantum/10julSTVida/
G. Vidal, J. I. Latorre, E. Rico and A. Kitaev. Entanglement in
quantum critical phenomena. Physical Review Letters 90, 227902
(2003). http://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0211074
G. Vidal. Efficient classical simulation of slightly entangled
quantum computa-tions. Physical Review Letters 91, 147902 (2003).
http://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0301063
G. Vidal. Efficient simulation of one-dimensional quantum
many-body systems. Physical Review Letters 93, 040502 (2004).
http://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0310089
G. Vidal. Entanglement Renormalization. Physical Review Letters
99, 220405 (2007).
guiFre VidAl tO JOin Pi FAculty
PI NEWSInsIde the PerImeter
-
i n the winter of 2009, Bill Downe, President and CEO of Bank of
Montreal (BMO), came to Perimeter to satisfy his curiosity about
what it is were doing here. He listened to PI Board Chair and
founder Mike Lazaridis impassioned talk about his belief in the
importance of supporting basic research, and how theoretical
physics is behind some of the biggest technological advances in our
history. Intrigued, Mr. Downe invited Mr. Lazaridis and PI Director
Neil Turok to share the PI story at a special thought leadership
event being hosted by BMO later that spring.
What resulted from their new association was the single largest
donation ever made by BMO to support science $4 million to
establish the BMO Financial Group Isaac Newton Chair in Theoretical
Physics at Perimeter Institute, announced at PI on November 29,
2010. It is the first of five such chairs that will be named for
the scientists whose insights defined modern physics: Isaac Newton,
Albert Einstein, James Clerk Maxwell, Paul Dirac, and Niels Bohr.
Appropriately, the first chair is named for Isaac Newton, one of
the most brilliant and influential scientists in history, whose
work marks the starting point of modern physics. Mr. Downe
explained, We believe so strongly in the work that is happening at
PI that we wanted to invest in it, contributing, we hope, to PIs
and Canadas success. This donation is a celebration of Canadian
science and the possi-bilities that will fire the imagination of
the next generation of scientists. While BMO operates in the
practical world of banking, we see ourselves as innovators as well.
Its not easy to understand what the researchers at PI are doing,
but what is easy to understand is the link between the questions
theyre asking and the implications for us all, when they find the
answers. Speaking at the announcement, Mr. Lazaridis said, What
were trying to do at PI is live up to the remarkable tradition of
research advancements, such as those of Newton and Einstein. BMO
recognizes that in order to move science, technology, and society
forward, we must invest in the breakthrough research that makes
innovation possible. With this gift from BMO, we can continue to
invest in important research that, one day, may transform our world
once again.
Carrie Gabla
Pictured (L to R): Mike Lazaridis, Founder of Perimeter
Institute; Bill Downe, President & CEO, BMO Financial Group;
The Honourable Glen Murray, Minister of Research and Innovation;
Neil Turok, Director of Perimeter Institute
The actual telescope that Newton built still exists, and resides
at the Royal Society in London. This exact replica of Newtons
telescope was pre-sented to Bill Downe, President and CEO of BMO
Financial Group, in recognition of BMOs $4 million contribution to
PI and to science.
$4 milliOn BmO giFt creAtes new reseArch chAir
Just 15 cm long, Sir Isaac Newtons little telescope sym-bolizes
one of the biggest stories in science showing the nearly miraculous
way Newton braided observation, theory and experiment to achieve
breakthroughs. Newtons investigations into light, in which he used
a prism showing that white light was composed of a spectrum of
colours, led him to figure out the cause of a distortion that
afflicted the telescopes of his day. He realized that light passing
through the lenses was being refracted unevenly, causing fringes of
colour to appear around the objects being observed, and obscuring
them. By contrast, he reasoned, since light doesnt pass through a
mirror, but simply bounces off its surface, there should be no such
distortion. To prove his point, in 1668, Newton built the worlds
first functional reflecting telescope, grinding the mirrors himself
out of a highly reflective metal of his own composition. He
continued to refine the design to achieve a telescope that enabled
him to minutely observe and calculate the motions of the planets.
These observations were crucial to the development of his law of
universal gravitation, and the new
mathematics of calculus needed to precisely calculate their
observed elliptical orbits. Astronomy took off as a science after
the reflecting tele-scope was invented. Mirrors are still used in
many modern telescopes, including the Hubble space telescope, whose
huge mirrors have enabled it to reveal astounding new vistas.
Carrie Gabla & Natasha Waxman
thrOugh the lOOking glAss
winter 2011 05
-
06 winter 2011
Mike lazaridis, O.C., O.Ont. (Council Co-Chair)Founder,
Perimeter InstitutePresident & Co-CEO, Research in Motion Ltd.
(RIM)
Cosimo Fiorenza (Council Co-Chair)Vice Chair, Board of
Directors, Perimeter InstituteVice-President and General Counsel,
Infinite Potential Group
alexandra (alex) BrownPresident, Aprilage Inc.
David CaputoPresident & CEO, Sandvine
Jim CooperPresident & CEO, Maplesoft
Catherine (Kiki) Delaney, C.M.President, C.A. Delaney Capital
Management Ltd.
arlene DickinsonCEO, Venture Communications Ltd.
Ginny DybenkoExecutive Strategic Initiatives, Wilfrid Laurier
University
Jim estillPartner, Canrock Ventures
edward S. GoldenbergPartner, Bennett Jones LLP
tim JacksonCEO, Accelerator Centre
tom JenkinsExecutive Chairman & Chief Strategy Officer, Open
Text
Carol leeCEO and Co-Founder, Linacare Cosmetherapy Inc.
Michael lee-Chin, o.J.Executive Chairman & CEO, Portland
Investment Counsel Inc.
Don MorrisonChief Operating Officer, Research in Motion Ltd.
(RIM)
Gerry remers President & COO, Christie Digital Systems
Canada Inc.
Bruce rothneyPresident & Country Head, Canada, Barclays
Capital Canada Inc.
Maureen SabiaChairman of the Board, Canadian Tire Corporation
Ltd.
Kevin SheaChair, Ontario Media Development Corporation
t he Expanding the Perimeter Leadership Council, led by
Co-Chairs Mike Lazaridis and Cosimo Fiorenza, has been created to
bring business and community together to assist others in
understanding the impact they can have on moving science forward
through financial support of PI. The Council met as a group for the
first time at PI on October 27, 2010. They spent the afternoon
discovering why PI Founder Mike Lazaridis and Director Neil Turok
are so excited about what were doing here. They heard from Lee
Smolin, Latham Boyle, Natalia Toro, and Adrienne Erickcek about
their research, and from student Laura Piispanen about the PSI
Masters program. Greg Dick and John Matlock also spoke about PI
Outreach and Communications activities, with animated conversations
continuing over a delicious dinner at the Black Hole Bistro and in
the days that followed. We are honoured to have such an exceptional
team of volunteers on our Council, which will continue to grow as
new members are sought locally, nationally and abroad.
Carrie Gabla
exPAnding the Perimeter leAdershiP cOuncil
leaDerShip CounCil MeMBerS
carnegie group of international s&t leaders Visits
PiPerimeter Institute hosted a visit by the worlds science and
technology leaders during a Carnegie Group meeting in Ontario.
Carnegies annual meetings provide a forum for open ex-changes among
chief science advisors and ministers responsible for research from
G13 countries and the European Union on science-related issues.
Perimeter Institute Director Neil Turok gave a presentation on the
importance of basic research in the broader science, technology and
innovation ecosystem, as well as his insights on PIs unique
strengths and linkages throughout the worlds research, training and
outreach communities.
PI NEWSInsIde the PerImeter
-
winter 2011 07
Perimeter Institute Distinguished Research Chair Yakir Aharonov
has been awarded the highest honour bestowed on scientists by the
United States government, the National Medal of Science. The award
was presented by President Barack Obama in a White House ceremony
on November 17. PI Director Neil Turok commented, Within the world
of physics, Professor Aharonov is simply a legend. His career has
been characterized by a series of brilliant and unexpected insights
into the deepest aspects of quantum theory and their manifestations
in real phenomena. The National Medal, which recognizes outstanding
contri-butions to the biological, social, physical or mathematical
sciences, has been awarded annually since 1959. Previous recipients
in physics include such luminaries as Richard Feynman and Hans
Bethe. The Medal is the latest in a long list of accolades awarded
to Professor Aharonov for his work on the foundations of quantum
mechanics; he has previously been honoured with the Wolf Prize in
Physics, and holds four honorary doctorates from universities on
three continents. Professor Aharonovs best-known discovery is the
Aharonov- Bohm effect, a quantum phenomenon which fundamentally
advanced modern physics by demonstrating that potentials, not
forces, were the most appropriate language in which to describe the
quantum world. The implications of the Aharonov- Bohm effect are
still being probed by researchers in quantum foundations, more than
50 years after its discovery. Other important contributions to
physics made by Professor Aharonov include the theory of weak
measurement, which allows certain classes of quantum systems to be
measured without altering their state. He is also the co-discoverer
of the Aharonov-Casher effect, an effect dual to the Aharonov-Bohm
effect that has proven important to experimental quantum computing.
According to PI Faculty member Lucien Hardy, Professor Aharonovs
no-nonsense approach to the foundations of
quantum theory has been a tremendous inspiration to gen-erations
of physicists interested in the detailed conceptual structure of
the theory. His work on understanding quantum theory in terms of
pre- and post-selected ensembles, in par-ticular, continues to
provide deep and fundamental insights that will, I expect, prove
important in future developments of theoretical physics. In
addition to his visiting researcher appointment as a DRC, Professor
Aharonov is the James J. Farley Professor in Natural Philosophy at
Chapman University and Professor Emeritus at Tel Aviv University in
Israel.
Natasha Waxman
Read more about the Aharonov-Bohm Effect on page 8.
PI DIstInguIsheD ReseaRch chaIR YakIR ahaRonov WIns us natIonal
MeDal of scIence
BaRBaRa Palk JoIns PI BoaRD of DIRectoRs
P erimeter Institute welcomes Barbara Palk to the Institutes
Board of Directors. The recently retired President of TD Asset
Management Inc., one of Canadas leading money management firms, and
former Senior Vice President of TD Bank Financial Group joined the
Board on December 4, 2010. She is a Fellow of the Canadian
Securities Institute, a CFA Charterholder, and a member of the
Toronto Society of Financial Analysts. In addition to her
distinguished career in financial services, Ms. Palk has a long
record of community service. Currently, Ms. Palk is Vice Chair of
the Board of Trustees of Queens University and the Chair of its
Investment Committee, and a member of the Boards of The Shaw
Festival and Greenwood College School. Previously, Ms. Palk has
served as a director of Unicef Canada, CanStage, and the Investment
Counsel
Association of Canada, as Vice Chair of the Board of the
Canadian Coalition of Good Governance, and as a member of the
Council of Examiners for The CFA Institute. She is a past Co-Chair
of the Queens University Advancement Committee, and past President
of The Ticker Club. In 2004, Ms. Palk was honoured as a recipient
of the Ontario Volunteer Award and by The Womens Executive Network
as one of Canadas Most Powerful Women: Top 100 in the Trailblazer
category.
Natasha Waxman
-
08 winter 2011
One hurdle on the road to building quantum computers is that
they are very vulnerable to errors caused by unintended
interactions with the environment outside the computer. Indeed,
errors are unavoidable in any device used for quantum information
processing. Recently, researchers from Perimeter Institute and the
Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) implemented a novel way to
cope with errors inherent to quantum systems, and published their
results in Nature Communications. A number of error-correcting and
fault-tolerant methods have been developed in recent years to
overcome quantum imperfections. In particular, some methods rely on
the ability to prepare quantum bits (qubits) in a special
high-purity state: the so-called magic state. The researchers
implemented, for the fi rst time, the magic-state distillation.
This quantum algorithm involves applying quantum operations to fi
ve imperfect magic states and distill-ing one with high-purity. The
research team implemented the distillation protocol with a
seven-qubit nuclear magnetic
resonance system. In order to successfully realize their
experiment, they had to achieve a very high degree of control over
their qubits and perform precise measurements of this large quantum
system. The result is an important building block in the
implementation of quantum information processing, according to PI
Associate Faculty member and IQC Director Raymond Lafl amme, one of
the papers co-authors. We know there are incredible advantages to
quantum information processing over classical computing, but the
hurdle we need to overcome is errors, he said. We cant completely
eliminate errors, but we can learn to control them.
Colin Hunter
Further exploration:- Experimental magic state distillation for
fault-tolerant quantum computing, Alexandre M. Souza, Jingfu Zhang,
Colm A. Ryan, Raymond Lafl amme. Nature Communications, 2, 169
(2011), DOI 10.1038/ncomms1166. arXiv:1103.2178.
mAgic stAte imPlementAtiOn AchieVed
intuition, the tool that allows us to predict and thus function
in our world, has been shown time and again to collapse in
spectacular and surprising ways at the quantum scale. For example,
we would expect that a charged particle moving through a region of
space where it feels no force would experience no change, even if
there was a magnetic fi eld in another region of space very close
by. The Aharonov-Bohm effect, predicted by Yakir Aharonov and David
Bohm in 1959, turns this logic on its head, and forced physicists
either to reformulate their understanding of electrodynamics, or to
abandon the concept of locality and accept what Einstein coined
spooky action at a distance. Picture a long electric coil, wound
into a cylinder, through which a current is running.
Electrodynamics tells us the current induces a magnetic fi eld
inside the coil, but no magnetic fi eld outside it. In a world
without quantum mechanics, it would then be safe to assume that an
electron passing outside the solenoid would be completely
unaffected by it. Just as a charged particle in a Faraday cage
feels no electric fi eld, one just outside a solenoid feels no
magnetic fi eld. In classical electrodynamics, magnetic fi elds are
described with the help of a vector potential, a quantity
originally introduced only as a mathematical tool. In the classical
world the vector potential is never measured; in fact, it is
impossible even to say uniquely what it would be, as the same
magnetic fi eld can be derived from a whole family of vector
potentials. Importantly, though, the vector potential is non-zero
in regions of space where the magnetic fi eld is zero, and although
this effect cannot be measured classically, it has implications
when we enter the quantum world. On the quantum scale, particles
arent just particles, but behave like waves, too. Thus, electrons
on the quantum scale can be in or out of phase, and can form
diffraction patterns. If an electron is diffracted through a double
slit, it will create an interference pattern on a screen. If a
solenoid containing a magnetic fi eld is then placed between the
two potential
paths of the diffracted electron (see Figure 1), we would expect
nothing to change in the classical picture. However, the vector
potential has the ability to shift the phase of the electron wave.
This, in turn, shifts the diffraction pattern. A tangible effect of
a supposedly imaginary potential, which exerts no force, has been
observed.
The Aharonov-Bohm effect was fi rst confi rmed experimentally in
Tokyo in 1985 by Akira Tonomura and collaborators. It leaves
physicists with a choice: accept that the vector poten-tial is a
real entity and that forces are not the fundamental engines of
change in physics, or demand that the magnetic fi eld be capable of
affecting regions of space in which it is zero. This choice has
implications for the foundations of quantum mechanics and for the
formulation of physics in general that are still being discussed
today.
Imogen Wright
Further exploration:
- Detailed explanation of the Aharonov-Bohm Effect:
http://rugth30.phys.rug.nl/quantummechanics/ab.htm
- Journal of Physics A Special Issue on the Aharonov-Bohm
Effect:
http://iopscience.iop.org/1751-8121/43/35
AnOther QuAntum surPrise: the AhArOnOV-BOhm eFFect
PI NEWSInsIde the PerImeter
Figure 1: A double slit experiment, where the phases of the two
possible electron paths are altered with respect to each other by
the presence of a non-zero magnetic fl ux contained in a
solenoid.
-
winter 2011 09
Kipp and I are currently working on developing techniques for
real-time gravitational wave astronomy to facilitate joint
observation with optical, gamma-ray and radio telescopes. We hope
to catch the full electromagnetic and gravitational spectrum for
transient gravitational wave events such as the merger of neutron
stars. It is a technically challenging task, given the
computational complexity of searching the vast compact binary
space, but may be critical for confirming unequivocally that the
first gravitational wave detections have occurred. Ultimately,
prompt electromagnetic observation (within seconds) following a
gravitational wave observation will deepen our understanding of
some of the mechanisms driving transient events in our universe,
allowing us to correlate the gravitational wave signal with the
electromagnetic signal throughout the event. Our work meshes well
with the exciting work conducted by Luis Lehner (PI), Carlos
Palenzuela (CITA) and collaborators on modeling electromagnetic
emission from compact binary systems.
Gravitational wave observation will provide tests for strong
gravity that are not possible in any conceivable laboratory. The
joint PI and CITA MOU with the LSC will open up possibili-ties for
current and future researchers at PI hoping to connect with
gravitational wave experiments. Anyone interested in discussing
such opportunities is invited to contact me
([email protected]) or Kipp Cannon
([email protected]).
Chad Hanna
CITA-ICAT
Pi And citA BecOme First cAnAdiAn memBers OF the ligO scientiFic
cOllABOrAtiOn
i joined Perimeter Institute as a postdoctoral researcher in
October 2010 after working at the LIGO Laboratory (short for Laser
Inter ferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory) at Caltech. Ive
been involved with the LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC) in one
form or another for about seven years and, as I was transitioning
to PI, Kipp Cannon of the Canadian Institute for Theoretical
Astrophysics (CITA) and I petitioned successfully to join the LSC
on behalf of PI and CITA. We have signed a memorandum of
understanding with the LSC to continue our research into
gravitational wave observation, including the merger of neutron
stars and black holes, cosmic string cusps and other transient
phenomena. This venture marks the first Canadian membership in the
LSC and further strengthens the relationship between PI and CITA. I
think it also holds great potential as an opportunity to stimulate
new observational tests for fundamental theories, and should fit
nicely with the Institutes goal of engaging with scientists at
leading experimental and observational centres. The LIGO Scientific
Collaboration is paving the way for the era of gravitational wave
astronomy. Founded in 1997, the LSC is an international
collaboration of around 700 scientists from over 60 institutions
and 11 countries worldwide, working on building and operating
kilometre-scale laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors.
Their primary objective is to observe gravitational waves from the
nearby universe. The LSC oversees the scientific goals and analysis
of the two American LIGO detectors located in Hanford, Washington
and Livingston, Louisiana as well as the GEO detector near
Hannover, Germany. Since May 2007, the LSC has operated jointly
with the Virgo Scientific Collaboration operating a detector near
Pisa, Italy. The LIGO project recently successfully completed its
first phase, attaining a peak strain sensitivity of ~10 -23 Hz -1/2
which, just to provide the scale of that infinitesimal strain, is
roughly equivalent to being able to detect when something the
diameter of the Milky Way is stretched or squeezed by the width of
your thumbnail. The two LIGO sites and the Virgo site are scheduled
to have significant upgrades in the next five years that should
further increase their sensitivity by a factor of 10. Pending
funding, an advanced LIGO observatory in Australia and the
Large-scale Cryogenic Gravitational wave
Telescope (LCGT) in Japan may also be operating this decade.
With the development of advanced detectors on a global scale, the
direct detection of gravitational waves is a near certainty in the
next decade. The regular observation of gravitational waves will
deepen our understanding of highly energetic phe-nomena in the
universe and may reveal new and exciting physics.
Aerial view of Livingston, LA, LIGO Observatory.
-
10 winter 2011
Anew act has opened in a cosmic drama that began nearly 20 years
ago, and features many PI-related characters weaving in and out of
the story ... A recent paper published in Physical Review Letters
by PI Associate Faculty member Luis Lehner and Frans Pretorius
(Princeton University) describes the evolution and ultimate fate of
a higher dimensional object the black string. It also dangles the
tantalizing possibility that spacetime singularities not hidden
behind an event horizon may exist. The cosmic censorship hypothesis
conjectures that no such naked singularity is possible in nature,
meaning that we are forever blind to the point where all known laws
of physics break down and only quantum gravity can rule. Professors
Lehner and Pretorius work suggests, however, that in five
dimen-sions the end state of a spacetime containing a black string
may indeed include a naked singularity. The question of stability
whether a physical state is
robust when perturbed is crucial to an understanding of any
physical system. Black holes have been known to be stable in four
dimensions for nearly 40 years. As Lehner points out, it is crucial
that black holes are stable in four dimensions, because, for
instance, the black hole at the centre of our galaxy is
continuously perturbed by objects surrounding it and falling into
it. However, many unified theories postulate that we live in more
than four dimensions. Here, higher dimensional cousins of black
holes, black strings, can be studied mathematically. A black string
is essentially a black hole extended in one dimension, and is a
solution to Einsteins equations in five dimensions and higher. PI
Associate Faculty member Raymond Laflamme and Professor Ruth
Gregory (Durham University), a Perimeter Scholars International
(PSI)
lecturer, conjectured in 1993 that, unlike black holes, black
strings would be unstable and decayed into a chain of black holes.
This conjecture was believed to be true but the dynamics behavior
and final state of the system remained unknown for almost two
decades. The complexity of the system and the computational power
required to model it numerically proved a stumbling block for a
decade. Lehner recalls that from 1993, several hundred papers were
written assuming that this conjecture was correct, but no one ever
proved it. It wasnt until Lehner and Pretorius were invited to
lecture in PSI in early 2010 that they were able to concentrate for
enough time together on the problem to finally solve it. They
turned to the cutting-edge numerical relativity employing methods
of adaptive mesh refinement to model a perturbed black string in
five dimensions. They confirmed that the instability causes the
string to pinch off, forming
a chain of black holes connected by thinner strings. These
strings are affected by the same instability as the parent string,
and in turn pinch off to form more black holes, con-nected by even
thinner strings. Lehner and Pretorius were able to model the series
of self-similar black hole formations accurately enough to predict
the final state of the system. The curvature of each successive
generation of black holes is dependent on string radius, meaning
that the event horizon of each generation will be smaller than that
of the last. The final generation of strings will thus coalesce
into singulari-ties with no event horizon at all naked
singularities. The time between generations also depends on string
radius, so each generation of black holes forms more quickly than
the last, meaning that the naked singularities form in finite time.
Lehner explains that with a small enough black string this could
happen in seconds, but that an object the mass of the supermassive
black hole in the centre of our galaxy would takes weeks to
terminate the series. Cosmic censorship the absence of naked
singularities was supported by PI Distinguished Research Chair
Stephen Hawking in a famous bet against John Preskill and Kip
Thorne, both of the California Institute of Technology. Hawking was
forced to concede the bet in 1996, however, when Professor Matt
Choptuik of the University of British Columbia, also a PSI
lecturer, demonstrated that a naked singularity could arise in a
special case in a collapsing black hole. However, because of the
amount of fine tuning involved, which Choptuik compares to
balancing a pen on its tip with your finger, Hawking classed the
concession as a technicality. In the black string scenario
investigated by Lehner and Pretorius there is no such fine tuning.
However, Lehner suspects that Dr. Hawking would nevertheless
consider the scenario a technicality, since the existence of higher
dimen-sions is itself unconfirmed. Where could the story go from
here? According to Lehner, continuing the study of the black string
system beyond the point where a singularity arises would require an
understanding of quantum gravity that would remove the infinities
present. However, assuming the resolution of these infinities, he
predicts that small perturbations in spacetime would cause the many
formed black holes in the series to merge, creating a single large
black hole as the true final state of the system.
Imogen Wright
Editors Note: Imogen Wright was a member of the first class of
Perimeter Scholar International, and stays in touch with regular
contributions to PIs newsletter.
Further exploration:- APS Synopsis -
http://physics.aps.org/synopsis-for/10.1103/
PhysRevLett.105.101102- L. Lehner and F. Pretorius, Black
Strings, Low Viscosity Fluids, and Violation
of Cosmic Censorship, Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 101102 (2010)- Watch
an animation of Professors Lehner and Pretorius results here:
http://www.livescience.com/common/media/video/player.
php?videoRef=LS_100921_black_strings
BrAiding BlAck strings, cOsmic censOrshiP, And Pi
reseArchers
PI NEWSInsIde the PerImeter
-
winter 2011 11
Astrophysicist Andrea Lommen is an Associate Professor of
Physics and Astronomy at Franklin & Marshall College. She is
Chair of the International Pulsar Timing Array, an organization
that seeks to foster collaboration amongst the worlds major pulsar
timing arrays, and served as Charter Chair of the North American
Nanohertz Observatory of Gravi-tational Waves (NANOGrav) until the
end of 2010. Professor Lommen is also the founder of the
Mid-Atlantic Relativistic Initiative in Education (MARIE), a
science outreach program for high school students, and serves on
the Program Advisory Council of the Laser Interferometer
Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO). After connecting with
Associate Faculty member Luis Lehner and Postdoctoral Researcher
Chad Hanna through LIGO, she visited PI for the fi rst time in
December, and presented a seminar about her work with NANOGrav
(available on PIRSA at pirsa.org/10120035). She plans to return for
another visit in September.
MB: What are your initial impressions of PI?
al: Its an amazing place. I love the way the space is set up the
light and the windows and the chalkboards and the way they have it
set up for visitors makes a lot of sense. Its really nice.
MB: Can you tell us a little bit about what youre working on
these days?
al: I aim to detect gravitational waves using pulsars. Pulsars
are these dead, dense stars that are about the mass of the sun,
collapsed down to the size of Waterloo and spinning as fast as a
kitchen blender. Theres a radio beacon thats emit-ted out one side
of the pulsar, and so every time the pulsar spins, you see a pulse.
Pulsars are intrinsically interesting we actually dont understand
particularly well how you get this beam of radio emission out one
side but I am sort of putting all that aside and saying, Well, lets
just use them as celestial clocks. Basically, the universe has
donated this system of clocks distributed throughout the galaxy for
us to use. What Im interested in is any disturbance in the
curvature of spacetime that would disturb the path between the
pulsar and the Earth. The disturbance were most interested in is
the gravitational wave, of course.
MB: How does this work relate to the work being done
byground-based interferometry observatories such as LIGO?
al: Ground-based interferometry and pulsar timing are fairly
analogous, actually theyre just at different scales and theyre
actually quite complementary experiments. LIGO has three-kilometre
baselines, and we have more like 3000-light-year arms. One of the
things that means is that were sensitive to very low-frequency
gravitational waves tens of nanohertz is our sweet spot, whereas
LIGO is sensitive to kilohertz, so were actually 12 orders of
magnitude away from each other in frequency space. So, our sources
are quite different and, if you look at the whole spectrum of
gravitational waves, from the Cosmic Microwave Background
experiment at Hubble wavelengths down to the ground-based
interferometers, weve actually got the whole spectrum sampled. I
think its probably one of the fi rst times in history that we have
the whole spectrum of something sampled before weve ever detected
anything. Usually you have an entry point and then you go from
there, but we know theres going to be something there and its going
to be really exciting when that region starts to open up.
Continued on page 12
A chAt with Visiting scientist AndreA lOmmenInterview by Mike
Brown
Associate Faculty member luis lehner named Fellow of the
APsCongratulations to pi associate Faculty Member luis lehner, who
was recently elected as a Fellow of the american physical Society
(apS), for his important contributions to numerical relativity,
most notably in the areas of black hole simulations, general
relativistic magnetohydrodynamics, and algorithm development.
Congratulations to pi associate Faculty Member luis lehner, who
was recently elected as a Fellow of the american physical Society
(apS), for his important contributions to numerical relativity,
most notably in the areas of black hole simulations, general
relativistic magnetohydrodynamics, and algorithm development.
-
12 winter 2011
A chAt with Visiting scientist AndreA lOmmenContinued from page
11
MB: It sounds like a thrilling time to be working in
gravita-tional wave astronomy. Would it be fair to say the field
has gained prominence in recent years?
al: Its definitely coming into the public view; it got rated
very highly in the Astro2010 Decadal Survey. Every 10 years, the
National Academy of Sciences in the US does a broad study of, What
are the most important questions in astronomy in the next decade
going to be? LISA [Laser Inter ferometer Space Antenna] and the
PTAs, the Pulsar Timing Arrays as we call them, both figured
prominently in this Decadal Survey, and they said that
gravitational waves and gravitational wave astronomy is one of the
most important questions going forward.
As pulsar astronomers, somehow we got used to what I call the
thrift store culture, where we sort of just take whatevers left
over from everybody else. I keep trying to con-vince people that
this is our time we have now come into money and notoriety and we
can start thinking about what it is we would need, not what is left
over from somebody elses experiment.
MB: What are your earlier memories of being interested in this
type of work?
al: Well, my dad talked to me about it a lot his degree is in
gamma ray astrophysics. As I was going to bed and trying to stall,
Id say, Hey dad, whys the sky blue?, and hed give me this really
long explanation about Rayleigh scattering, which, at seven years
old, I just didnt quite appreciate. My mom is a PhD biologist, but
somehow I got the message I think actually because my dad talked
more about stuff than my mom did, and then maybe from Star Trek
that space really was the final frontier. I wanted to do something
where we didnt always know everything.
MB: And how has that attitude affected the outreach work you do,
specifically with MARIE?
al: That has been my goal with MARIE as well I wanted to let
high school students know that we dont know everything. Especially
in high school and sometimes in college too, we give our students
the impression that we know all this stuff already you know, Heres
a textbook. Learn this. And the textbook just tells you about what
we know; it doesnt say, Oh, were on the brink of discovering
gravitational waves. Even if students dont go into astronomy, I
really want them to understand why its important to put your taxes
into basic research. People ask me, Whats the point of this? Is
there spinoff research of what you do? And I say no. Gravita-tional
wave astronomy is not going to produce a better post-it note, or
make your toilet flush better, or anything like that. Its of no
practical use, really. But if we stop trying to uncover the
universe, trying to understand the universe we live in, I think
something about human nature dies. I like it when the population as
a whole understands about science, but what really excites me about
doing outreach is
that maybe we will reach one or two girls that werent going to
go into science, that will now just because they see a woman
succeeding.
I try to put people in front of students that are near to them
in age. Its probably useful for them to see me, but I think its
more useful for them to see undergraduates in college who are only
four years older than them or my postdoc, who is only eight years
older than them, and star t to see, This is a trajectory that I
could do. They dont have to but they could! Its an option. I want
them to know that its an option.
reFerenCeS For proFeSSor loMMenS worK:Optimizing Pulsar Timing
Arrays to Maximize Gravitational Wave Single Source Detection: a
First Cut, Burt, B. J., Lommen, A. N., Finn, L.S. (2011) accepted
by ApJ, http://arxiv.org/abs/1005.5163.
Detection, Localization, and Characterization of Gravitational
Wave Bursts in a Pulsar Timing Array, Finn, L. S. and Lommen, A. N.
(2010) ApJ 718: 1400. http://arxiv.org/abs/1004.3499
Image courtesy of David Champion. The figure illustrates the use
of the pulsar timing array, array of pulsars (in purple) whose
electromagnetic signals (in yellow) are used to detect
gravitational waves (represented by the green grid which you should
imagine fluctuating) here at earth (centre).
PI NEWSInsIde the PerImeter
AssOciAte FAculty POsitiOn OPen At PiPerimeter Institute is
currently accepting applications for an Associate Faculty position
in theoretical astroparticle physics to be held jointly with York
University.
Visit www.perimeterinstitute.ca for more details.
-
winter 2011 13
t he universe is currently expanding at an accelerating rate, as
it may also have done in a very early phase of inflation. In both
cases, the geometry is close to that of de Sitter spacetime.
Quantum physics in de Sitter is fraught with conceptual and
technical difficulties compared to its cousins, flat and
anti-de-Sitter space. Just as in black hole spacetimes, interesting
quantum physics is happening on infrared (large spatial or long
temporal) scales, set by the scale of the cosmological horizon. The
dark energy we detect today and the growth, freezing and
classicalization of quantum fluctuations during inflation are both
horizon-scale phenomena, and this is the large-scale boundary of
our understanding. The study of quantum fields in de Sitter was
most widely pursued in the late 1970s and early 1980s, around the
time inflation was invented, but in the past few years advances in
cosmological observations have inspired a new look. The hope that
the Planck satellite or various large-scale structure surveys may
detect non-Gaussianity (in the form of higher point correlation
functions of fluctuations in de Sitter) has revived the subject of
doing quantum field theory beyond the tree-level power spectrum.
Thanks to this possibility, there is a new crowd of young
cosmologists who are suddenly re-learning the known issues and
methods, but also bringing a new perspective to the field.
This workshop brought those younger cosmologists together with
the original cast from the early days in a lively and very well
attended workshop. We discussed formal aspects of quantum field
theory in de Sitter, methods to compute loop computations, and the
relevance for observation. The big fish of the conference was the
issue of stability of de Sitter spacetime. Sasha Polyakov, whose
work on this subject has inspired much debate, joined the workshop
through a memorable phone call. Sasha prepared his talk by writing
some notes (rare for him!) titled My Waterloo and told us that we
should not define the de Sitter theory by analytically continuing
from the sphere since this misses any potential instability. He
compared this strategy to studying a black hole on life support. On
the other hand, we had several talks about calculations that do
seem to make sense when done on the sphere, and so the question is
still unre-solved but very much on everybodys mind. In addition, we
heard about new and simpler techniques to calculate loop amplitudes
of gravitons and scalars, and interesting results are surely
waiting to be discovered. In particular, we expect that the
15-year-old claim by Richard Woodard and Nick Tsamis (both of whom
were present) of a large 2-loop graviton contribution to the
stress-energy tensor may finally be checked by someone else using
these new techniques. Also of note was the very interesting
colloquium by Steve Giddings where he made the link between the
infrared puzzles in de Sitter and in black hole physics. Steven
Weinberg presented a new, very powerful way to regulate UV
divergences in cosmological settings, and Leonardo Senatore
attempted to settle his differences with Richard Woodard, who
inadver-tently happened to be the chair for his session. Everybody
was quite ready for a drink and the banquet after that! We hope
this meeting was a catalyst for increased interac-tion between
veterans of the field and the upstart young cosmologists, and that
agreements will be reached on the most effective (and correct) way
to calculate loop corrections. At the conceptual level, we are
still left puzzled by the very strange behaviour of quantum fields
at the horizon of our universe this large-scale boundary to our
knowledge will surely continue to surprise us.
Louis Leblond, Conference Co-organizer
ir issues And lOOPs in de sitter sPAce
(From left) Cliff Burgess, Steven Weinberg, Rich Holman and
Louis Leblond.
CONFERENCE RECAPSInsIde the PerImeter
-
14 winter 2011
Pi reseArch And reseArchers shOwcAsed At QiP 2011
Q IP 2011, the 14th annual workshop on Quantum Infor-mation
Processing, was held in Singapore from January 10-14, and PI
research and researchers were quite in evidence. Of the 183
submissions received for the conference, four of the 40 selected
talks, and some additional posters, reported on results obtained by
PI postdocs, an impressive showing. As well as myself (I was Chair
of the Program Committee), the list of attendees included Associate
Faculty member Ashwin Nayak, postdocs Hector Bombin, Zhengfeng Ji,
Akimasa Miyake, and Markus Meller, and Distinguished Research
Chairs Dorit Aharonov and Patrick Hayden, as well as numerous other
familiar faces, including former PI postdocs Robin Blume-Kohout,
Steve Flammia, and Robert Raussendorf and former PI graduate
student David Poulin (who also spoke at the conference). There were
also many people and a number of additional talks from the
Institute for Quantum Computing, meaning Waterloos pres-ence was
felt profoundly despite being 15,000 km, 13 time zones, and 40
degrees Celsius away. PIs presence at the conference became obvious
from day one, with a Monday afternoon talk by postdoc Akimasa
Miyake. Akimasa actually split a time slot with Tzu-Chieh Wei
(currently at UBC, formerly an IQC postdoc). Wei was working in
collaboration with former PI postdoc Robert Raussendorf and former
SAC member Ian Affleck, and they simultaneously obtained nearly the
same result as Akimasa about a universal resource for
measurement-based quantum computation. Measurement-based quantum
computation (invented by Raussendorf when he was a graduate
student) is an approach to building a quantum computer where one
does all the entanglement first, creating a large entangled state
that need not depend on the computation to be performed. Then, the
computer performs a sequence of measurements on indi-vidual quantum
bits (qubits) from the entangled state. In the classical world, a
sequence of measurements can only reveal information that is
already present, but quantum measurement is a much more active
process. Certain entangled resource states are universal, meaning
that by performing different possible sequences of measurements,
you can get results that correspond to the answers to arbitrary
quantum compu-tations. The usual resource states used for
measurement-based quantum computation are artificial and could only
be produced by a system with a significant degree of control over
quantum systems. The new results presented by Akimasa and Tzu-Chieh
showed that the lowest energy state of a certain theoretical system
of interacting spins called the AKLT model has the right kind of
entanglement to act as a resource state for
measurement-based quantum computation. This raises the
possibility that one could find a real physical system which
naturally produces the right kind of entangled state without any
human intervention. The next day brought more PI research. Xie Chen
of MIT reported on research performed with PI postdoc Zhengfeng Ji
and others in a contributed talk about the structure of solu-tions
to quantum 2-SAT. Quantum 2-SAT is a computational problem, in
which you are given a set of constraints on pairs of qubits and
wish to satisfy them all. This is not always possible, of course,
but because the constraints are only on
pairs of qubits, it turns out that there is an efficient
(classical) procedure to determine whether or not a consistent
solution always exists. This contrasts with the case of
interactions on three or more qubits, where determining if there is
a solution is difficult. However, two-qubit interactions are
particularly interesting, because two-particle inter-actions are
the kind most commonly encountered in the real world. Studying this
sort of problem, Xie, Zhengfeng, and their collaborators showed
that the ground states of solutions to quantum 2-SAT cannot be very
entangled. You might want to create entangled states such as a
resource state for measurement-based quantum computation by putting
on a series of two-qubit constraints and letting the system cool
down until it satisfies all of the constraints. However, the new
results show that you wont get what you want unless you either work
with more complicated interactions (larger par ticles or more
qubits per constraint) or frustrated systems (for
which it is not possible to satisfy all constraints
simultaneously). Another day, another PI talk. On Wednesday, PI
postdoc Hector Bombin gave a featured talk on his work on twists in
topological quantum computation. Topological order is an exotic new
phase of matter which is completely resistant to any process which
only affects a small region of the sub-stance. Consequently, a
topologically ordered system could store quantum information for a
long time, since errors will need some time to spread over the
whole system. However, the simplest topologically ordered systems
are not much good as quantum computers, since there are also few
ways to deliberately alter the stored quantum information. More
complicated systems can be used as quantum computers, but they are
hard to make or find. In his talk, Hector showed how, by adding
twists, which change the regular lattice structure of the atoms
composing some simple topologically ordered systems, he can
substan-tially increase the types of computation that can be
performed with it. Even with this approach, the systems presented
by Hector are not capable of the full range of quantum
computa-tion. A poster presented on Monday by Lucy Liuxuan
Zhang
CONFERENCE RECAPSInsIde the PerImeter
-
winter 2011 15
(of the University of Toronto) described her follow-up research
in collaboration with Hector where they study adding twists to more
complicated topologically ordered systems, perhaps allowing access
to the full power of a quantum computer with a simpler system than
previously possible.
On Friday, the last day of the conference, Christian Gogolin
(from the University of Potsdam) spoke on work performed with Jens
Eisert and PI postdoc Markus Meller. They applied ideas from
quantum information theory to study when quan-tum systems
thermalize. The notion of temperature is an everyday one, and in
many cases, it is a completely sensible thing to discuss. However,
an object only has a well-defined temperature if it has a
particular distribution of energy among the atoms or molecules
composing the object. From statistical mechanics, we know that
thermal distributions are typical in a rigorous mathematical sense,
which helps to explain why most things we encounter do have a
temperature. It is still possible, of course, to have objects which
dont have a ther-mal distribution, and while it is very common in
practice for
those objects to thermalize (reach the thermal distribution)
after a short time, it remains somewhat of a mystery exactly which
ones do and which dont. A natural assumption is that very simple
systems might not thermalize, but more compli-cated systems do. By
applying some ideas from quantum information, Christian, Markus,
and Jens gave some conditions on the properties of the
thermalization process, and showed that it is possible to have some
rather complicated systems that nevertheless do not thermalize. The
PI talks only represent a fraction of the topics covered at QIP. We
also learned about complexity and cryptography, about algorithms
and entanglement. Quantum information as a field continues to
expand, and QIP gets bigger and more elaborate, with more people
and more posters. QIP 2012 will be held much closer to home, in
Montreal. I think we can expect less swimming and more snow, but
just as much great science.
Daniel Gottesman, Chair, QIP Program Committee
Pi-AtlAs lhc dAy
t his day-long meeting was the latest in a series initiated in
2009 for physicists interested in LHC physics in southwestern
Ontario to gather to discuss the current status of LHC and exchange
ideas. The meeting brought together a number of experimental and
theoretical physicists from Toronto and PI, but we were also
encouraged to see that attendance is broadening to include people
from Guelph, McMaster and York in this latest meeting. The
scientific component of the meeting was split between a series of
experimental and theoretical talks. The primary experimental talk
was given by Pekka Sinervo on the status of the LHC and ATLAS.
There were also a series of nice talks in the afternoon by a number
of experimental graduate students reporting on tau ID, searches for
extra dimensions,
and exotic searches in dijet data. On the theoretical side,
there was a talk by Bob Holdom on the possibility of a fourth
generation, and talks by Michael Trott on MFV field content and Jim
Cline on the possible linking of a two-scalar doublet model, that
could allow Baryogenesis, to experiment. The scientific content of
the meeting was quite interesting, but of equal importance was the
opportunity supplied for theorists and experimentalists to get
together and talk about the LHC physics program and exchange ideas.
The meeting was successful in its goals and was run very smoothly
due to the excellent behind-the-scenes work of PIs Conference
Coordinator Stephanie Mohl and A/V Coordinator Jacob
Stauttener.
William Trischuk, Cliff Burgess and Michael Trott,
Co-organizers
-
16 winter 2011
The following is a list of recent publications by PI
researchers, organized alphabetically by publication title. To
search all publications by PI scientists, please visit
www.perimeterinstitute.ca/en/Scientific/Papers/Publications_Search/.
A Note on Polytopes for Scattering Amplitudes, Nima
Arkani-Hamed, Jacob L. Bourjaily, Freddy Cachazo, Andrew Hodges,
Jaroslav Trnka, arxiv:1012.6030
A simple proof of orientability in the colored Boulatov model,
Francesco Caravelli, arxiv:1012.4087
A taste of Hamiltonian constraint in spin foam models, Valentin
Bonzom, arxiv:1101.1615
AdS/QHE: Towards a Holographic Description of Quantum Hall
Experiments, Allan Bayntun, C.P. Burgess, Brian P. Dolan, Sung-Sik
Lee, arxiv:1008.1917
Anomalous coupling of scalars to gauge fields, Philippe Brax,
Clare Burrage, Anne-Christine Davis, David Seery, Amanda Weltman,
arxiv:1010.4536
Application of Optimal Control to CPMG Refocusing Pulse Design,
Troy W. Borneman, Martin D. Hurlimann, David G. Cory,
arxiv:1002.1702
Astrometric Microlensing by Local Dark Matter Subhalos, Adrienne
L. Erickcek, Nicholas M. Law, arxiv:1007.4228
Asymptotes in $SU(2)$ Recoupling Theory: Wigner Matrices, $3j$
Symbols, and Character Localization, Joseph Ben Geloun, Razvan
Gurau, arxiv:1009.5632
Background independent condensed matter models for quantum
gravity, Alioscia Hamma, Fotini Markopoulou, arxiv:1011.5754
Beyond Feynmans Diagrams, Neil Turok, Nature January 13 2011 Vol
469
Big Bang Nucleosynthesis as a Probe of New Physics, Maxim
Pospelov, Josef Pradler, Journal-ref: Ann.Rev.Nucl.Part.Sci. 60
(2010) 539-568, arxiv:1011.1054
Black holes in an ultraviolet complete quantum gravity, Leonardo
Modesto, John W. Moffat, Piero Nicolini, Physics Letters B 695
(2011) 397-400, arxiv:1010.0680
Boosting jet power in black hole spacetimes, David Neilsen, Luis
Lehner, Carlos Palenzuela, Eric W. Hirschmann, Steven L. Liebling,
Patrick M. Motl, T. Garrett, arxiv:1012.5661
Bootstrapping Null Polygon Wilson Loops, Davide Gaiotto, Juan
Maldacena, Amit Sever, Pedro Vieira, arxiv:1010.5009
Bulk Axions, Brane Back-reaction and Fluxes, C.P. Burgess, L.
van Nierop, arxiv:1012.2638
Chern-Simons theory, Stokes Theorem, and the Duflo map, Hanno
Sahlmann, Thomas Thiemann, arxiv:1101.1690
Chiral symmetry breaking in cascading gauge theory plasma, Alex
Buchel, arxiv:1012.2404
Commuting Simplicity and Closure Constraints for 4D Spin Foam
Models, Muxin Han, Thomas Thiemann, arxiv:1010.5444
Comparing space+time decompositions in the post-Newtonian limit,
Barak Kol, Michele Levi, Michael Smolkin, arxiv:1011.6024
Complete Characterization of the Ground Space Structure of
Two-Body Frustration-Free Hamiltonians for Qubits, Zhengfeng Ji,
Zhaohui Wei, Bei Zeng, arxiv:1010.2480
Component Specification in the Cactus Framework: The Cactus
Configuration Language, Gabrielle Allen, Tom Goodale, Frank Lffler,
David Rideout, Erik Schnetter, Eric L. Seidel, arxiv:1009.1341
Composite gravitational-wave detection of compact binary
coalescence, Kipp Cannon, Chad Hanna, Drew Keppel, Antony C.
Searle, arxiv:1101.0584
Correlated stability conjecture revisited, A.Buchel, C.Pagnutti,
arxiv:1010.5748
Cosmology of the selfaccelerating third order Galileon, David F.
Mota, Marit Sandstad, Tom Zlosnik, Journal-ref: JHEP 1012:051,2010,
arxiv:1009.6151
Critical phenomena in N=2* plasma, A.Buchel, C.Pagnutti,
arxiv:1010.3359
Discreteness and the transmission of light from distant sources,
Fay Dowker, Joe Henson, Rafael Sorkin, Journal-ref: Phys.Rev.
D82:104048,2010, arxiv:1009.3058
Einstein gravity as a 3D conformally invariant theory, Henrique
Gomes, Sean Gryb, Tim Koslowski, arxiv:1010.2481
Einstein Wrote Back: My Life In Physics, John Moffat, Thomas
Allen Publishers, Sept 2010
Einsteins action in terms of Newtonian fields, Barak Kol,
Michael Smolkin, arxiv:1009.1876
Ensuring Correctness at the Application Level: a Software
Framework Approach, Eloisa Bentivegna, Gabrielle Allen, Oleg
Korobkin, Erik Schnetter, arxiv:1101.3161
EPRL/FK Group Field Theory, Joseph Ben Geloun, Razvan Gurau,
Vincent Rivasseau, arxiv:1008.0354
Experimental investigation of the uncertainty principle in the
presence of quantum memory, Robert Prevedel, Deny R. Hamel, Roger
Colbeck, Kent Fisher, Kevin J. Resch, arxiv:1012.0332
Extending Quantum Coherence in Diamond, C.A. Ryan, J.S. Hodges,
D.G. Cory, Journal-ref: Phys. Rev. Lett. 105:200402 (2010),
arxiv:1008.2197
First Observational Tests of Eternal Inflation, Stephen M.
Feeney (UCL), Matthew C. Johnson (Perimeter Institute), Daniel J.
Mortlock (Imperial College London), Hiranya V. Peiris (UCL),
arxiv:1012.1995
First Observational Tests of Eternal Inflation: Analysis Methods
and WMAP 7-Year Results, Stephen M. Feeney (UCL), Matthew C.
Johnson (Perimeter Institute), Daniel J. Mortlock (Imperial College
London), Hiranya V. Peiris (UCL), arxiv:1012.3667
From Low-Distortion Norm Embeddings to Explicit Uncertainty
Relations and Efficient Information Locking, Omar Fawzi, Patrick
Hayden, Pranab Sen, arxiv:1010.3007
Group theoretic structures in the estimation of an unknown
unitary transformation, G. Chiribella, arxiv:1012.2130
Holographic c-theorems in arbitrary dimensions, Robert C. Myers,
Aninda Sinha, arxiv:1011.5819
Holographic Quantum Critical Transport without Self-Duality,
Robert C. Myers, Subir Sachdev, Ajay Singh, arxiv:1010.0443
Holomorphic Linking, Loop Equations and Scattering Amplitudes in
Twistor Space, Mathew Bullimore, David Skinner, arxiv:1101.1329
Informational derivation of Quantum Theory, G. Chiribella, G. M.
DAriano, P. Perinotti, arxiv:1011.6451
Large Dimensions and Small Curvatures from Supersymmetric Brane
Back-reaction, C.P. Burgess, L. van Nierop, arxiv:1101.0152
Lessons for Loop Quantum Gravity from Parametrised Field Theory,
Thomas Thiemann, arxiv:1010.2426
Local Integrals for Planar Scattering Amplitudes, Nima
Arkani-Hamed, Jacob L. Bourjaily, Freddy Cachazo, Jaroslav Trnka,
arxiv:1012.6032
Locking classical information, Frdric Dupuis, Jan Florjanczyk,
Patrick Hayden, Debbie Leung, arxiv:1011.1612
Measurement contextuality is implied by macroscopic realism,
Zeqian Chen, Alberto Montina, arxiv:1012.2122
MHV Diagrams in Momentum Twistor Space, Mathew Bullimore, Lionel
Mason, David Skinner, arxiv:1009.1854
Muon Capture Constraints on Sterile Neutrino Properties, David
McKeen, Maxim Pospelov, Journal-ref: Phys.Rev.D82:113018, 2010,
arxiv:1011.3046
Muonic hydrogen and MeV forces, David Tucker-Smith, Itay Yavin,
arxiv:1011.4922
Normal completely positive maps on the space of quantum
operations, G. Chiribella, A. Toigo, V. Umanit, arxiv:1012.3197
Observable Signatures of Inflaton Decays, Diana Battefeld,
Thorsten Battefeld, John T. Giblin Jr., Evan K. Pease,
arxiv:1012.1372
On Lorentz violation in Horava-Lifshitz type theories, Maxim
Pospelov, Yanwen Shang, arxiv:1010.5249
On the Classification of Residues of the Grassmannian, Sujay K.
Ashok, Eleonora DellAquila, arxiv:1012.5094
PUBLICATIONSInsIde the PerImeter
-
winter 2011 17
On theories of enhanced CP violation in B_s,d meson mixing,
Michael Trott, Mark B. Wise, Journal-ref: JHEP 1011:157,2010,
arxiv:1009.2813
One-shot Multiparty State Merging, Nicolas Dutil, Patrick
Hayden, arxiv:1011.1974
One-Way Entanglement of Assistance, Nicolas Dutil, Patrick
Hayden, arxiv:1011.1972
Overcoming Gamma Ray Constraints with Annihilating Dark Matter
in Milky Way Subhalos, Aaron C Vincent, Wei Xue, James M Cline,
Journal-ref: Phys.Rev.D82:123519,2010, arxiv:1009.5383
Pathologies in Asymptotically Lifshitz Spacetimes, Keith Copsey,
Robert Mann, arxiv:1011.3502
Primordial beryllium as a big bang calorimeter, Maxim Pospelov,
Josef Pradler, arxiv:1010.4079
Principle of Maximum Entropy and Ground Spaces of Local
Hamiltonians, Jianxin Chen, Zhengfeng Ji, Mary Beth Ruskai, Bei
Zeng, Duanlu Zhou, arxiv:1010.2739
Private Randomness Expansion With Untrusted Devices, Roger
Colbeck, Adrian Kent, arxiv:1011.4474
Progress toward scalable tomography of quantum maps using
twirling- based methods and information hierarchies, Cecilia C.
Lpez, Ariel Bendersky, Juan Pablo Paz, David G. Cory, Journal-ref:
Phys. Rev. A 81, 062113 (2010), arxiv:1003.2444
Pulsar timing arrays as imaging gravitational wave telescopes:
angular resolution and source (de)confusion, Latham Boyle, Ue-Li
Pen, arxiv:1010.4337
Quantum Capacity Approaching Codes for the Detected-Jump
Channel, Markus Grassl, Zhengfeng Ji, Zhaohui Wei, Bei Zeng,
arxiv:1008.3350
Quantum codes give counterexamples to the unique pre-image
conjecture of the N-representability problem, Samuel A. Ocko, Xie
Chen, Bei Zeng, Beni Yoshida, Zhengfeng Ji, Mary Beth Ruskai, Isaac
L. Chuang, arxiv:1010.2717
Quantum computational capability of a two-dimensional valence
bond solid phase, Akimasa Miyake, arxiv:1009.3491
Quantum Computing, Thaddeus D. Ladd, Fedor Jelezko, Raymond
Laflamme, Yasunobu Nakamura, Christopher Monroe, Jeremy L. OBrien,
arxiv:1009.2267
Quantum dispersion relations for excitations of long folded
spinning superstring in AdS_5 x S^5, S. Giombi, R. Ricci, R.
Roiban, A.A. Tseytlin, arxiv:1011.2755
Resonant Trispectrum and a Dozen More Primordial N-point
functions, Louis Leblond, Enrico Pajer, arxiv:1010.4565
Review of AdS/CFT Integrability: An Overview, Niklas Beisert,
Changrim Ahn, Luis F. Alday, Zoltan Bajnok, James M. Drummond, Lisa
Freyhult, Nikolay Gromov, Romuald A. Janik, Vladimir Kazakov,
Thomas Klose, Gregory P. Korchemsky, Charlotte Kristjansen, Marc
Magro, Tristan McLoughlin, Joseph A. Minahan, Rafael I. Nepomechie,
Adam Rej, Radu Roiban, Sakura Schafer-Nameki, Christoph Sieg,
Matthias Staudacher, Alessandro Torrielli, Arkady A. Tseytlin,
Pedro Vieira, Dmytro Volin, Konstantinos Zoubos,
arxiv:1012.3982
Review of AdS/CFT Integrability, Chapter III.3: The dressing
factor, Pedro Vieira, Dmytro Volin, arxiv:1012.3992
Space as a low-temperature regime of graphs, Florian Conrady,
arxiv:1009.3195
Speckers Parable of the Over-protective Seer: Implications for
Contextuality, Nonlocality and Complementarity, Yeong-Cherng Liang,
Robert W. Spekkens, Howard M. Wiseman, arxiv:1010.1273
State space dimensionality in short memory hidden variable
theories, Alberto Montina, arxiv:1008.4415
String Junctions and Holographic Interfaces, Marco Chiodaroli,
Michael Gutperle, Ling-Yan Hung, Darya Krym, arxiv:1010.2758
Strongly Coupled Inflaton, Xingang Chen, arxiv:1010.2851
Supersymmetric P(X,phi) and the Ghost Condensate, Justin Khoury,
Jean-Luc Lehners, Burt Ovrut, arxiv:1012.3748
Surface operators in 3d Topological Field Theory and 2d Rational
Conformal Field Theory, Anton Kapustin, Natalia Saulina,
arxiv:1012.0911
t Hooft Operators in Gauge Theory from Toda CFT, Jaume Gomis,
Bruno Le Floch, arxiv:1008.4139
Tailoring Three-Point Functions and Integrability, Jorge
Escobedo, Nikolay Gromov, Amit Sever, Pedro Vieira,
arxiv:1012.2475
The 1/N expansion of colored tensor models, Razvan Gurau,
arxiv:1011.2726
The All-Loop Integrand For Scattering Amplitudes in Planar N=4
SYM, Nima Arkani-Hamed, Jacob L. Bourjaily, Freddy Cachazo, Simon
Caron-Huot, Jaroslav Trnka, arxiv:1008.2958
The Complete Planar S-matrix of N=4 SYM as a Wilson Loop in
Twistor Space, Lionel Mason, David Skinner, Journal-ref: JHEP
1012:018,2010,
arxiv:1009.2225
The general theory of porcupines, perfect and imperfect, Latham
Boyle, arxiv:1008.4997
The Hamiltonian constraint in 3d Riemannian loop quantum
gravity, Valentin Bonzom, Laurent Freidel, arxiv:1101.3524
The principle of relative locality, Giovanni Amelino-Camelia,
Laurent Freidel, Jerzy Kowalski-Glikman, Lee Smolin,
arxiv:1101.0931
U(N) tools for Loop Quantum Gravity: The Return of the Spinor,
Enrique F. Borja, Laurent Freidel, Iaki Garay, Etera R. Livine,
arxiv:1010.5451
Unimodular loop quantum gravity and the problems of time, Lee
Smolin, arxiv:1008.1759
Using Dark Matter Haloes to Learn about Cosmic Acceleration: A
New Proposal for a Universal Mass Function, C. Prescod-Weinstein,
N. Afshordi, arxiv:1010.5501
Pi chats with The Current About innovationDuring a stint as
guest host of CBC radios The Current, arlene Dickinson, whom you
may recognize from CBCs tV show The Dragons Den, visited pi and
interviewed pi Board Chair and founder Mike lazaridis, Director
neil turok, and pi Faculty members latham Boyle and raymond la
amme. the episode is available online through The Currents website
at
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/interview-panel/2011/01/14/innovation-in-canada/index.html.
-
18 winter 2011
glOBAl diAlOgue On energy tO Be held At Perimeter institute
Over the next 20 years, our global population is expected to
reach nine billion. Today, two billion people dont have access to
modern energy. Global coal and oil consumption is as its highest
peak in history, energy prices are soaring, and the world is
running out of cheap sources of energy-dense fuel. The climate
impact of fossil fuels constitutes a growing threat to the planet.
In short, the need for solutions to the problems facing humanity
has never been greater and invest-ment in scientifi c and
technological advancements can be part of the answer. The Waterloo
Global Science Initiative (WGSI) aims to help reboot this global
conversation through its inaugural Equinox Summit: Energy 2030, to
be situated at Perimeter Institute from June 5 - 9, 2011. WGSI is a
non-profi t partnership between Perimeter Institute and the
University of Waterloo. Its mandate is to catalyze long-term
thinking and possible solutions for the world through science and
technology. The fi rst Equinox Summit will examine energy concerns
and the need for cleaner and more sustain-able production,
distribution and storage of electricity. Orga-nizers have designed
a unique format and cross-disciplinary approach to facilitate
constructive engagement of scientifi c and policy experts with
young leaders, as well as a series of events for students and the
general public. Over three days of working sessions (June 6, 7 and
8), this cross-disciplinary group will collectively work toward
producing a blueprint document that shortlists a set of key
technologies that could help transform the current, carbon-heavy
scenario. The fi rst part of the blueprint will address the most
promising technologies proposed by a group of scientifi c experts,
called the Quorum. The second part, led by the Forum of future
leaders in politics, policy, civil society and business, will
address implementation strategies for each of the technolo-gies
proposed. A third group of expert advisors will guide the blueprint
creation and gauge the plausibility, process, and timelines for the
recommendations. Through its public programming, the Equinox Summit
will promote basic energy literacy by benchmarking our present
capabilities while exploring the state of low carbon technolo-gies,
and refi ning ideas that could transform how we produce, distribute
and store energy within the next 20 years. Each day of the summit
will feature a morning plenary, an afternoon public lecture and an
evening panel discussion all of which will be free to view on-site
and online. Visit wgsi.org to learn more about the Equinox Summit
and follow developments as the planning continues.
RJ Taylor
next einstein initiAtiVe wins 2010 wise AwArd
As part of its quest to recognize innovative educational
initiatives that have had a transformative impact on societies, the
World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) has selected the AIMS
Next Einstein Initiative (NEI) as one of six winners for the 2010
WISE Awards, from more than 300 applications spanning 89 countries.
Each winner will receive US$20,000 towards their project. PI
Director Neil Turok founded the African Institute for Mathematical
Sciences (AIMS) in Cape Town, South Africa in 2003. Its mission is
to rapidly and cost-effectively expand Africas scientifi c and
technological capacity by providing advanced training to
exceptional African graduates. The Next Einstein Initiative (NEI),
stemming from Professor Turoks 2008 TED Prize wish that the next
Einstein be from Africa, is a strategic plan to build on the
success of the fi rst AIMS centre and create a coordinated
pan-African network of 15 AIMS centres by 2020. Professor Turok
accepted the award on behalf of AIMS-NEI, which is the current
centrepiece of Perimeter Institutes Glob-al Outreach initiative,
during a three-day summit on education in Doha, Qatar. WISE is an
initiative of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and
Community Development.
Professor Turok said, We are thrilled with this recognition from
WISE. AIMS has succeeded through the combined efforts of many
people and organizations. WISE represents an opportunity to extend
our partnerships around a simple agenda: to enable Africas
brightest scientifi c talents to fl ourish and, ultimately, to
transform Africas future. We hope our success in Africa will
inspire similarly creative efforts elsewhere.
Mike Brown
Follow the developments of all the winning projects on the WISE
blog at http://awardsblog.wise-qatar.org.
GLOBAL OUTLOOKInsIde the PerImeter
-
winter 2011 19
FiVe cAnAdiAn uniVersities suPPOrt Aims thrOugh One FOr mAny
schOlArshiP PrOgrAm
Basic science continues to change our world in innumer-able
ways, reshaping the global economy and enabling the free flow of
information which opens societies and connects cultures. The
influence of science in seeding new technologies is evident. What
is less discussed is the fact that science is a powerful unifying
force for humanity: it cuts across cultures, languages, and
religious differences, in ways which few other human activities
can. Perimeter Institute has explicitly recognized this power in
launching a Global Outreach effort to promote emergence of
scientific talent in the developing world. The first focus is on
Africa: Perimeter serves as the North American partner institute
for the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) project,
and its Next Einstein Initiative, which plans to open many AIMS
centres across Africa over the next decade. The Next Einstein
Initiative received $20 Million in Canadian federal funding last
year, and several of the new centres are in advanced planning
stages. Founded in 2003 by PI Director Neil Turok, AIMS is a
globally recognized centre of excellence for postgraduate education
and research based in Cape Town, South Africa. Its mission is to
rapidly and cost-effectively expand Africas scientific and
technological capacity by providing advanced training to
exceptional African graduates. PI is helping to coordinate the One
for Many scholarship campaign for the Next Einstein Initiative. The
program gives universities across North America and Europe the
opportunity to contribute the equivalent cost of one graduate
student per year on their own campus to an AIMS centre in Africa,
where it will support 4-5 African students. Partnering universities
also have the opportunity to send faculty members and graduate
students to AIMS centres as lecturers and tutors, where they gain
valuable international experience as they contribute to the
development of science in Africa. Five Canadian universities have
now signed on as supporters of the One for Many campaign, joining
forces with Perimeter in a shared belief that a vast pool of
scientific and technical talent lies waiting to be unlocked in
Africa, and that doing so will be vital to the development of the
continent.
neil turok Appointed to canadas science, technology and
innovation council
the honourable tony Clement, Canadas Minister of industry,
recently announced the appointment of six new members, including pi
Director neil turok, to the Science, technology and innovation
Council (StiC), the governments advisory body on science,
technology and innovation issues. Members are selected to cover
many sectors of the Canadian economy and have varied competencies
and areas of specialization.
these talented Canadians come from the public, private and
academic sectors. they have the broad range of experience that is
essential to advise the government on science and technology
matters of national importance, said Minister Clement. i am pleased
they have agreed to serve on the Council and am certain their
contributions will advance the governments innovation agenda.
The University of Ottawa, the University of Victoria, Simon
Fraser University, the University of Waterloo, and the University
of Guelph have all recently signed five-year agreements, total-ing
between $100,000 and $250,000 from each institution. Speaking about
the One for Many campaigns first members, Professor Turok said, The
commitment from these five Canadian universities is extraordinary:
their farsighted invest-ment will yield an excellent return. Africa
is full of brilliant young people who will make the most of the
opportunity to develop their minds and skills in Africa, and then
go on to tackle the many challenges their continent faces. James P.
Anglin, Director of the Office of International Affairs at the
University of Victoria explained, The University of Victoria was
pleased to become one of the first Canadian university partners in
the AIMS-NEI initiative. We support this innovative model as it
combines academic and financial support from well-established
international universities with Africa-based country and
institutional commitments, making it an exemplar of true
partnership in the advancement of knowledge leader-ship across the
continent of Africa. We look forward to devel-oping fruitful
collaboration between the AIMS-NEI programs and students, and
members of UVics academic community. Talks are ongoing with other
universities that have expressed interest in joining the One for
Many program.
Mike Brown
-
20 winter 2011
Better thAn cOOl: hOw cAnAdAs yOuth PerceiVes science
C lear skies and brisk winter air always make me reflective, and
there has been plenty of oppor-tunity for reflection of late. While
looking back recently, I found myself comparing the results of an
online survey with the experience of the Outreach team here at PI,
and contemplating what it all means for scien-tific literacy in
Canada. In November, Angus Reid released survey results declaring
scientists uncool, with only 4% of high school-aged youth stating
otherwise. This statistic resonated with media across Canada and
cries of a crisis in education followed predictably. But lets look
a little more closely at what the online survey of 502 Canadian
youth aged 16 to 18 actually had to say about science in Canada. A
video game, a backside 720, even a toque can be cool but is this
really a relevant bar to measure the perceived value of science to
young people? The survey offered more data to consider: one out of
three students is considering science at the post-secondary level
one out of three! Con-sider the full breadth of post-secondary
options from law, business, literature, fine arts, and mathematics
to aesthetics, interior design, pipe-fitting, and auto repair and
yet one-third are considering science. This seems, if anything,
dispro-portionately large. The conclusion I draw when one-third of
Canadian teens are considering a future in science is that science
teachers across this country are doing an effective job
illustrating and promoting the importance of science. To me, this
is a more valuable goal than trying to make something cool.
PI Outreach is well-positioned to fill a niche that supports
this third of Canadas youth, with rigorous and enriched programs
and products that bring the true mystery and wonder of modern
science alive. Canada