The Quantum Pontiff

Postdoc in Italy, AQIS 2008 Call for Papers, the Register reports on QUEST, and the New Scientist morphs into the No Scientist.

• There is a postdoc position available in Italy:

  A Post Doctoral fellowship in Quantum Information Theory is available at the University of Camerino, Department of Physics, associated with the EU project "Correlated Noise Errors in Quantum Information Processing" (CORNER FP7-ICT-2007).

  The research work consists in the development of optimal encoding and decoding procedures for quantum memory channels. This should be done in connection with the channels characterization in terms of capacities. Thresholds for fault-tolerant quantum operations in presence of correlated errors should also be envisaged. Basic knowledge of quantum algebraic methods and quantum error correcting codes is required.

  The research work will be carried out at the Department of Physics, University of Camerino under the supervision of Dr. S. Mancini and in close collaboration with other project partners (Proff.: Banaszek, Datta, Huelga, Macchiavello, Plenio, Silberhorn, Werner).

  Details of the position: From one up to three years contract; salary around 1,500 Euro per month (after taxes); starting date July 2008.

  Interested applicants should send the CV to Dr. Stefano Mancini (e-mail
  stefano.mancini ((insert the @ sign here)) unicam.it )



• AQIS 2008, which will be in Seoul, Korea has a call for paper out (mmm, kimchi!):

  ---------------------------------------------------------------
  CALL FOR PAPERS

  AQIS'08 (8th Asian Conference on Quantum Information Science)
  ---------------------------------------------------------------
  August 25 - 31, 2008

  Tutorial: August 25-26,
  Main conference August 27 - 30,
  Special Programs: August 31

  KIAS, Seoul, Korea
  http://newton.kias.re.kr/aqis08/
  

  ------------------------------------------------------------
  Key Note Speakers:
  ------------------------------------------------------------
  Sandu Popescu (University of Bristol)
  Anton Zeilinger (University of Vienna/IQOQI)

  ------------------------------------------------------------
  Invited Speakers (to be completed):
  ------------------------------------------------------------
  Nicolas Gisin (University of Geneva)
  Won-Young Hwang (Chonnam University)
  Gerard Milburn (University of Queensland)
  Akihisa Tomita (ERATO-SORST/NEC, Japan)
  Suhail Zubairy (Texas A&M University)

  The AQIS08 meeting will focus on recent advances in quantum
  information science and technology. This is an interdisciplinary field
  that bridges quantum physics, computer science, mathematics, and
  computing technologies. AQIS08 will be the natural successor of the
  meetings EQIS01-EQIS05 and AQIS06-AQIS07. AQIS08, by tradition, will
  consist of invited talks, selected oral presentations and posters, and
  other activities.

  Contributions for short communications and posters are solicited in
  the research areas that relate to quantum information science and
  technology, both theory and experiments. This includes, but is not
  limited to:

  * Quantum algorithms and complexity theory
  * Quantum cryptography
  * Quantum information theory
  * Quantum entanglement, non-locality
  * Quantum error correction, decoherence
  * Quantum optics, NMR, and solid-state technologies
  * Quantum processors and computers design schemes

  Conference will be preceded by tutorials by leading experts and
  followed by focused workshops and excursions. AQIS'08 will have
  preproceedings and selected papers will be published in special issues
  of international journals. AQIS'08 will be a fully open conference
  where anyone can make submissions for oral presentation or/and
  posters, as well as to suggest an accompanying workshop or tutorial.

  ------------------------------------------------------------
  Important Dates: (all in 2008)
  ------------------------------------------------------------
  * Deadlines for Tutorials/Workshops submissions: May 30
  * Deadlines for Oral/Poster Submissions: June 29
  * Notification of Acceptance: July 20
  * Final Manuscript Deadline: August 3
  * (Early) Registration Deadline: August (3) 17

  ------------------------------------------------------------
  Organizing Committee:
  ------------------------------------------------------------
  Jaewan Kim (KIAS, Seoul, Chair)
  Jae-Weon Lee (KIAS, Seoul)
  Shigeru Yamashita (NAIST, Nara)

• DARPAs QuEST program is reported on by The Register. Producing perhaps one of the most strangely mangled sentences about quantum theory of all time:

  This can give rise to so-called "quantum teleportation", or - as Einstein put it - "spooky action at a distance", in which effects and correlations can occur at once between entangled atoms.

  These rather promising phrases would seem to suggest that DARPA is after some kind of matter transmitter teleportation device - or at the very least a theory-shattering instantaneous communications link. In fact, entanglement theory calls for a normal, sub-light speed communication as well as the miracle quantum one; so this seems unlikely.

  I find myself saying "yes, no, yes, no, yes, no" way to much in parsing those sentences.
• This New Scientist article says

  We're right to be terrified, say physicists. Children generate poltergeist activity by channelling energy into the quantum mechanical vacuum.

  Which is about as far from what most physicists would say as I can imagine. New Scientist? More like "No Scientist." You know it's bad when...

  The poltergeist paper will appear in the journal Neuroquantology.

  We contacted Brian Josephson, a Nobel laureate physicist who is on the editorial board of Neuroquantology.

  "This looks distinctly flaky to me," Josephson commented.