wluPHI.org News Feed

Experimental Quantum Error Correction

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 02:22:17 +0100

Speaker: Raymond Laflamme
Canada Research Chair in Quantum Information
Executive Director, Institute for Quantum Computing
Director, CIFAR QIP program, University of Waterloo
Thursday, April 29, 2010 4:00 p.m. Room: N1044

Abstract:

Information processing devices are pervasive in our society; from the
5dollar watches to multi-billions satellite network. These devices have
allowed the information revolution which is developing around us. It ha
stransformed not only the way we communicate or entertain ourselves but also
the way we do science and even the way we think. All this information is
manipulated using the classical approximation to the laws of physics, but we
know that there is a better approximation: the quantum mechanical laws.
Using quantum mechanics for information processing turns out not to be an
impediment but leads to a dramatic advantage for manipulating information.
The Achille's heel of quantum information is however its fragility. While
we are learning how to build quantum processor, we must learn to make them
robust: quantum error correction aims to do this. Quantum error correction
and its fault tolerant extension lead to the accuracy threshold theorem
which says that despite some noise, at a level below the threshold, it is
still possible to quantum compute efficiently. Underlying this theorem is an
assumption on noise models that hopefully are physically reasonable. This
talk will give a method to learn about the noise model for quantum
information processing device having in mind quantum error correction.
Standard methods for measuring the noise are based on quantum process
tomography and require an exponentially large numberof experiments. I will
describe protocols that will determine efficiently the probability of k
errors independently of which qubit is affected and which type of error it
is for memory based on the ideas described in Emerson et al. (Science 317,
1893, 2007). I will also discuss characterization of errors for one and two
bits gates based on the work of Knill ( arXiv:0707.0963). I will also
describe work on benchmarking of quantum gates whose goals is to assess the
performance of quantum information processors ( arXiv:0808.3973). I will
give an overview of experimental implementation on these ideas using NMR
inboth the liquid and solid-state.

Paintball

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 04:52:38 +0100

Join PHI when we face off in our semi-annual trip to FLAG RAIDERS on Monday, March 29, 2010!

$18 gets you full equipment and 100 paintball to start with.

Additional paintballs can be purchased later

$10 for 100 paintballs

$45 for 500 paintballs

We'll be meeting up at the Science Building Atrium at 6:30pm and then take off via good ole public transportation (Route 8). If you plan on meeting us there, please let us know!

We would love to have a count before the day of, so you can either email us to let us know you're coming, or just confirm "attending" on facebook event page! Hope to see everyone there!

One Laptop per Child

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 21:31:18 +0100

This term, Terry Sturtevant will be holding a lecture on the creation of an affordable educational device for use in the developing world.

The lecture will be held this Wednesday March 3 at 7:30pm in BA102
Snacks and beverages are provided

The One Laptop Per Child Project: Fantasy or Reality?

Abstract

Imagine if every school age child in the world had a computer; not just any computer, but one designed for education and learning. Depending on your point of view, that may sound like a fantasy or a nightmare. In fact, that's actually the ambitious goal of an organization called "One Laptop Per Child", which started about 5 years ago and has now placed over one million computers in the hands of children around the world, mostly in developing countries. I'll talk about the original vision, the computer itself, and the successes and challenges so far. If you're interested in education, international development, or technology, this may be of interest. The talk will be aimed at a general audience, so the technical part won't go into excruciating detail.

The 2010 CAP Lecture Tour for Undergraduate Students

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 02:40:47 +0100

The Department of Physics and Computer Science and The Canadian Association of Physicists (CAP) are pleased to present

Topic: Exotic Probes and Extreme Conditions Reveal New Quantum States of
Matter

Speaker: Dr. Graeme Luke, McMaster University

Time and place: Tuesday, March 2, 3:00 PM, SBE 2260

NOTE: This talk will be at a level suitable for undergraduate students

Abstract: Condensed matter systems provide a rich playground for
studying exotic quantum states where the collective behaviour of 10^23
atoms can result in the emergence of new states of matter. Emergent
particles can obey fractional statistics, exhibit unconventional
superconductivity and even form Bose-Einstein condensates. I will
describe some of our recent experiments where we have used muons,
hydrostatic pressure and extremely high magnetic fields to create and
understand some of these exotic states.

Clothing Survey

Thu, 28 Jan 2010 07:59:04 +0100

Want to show off your department or endorse this club. Maybe you just want to get some new clothing. If so Phi is looking into ordering some custom made apparel. What do you think we should get, let us know below.

QIP = PSPACE

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 04:45:24 +0100

Dr. Watrous' research focuses on the theory of quantum information
science and its applications to algorithms, complexity theory and
cryptography. He has recently solved a decade-old problem in
complexity, proving QIP=PSPACE.

Abstract: The interactive proof system model of computation is a
cornerstone of computational complexity theory, and its quantum
computational variant has been studied in quantum complexity theory
for the past decade. In this talk I will discuss an exact
characterization of the expressive power of quantum interactive proof
systems that I recently proved in collaboration with Rahul Jain,
Zhengfeng Ji, and Sarvagya Upadhyay. The characterization states that
the collection of computational problems having quantum interactive
proof systems consists precisely of those problems solvable with an
ordinary classical computer using a polynomial amount of memory usage
(or QIP = PSPACE in complexity-theoretic terminology). This
characterization implies the striking fact that quantum computing does
not provide an increase in computational power over classical
computing in the context of interactive proof systems.

Thursday, Jan 28, 2010
4 p.m.
Bricker Academic, Rm BA-110

Speaker: Professor John Watrous
Associate Professor, David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science,
University of Waterloo
Fellow, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research
Member, Institute for Quantum Computing

Title: QIP = PSPACE

For further details and abstract, consult the Laurier CSASM website at
http://www.mmcs.wlu.ca/csasm/

Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 09:33:14 +0100

This year Dr. Ghose has graciously created a lecture of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox and the Nature of Reality

This lecture will be held on Tuesday November 17th in the Art's building C-wing, Room 2C17 at 4 pm

Abstract of Lecture

In 1935 Einstein, Podolsky and Rosen wrote a seminal paper in which
they discussed a thought experiment that led them to question the
theory of quantum mechanics. The paradox arose from the fact that in
quantum mechanics, measurements of one member of a correlated
(entangled) pair of objects seem to instantaneously affect the other
member, no matter how far away - an effect Einstein called 'spooky
action at a distance'. The EPR paradox led to much scientific and
philosophical debate regarding the interpretation of quantum
mechanics, causality and the nature of reality. This talk will
describe the EPR paradox, the idea of quantum entanglement and
practical tests that were devised to resolve the paradox. I will also
discuss the new interest in entanglement as a resource for quantum
computing and communication.

Paintball

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 01:01:42 +0100

Join PHI when we face off in our annual trip to FLAG RAIDERS on Monday, November 9.

$20 per person
$15 for paid members

This entitles you to full equipment and 100 paintball to start with.

Additional paintbals can be purchased later

$10 for 100 paintballs

$45 for 500 paintballs

We'll be meeting up at the Science Building at 6:30pm and then take off via good ole public transportation (Route 8). If you plan on meeting us there, please let us know.

Procrasti-LAN Party!

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 20:04:15 +0100

It's about time we all nerded out again!

LAN party this Saturday, October 24th, from 12pm-8pm in the PHI headquarters, N2085.

Games included are most likely:
- Counterstrike
- DotA
- TetriNET
- Nintendo Wii (Wii Sports, Super Smash Bros Brawl, etc)
- X-Box 360 (Rock Band II)

If you have any good LAN games, bring them! The only restrictions are due to the lab computers not being able to run them.

See you there!

PHItoberfest

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 04:55:25 +0100

Join PHI while we celebrate living in KW with oktoberfest on our doorsteps! This year PHI is hitting up the student night at Bingemans, and we plan on.... "unofficially"... putting the "binge" in Bingemans, if ya know what I mean!

We'll be meeting up at the Science Building at 8pm and then take off via good ole public transportation.If you plan on meeting us there, just look for our table!

Tickets are $11 each.

Hope to see you there!

For further info check out the facebook event page: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=171837745659

This event is 19+.

Meat & Greet

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 20:16:41 +0100

Meet the professors from the departments of Math and Physics & Computer Science

Introduce yourself to your teacher and grab something to eat in the meanwhile. Best of all its FREE.

Where: Science Faculty & Science Lounge (Across the Attrium from Tim Hortons)
When: Wednesday September 30th @ 4pm
Admission: FREE

How Real Are Real Numbers?

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 08:29:56 +0100

Laurier welcomes Gregory J. Chaitin, a renowned mathematician and philosopher who discovered the Omega number 30 years ago, to explore the mathematical and physical arguments involved in answering this question.

Chaitin’s lecture, Sept. 22 at 4 p.m. in the Paul Martin Centre, is part of the “Greg Chaitin in Ontario” six-part lecture tour, which sees Chaitin at the Fields Institute (Toronto), The Perimeter Institute, the University of Western Ontario and the Institute for Quantum Computing.

“The Laurier community has a rare opportunity to meet one of the great thinkers of our time, whose work is of profound interest in a number of different disciplines,” says Ilias Kotsireas, associate professor, physics and computer science and general co-ordinator of the Chaitin-in-Ontario event. “Chaitin has continued the deep work of Goedel and Turing on the foundations of mathematics using complexity and randomness concepts that can be traced back to Leibniz in 1686."

Chaitin conducts research at the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center in New York. His work on algorithmic information has focused on randomness, on the limits of formal axiomatic reasoning, and, more recently, on metabiology. His latest books include Meta Math! and Thinking about Godel and Turing, a collection of essays.

Chaitin’s Laurier lecture will discuss mathematical and physical arguments against continuity and in favor of discreteness, with particular emphasis on the ideas of Emile Borel (1871-1956).

The lecture is part of the Laurier Seminar Series in Computational Science and Applied & Statistical Modelling (CSASM)

www.mmcs.wlu.ca/csasm/

To view the “Greg Chaitin in Ontario” lecture tour poster, please visit www.wlu.ca/documents/36801/Chaitin-In-Ontario.pdf.

For more information about Chaitin, see his website at www.cs.umaine.edu/~chaitin

Maintance 2009-09-13

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 06:50:53 +0100

wluPHI.org will undergo routine maintance on September 9th 2009. This will be an all day event to make sure the site is fully operational for the upcoming year.

Operations & IT Director

2009-2010 PHI Council

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 08:06:44 +0100

Congratulations to our 2009-2010 PHI Council:

Eric "Futon" B. as Chair
Sunny C. as Operations Director
Brian "Seraph" Y. as Financial Director
Nancy B. as Academic Director
Karen K. as Social Director
Mark R. as IT Director
Jason V. as Marketing Director

as usual, you can contact council at chair@wluphi.org

MA240 Midterm Review

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 19:53:46 +0100

02/11/09 7:00PM - 8:30PM
Location: N1057

Feeling a little uneasy about the first midterm for Thermodynamics and Waves on February 27th? Let PHI help! We have a dedicated reviewer ready to go over the material and possibly one of the older midterms. Come out and reinforce your knowledge in the material so that you're on top of your game for February 27th!

Cost:
$5 for non-members
FREE for members

To become a member:
$10 for 1 year
$25 for life

For more information, visit www.wluphi.org OR the PHI Facebook group

RSS Feeds

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 07:49:25 +0100

An anonymous member commented about our lack of RSS feeds.

Well, that has been remedied now. Both our events calendar and our news sections now have RSS feeds.

Please continue to submit comments and suggestions to it@wluphi.org

Midterm reviews

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 07:43:43 +0100

Feeling a little uneasy about an upcoming test?

Check out www.wluphi.org/events for all of our upcoming reviews.

And don't forget about LaserQuest! WLU PHI club has challenged the Biology (BSA) and Chem (LCA) to a lazerific battle.

Come out and defend our title!

Laser Quest! PHI Challenges Bio, Chem, FMA!

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 05:17:32 +0100

Laser Quest!

Last Physics and Computing students destroyed the Chem and Bio clubs in a friendly warfare. Will WLU PHI rise to the occasion once again? Lock and Load.

This is our second off campus event! We will be meeting in the Science Atrium to organize rides. If you can drive to the event please help us out! We will leave for Laser Quest at 7.15pm (Don't be late!)

Date: Nov 14th, 2008
Time: 8 – 10 pm
Location: Downtown (Only “LaserQuest” in Kitchener) http://www.laserquest.com/

You can take the number 7 Bus (7.23 @ University & King) from the GRT to get there.

Price per: $15 for Paid Members of Phi
$20 for non paid members and non-members for Phi.

Chemistry, Biology and FMA clubs will be joining us. (Other clubs may have their own deals)

For tickets contact:

Phi Executives: either by email or by person usually located in N2085
Social Director Email Address: social@wluphi.org

LCA: Ontario Science Centre

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 04:56:00 +0100

Science Centre, Toronto

Club: Laurier Chemistry Association
Date: Saturday. 22nd November, 2008
Time: 10am – 3.30pm
Cost: $30 (Bus and Admission fees included)
Bus leaves 10am from Laurier and Leaves 3.30pm Toronto
Only 40 people so first come first serve basis.
On that day the Canadian National Robot Games is on so a nice event for Phi Club.
They’re not going to watch movie.
Email: reid0170@wlu.ca - Vice President of Chemistry for further details

Resourcia

Mon, 27 Oct 2008 16:22:29 +0100

Exam Scan a huge success.

Thanks to all the members of PHI who brought out material to be added to Resourcia.Thanks to the tireless efforts of Olav and Tyler, dozens of new materials have been added to Resourcia, included much needed CP213 and MA240 tests.

Please continue to contribute to Resourcia, by clicking the 'upload new resource' link @ the bottom of the page.

Paintball

Tue, 21 Oct 2008 00:02:45 +0100

Free Event! All you pay for is Ammo!

This is our first off campus event! We will actually meeting in the Science Atrium. We will leave for Flag Raiders at 6:30 pm (Don't be late!)

Cost:
For Laurier Students (and you will have to present your student card)
Only cost is for paintballs, which is
100 for $10
500 for $45

otherwise equipment rental with 100 paintballs is 25$

Also, we need drivers who are willing to drive others to this event. Drive to the event and earn 50 Free Paintballs!

Alternatively: You can take the number 8 Bus (6:48@University & King) from the GRT to get there (take the one going towards UW if you are at Laurier)

Department Social

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 20:45:25 +0100

Big Event Coming up!

ACM Programming Contest

Thu, 11 Sep 2008 01:04:28 +0100

For all students interested in coding and showing off their skills with algorithms, University of Waterloo will be hosting a local ACM(Association of Computing Machinery) programming contest. All Wilfrid Laurier Students are welcome to attend the fun and excitement.

Contest dates are:

Sunday September 28, 2008
Saturday October 4, 2008

Pizza and Pop will be served at the conclusion of the games, and Wilfrid Lauriers ACM team will be formed depending on the results of these games.

For more complete information details go to http://plg1.cs.uwaterloo.ca/~acm00/

The Waterloo local competition is an individual game used to select who will represent UW at the regional contest. For the past 2 year Wilfrid Laurier students have also attended these games for a fun and exciting challenge. This year's Laurier ACM team will be determined by how well each student does at these games.

WLU was first represented in the ACM regional games just 2 years ago and placing 25th out of 160 teams and last year increasing this to place 17h out of over 120 teams in our region. For more information on Laurier's involvement at the games see http://www.wlu.ca/news_detail.php?grp_id=2&nws_id=3647 .

Starting soon, WLU PHI will begin co-ordinating for the 2008 ACM Contest. This year, we hope to send two teams to the competition. ANYONE can join in training for this competition whether you are in 5th or 1st year. We are looking for people who are willing commit to the team. As a team, we will work together, train together, and show ACM what Laurier is made of.

For more information on the ACM regional or global competition see:

http://cm2prod.baylor.edu/login.jsf
http://icpc.baylor.edu/icpc/default.htm

WLU PHI places 6th at CS Games

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 06:56:07 +0100

Laurier shines at University competition. Who will step up this year?

Travelling to Sherbrooke in a rented van full of Nintendo DSs, Laurier's own team WLU: L0ves UrM0m had no idea what to expect from the Competition. After settling into a cafeteria with almost 300 participants, the team found themselves among the prestige of Harvard, and the rowdy ETS - who, as the song goes, "...came to the CS Games to drink, to drink". While team presence and spirit was one of the categories the team was scored on, there were many competitions - for some team members, 3 in a day.

Being the first team from WLU to compete at the games and having no experience did note deter these 10 brave souls. Knowing only the titles of each competition and the theme of 'Old School', the team enlisted the help of John Markovic and Matt McTaggart to direct and film our team 'flashout video'. Our message: Laurier is here to kick some ass!

And kick ass we did. After placing top three in many competitions, teaching a couple of schools about Flip Cup, playing games, and lots and lots of programming, WLU placed 6th overall. A fantastic finish, considering the schools we were up against.

Starting soon, WLU PHI will begin co-ordinating for the 2009 CS Games. This year, we hope to send two teams to the competition. ANYONE can go to this competition whether you are in 5th or 1st year. We are looking for people who are willing commit to the team. As a team, we will work together, train together, play games together, and show the CS Games what Laurier is made of.

For more information about the CS Games, contact csgames@wluphi.org

New site launches

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 06:40:29 +0100

Thanks to the efforts of many, the new website is up.

We could not have made with website without the very creative and very talented Collin McIntyre. Collin helped us out just for the fun of it, and we're extremely grateful, and honoured to have such help.

The new site is a little quirky at the moment, but we are working hard to make it shine. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, please contact Kevin Gillan, IT Director at it@wluphi.org