DOCSLIB.ORG

Violation of an Augmented Set of Leggett-Garg Inequalities and the Implementation of a Continuous in Time Velocity Measurement

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Violation of an Augmented Set of Leggett-Garg Inequalities and the Implementation of a Continuous in Time Velocity Measurement Violation of an augmented set of Leggett-Garg inequalities and the implementation of a continuous in time velocity measurement by Shayan-Shawn Majidy A thesis presented to the University of Waterloo in fulfillment of the thesis requirement for the degree of Masters of Science in Physics (Quantum Information) Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, 2019 c Shayan-Shawn Majidy 2019 I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. ii Abstract Macroscopic realism (MR) is the view that a system may possess definite properties at any time independent of past or future measurements, and may be tested experimentally using the Leggett-Garg inequalities (LGIs). In this work we advance the study of LGIs in two ways using experiments carried out on a nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. Firstly, we addresses the fact that the LGIs are only necessary conditions for MR but not sufficient ones. We implement a recently-proposed test of necessary and sufficient conditions for MR which consists of a combination of the original four three-time LGIs augmented with a set of twelve two-time LGIs. We explore different regimes in which the two- and three-time LGIs may each be satisfied or violated. Secondly, we implement a recent proposal for a measurement protocol which determines the temporal correlation functions in an approximately non-invasive manner. It employs a measurement of the velocity of a dichotomic variable Q, continuous in time, from which a possible sign change of Q may be determined in a single measurement of an ancilla coupled to the velocity. This protocol involves a significantly different set of assumptions to the traditional ideal negative measurement protocol and a comparison with the latter is carried out. iii Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to thank my supervisor Prof. Raymond Laflamme. Ray's insistent curiosity has been contagious and the way he conducts himself on a daily basis has been inspiring. I feel very fortunate to have him as a role model, as a scientist and as a person. Secondly, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Prof. Jonathan Halliwell. Had I known that the initial email I sent him would lead to the relationship I have with him today, I would of sent it much sooner. His wisdom and encouragement have been crucial to navigating through the different stages of my research. Lastly, I would like to thank my examination committee for their time reading my thesis, the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Institute for Quantum Computing for funding my research and my peers for creating a warm and supportive environment. Lastly, I would like to thank my family and in particular my uncle Payam. If there is anything I accomplish in this life, it's because of him. iv Table of Contents List of Tables viii List of Figures ix 0 Introduction1 1 Violating realism3 1.1 The Bell framework...............................4 1.1.1 Local realism..............................4 1.1.2 Bell's theorem..............................6 1.1.3 The Bell and CHSH inequalities....................7 1.2 Fine's theorem................................. 11 1.2.1 Marginal probabilities......................... 11 1.2.2 Statement of the theorem, definitions and notation......... 13 1.2.3 The arguments of Fine's theorem................... 17 1.3 The Leggett-Garg framework......................... 24 1.3.1 Macroscopic realism.......................... 24 1.3.2 The Leggett-Garg inequalities..................... 27 2 Nuclear magnetic resonance quantum information processing 32 2.1 Fundamentals of NMR............................. 32 v 2.2 Implementation as a quantum computer................... 34 2.2.1 The qubit................................ 34 2.2.2 Initialization............................... 38 2.2.3 Universal set of gates.......................... 39 2.2.4 Measurement.............................. 43 2.2.5 Decoherence............................... 46 3 Violation of an augmented set of Leggett-Garg inequalities 49 3.1 The augmented set of Leggett-Garg inequalities............... 49 3.1.1 Two regimes of interest......................... 50 3.2 Experimental design.............................. 55 3.2.1 Ideal negative measurements...................... 55 3.2.2 Pulse sequence components...................... 59 3.2.3 First set of experiments........................ 61 3.2.4 Second set of experiments....................... 62 3.3 Experimental results.............................. 62 3.3.1 Error bars................................ 65 3.4 Conclusion.................................... 71 4 The implementation of a continuous in time velocity measurement 72 4.1 Continuous in time velocity measurements.................. 72 4.1.1 Theoretical description......................... 73 4.2 Experimental design.............................. 75 4.2.1 Finding parameters........................... 75 4.2.2 Bounds on the violation........................ 80 4.2.3 Pulse sequence components...................... 80 4.2.4 Third set of experiments........................ 81 4.3 Experimental results.............................. 81 4.4 Conclusion.................................... 83 vi 5 Conclusion and discussion 88 5.1 Review of Ch. 3 and Ch. 4 conclusions.................... 88 5.2 Discussion.................................... 89 References 91 vii List of Tables 1.1 The possible measurement outcomes for a triplet state that was generated in the (P; P; N) state...............................7 1.2 The sum of the \probabilities" that pairs of measurements made on a triplet state will return the same result........................9 1 1.3 The possible correlation functions for a spin- 2 system measured at pairs of times....................................... 31 2.1 An overview of how an NMR spectrometer satisfies each of the DiVincenzo criteria for quantum computation........................ 35 3.1 An overview of the the sets of experiments described in Section 3.1.1.... 51 3.2 The experimental data from the first and second set of experiments..... 64 3.3 The values of hQii and Cij and calculated from the data from the first and second set of experiments............................ 66 3.4 The values of the LG2s and LG3s constructed from the first set of experiments. 67 3.5 The values of the LG2s and LG3s constructed from the second set of exper- iments....................................... 68 4.1 An overview of all the experiments discussed in this thesis.......... 73 4.2 The experimental data from the third set of experiments........... 83 4.3 The values of hQii and Cij and calculated from the second and third set of experiments.................................... 84 4.4 The values of the LG2s and LG3s constructed from the third set of experi- ments....................................... 85 viii List of Figures 1.1 The general design of the EPR paradox....................5 1.2 A modification of the EPR paradox which allows for testing the existence of local realism..................................6 1.3 A schematic depiction of a particles spin being measured along one of three co-planar axis...................................8 1.4 Four co-planar axes separated by successive 45◦ angles............ 10 1.5 Different ways of denoting the marginals of a probably distribution..... 12 1.6 An example of a simple method for visualizing the marginals of a probability distribution.................................... 14 1.7 Examples of macroscopic quantum phenomena which have been experimen- tally realised................................... 26 1.8 Violation of the LG3s for measurements made at equidistant time intervals. 29 1.9 A schematic depiction of a particles spin being measured along one axis at three distinct times................................ 30 2.1 An overview of the fundamentals of an NMR experiment as outlined in section 2.1.................................... 33 2.2 The molecular structure of trichloroethylene.................. 37 2.3 A schematic depiction of the pseudo-pure state................ 39 2.4 The effect of an RF pulse being applied to a two nuclei sample....... 41 2.5 The step by step effect of the pulse sequence for implementing the CNOT gate........................................ 42 2.6 The NMR spectra for the XI, XZ, YI and YZ components of the signal... 45 ix 2.7 An example of two spectra decomposed into linear combinations of the XI, YI, XZ ans YZ spectra............................. 46 2.8 The relaxation of the magnetization due to the effect of the T1 relaxation.. 47 2.9 The relaxation of the magnetization due to the effect of the T2 relaxation.. 48 3.1 A simulation of the effect of the decoherence on the correlation functions as a function of !t.................................. 52 3.2 The LG3s plotted as functions of !t with the effect of the decoherence... 52 3.3 The results of a search over the initial states for which the LG2s are, or are not, satisfied................................... 53 3.4 One of the LG2s and the LG3s plotted with the effect of decoherence.... 54 3.5 The quantum circuit used for implementing the INM protocol........ 56 3.6 A pulse sequence for producing the pseudo-pure state............. 60 3.7 A pulse sequence for implementing the CNOT gate in NMR......... 61 3.8 A pulse sequence for implementing the time delay while undoing the effect of the J-coupling................................. 61 3.9 The pulse sequences for the first set of
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Dear Fellow Quantum Mechanics;
    Dear Fellow Quantum Mechanics Jeremy Bernstein Abstract: This is a letter of inquiry about the nature of quantum mechanics. I have been reflecting on the sociology of our little group and as is my wont here are a few notes. I see our community divided up into various subgroups. I will try to describe them beginning with a small group of elderly but distinguished physicist who either believe that there is no problem with the quantum theory and that the young are wasting their time or that there is a problem and that they have solved it. In the former category is Rudolf Peierls and in the latter Phil Anderson. I will begin with Peierls. In the January 1991 issue of Physics World Peierls published a paper entitled “In defence of ‘measurement’”. It was one of the last papers he wrote. It was in response to his former pupil John Bell’s essay “Against measurement” which he had published in the same journal in August of 1990. Bell, who had died before Peierls’ paper was published, had tried to explain some of the difficulties of quantum mechanics. Peierls would have none of it.” But I do not agree with John Bell,” he wrote,” that these problems are very difficult. I think it is easy to give an acceptable account…” In the rest of his short paper this is what he sets out to do. He begins, “In my view the most fundamental statement of quantum mechanics is that the wave function or more generally the density matrix represents our knowledge of the system we are trying to describe.” Of course the wave function collapses when this knowledge is altered.
    [Show full text]
  • Multi-Dimensional Entanglement Transport Through Single-Mode Fibre
    Multi-dimensional entanglement transport through single-mode fibre Jun Liu,1, ∗ Isaac Nape,2, ∗ Qianke Wang,1 Adam Vall´es,2 Jian Wang,1 and Andrew Forbes2 1Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, School of Optical and Electronic Information, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074, Hubei, China. 2School of Physics, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, Wits 2050, South Africa (Dated: April 8, 2019) The global quantum network requires the distribution of entangled states over long distances, with significant advances already demonstrated using entangled polarisation states, reaching approxi- mately 1200 km in free space and 100 km in optical fibre. Packing more information into each photon requires Hilbert spaces with higher dimensionality, for example, that of spatial modes of light. However spatial mode entanglement transport requires custom multimode fibre and is lim- ited by decoherence induced mode coupling. Here we transport multi-dimensional entangled states down conventional single-mode fibre (SMF). We achieve this by entangling the spin-orbit degrees of freedom of a bi-photon pair, passing the polarisation (spin) photon down the SMF while ac- cessing multi-dimensional orbital angular momentum (orbital) subspaces with the other. We show high fidelity hybrid entanglement preservation down 250 m of SMF across multiple 2 × 2 dimen- sions, demonstrating quantum key distribution protocols, quantum state tomographies and quantum erasers. This work offers an alternative approach to spatial mode entanglement transport that fa- cilitates deployment in legacy networks across conventional fibre. Entanglement is an intriguing aspect of quantum me- chanics with well-known quantum paradoxes such as those of Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) [1], Hardy [2], and Leggett [3].
    [Show full text]
  • On Monte Carlo Time-Dependent Variational Principles
    On Monte Carlo Time-Dependent Variational Principles Von der QUEST-Leibniz-Forschungsschule der Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Universit¨atHannover zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades Doktor der Naturwissenschaften { Doctor rerum naturalium { genehmigte Dissertation von FABIANWOLFGANGG UNTERTRANSCHEL¨ Geboren am 10.01.1987 in Gehrden 2016 0 Erstpr¨ufer : Prof. Dr. Reinhard F. Werner Zweitpr¨ufer : Prof. Dr. Klemens Hammerer Beratendes Mitglied des Pr¨ufungsausschusses : Prof. Dr. Tobias J. Osborne Vorsitzender des Pr¨ufungsausschusses : Prof. Dr. Rolf Haug Tag der Promotion: 17. Dezember 2015 On Monte Carlo Time-Dependent Variational Principles Fabian W. G. Transchel Abstract The present dissertation is concerned with the development and implementation of a novel scheme for quantitative, numeric approximation of the dynamics of quantum lattice systems based on the Time-Dependent Variational Principle together with Monte Carlo techniques in order to include dissipative interactions. The specific implementation is demonstrated on both common and not yet in-detail explored Heisenberg- and Fermi-Hubbard models in one and two dimensions. Additionally, the technical requirements regarding computational complexity and capacity are discussed, especially with regards toward parallelizable components of the imple- mentation. Concluding remarks include prospects with respect to application and extension of the presented methods. Keywords: Monte Carlo method, Dissipative Dynamics, Lindblad Equation iii Zusammenfassung Die vorliegende Dissertation befasst sich mit der Entwicklung und Umsetzung eines neuartigen Schemas zur quantitativen numerischen N¨aherung der Dynamik von Quantengittersystemen auf Grundlage des zeitabh¨angigenVariationsprinzips unter Zuhilfenahme von Monte-Carlo-Techniken zur Einbeziehung von dissipativen Wech- selwirkungen. Die Implementierung wird anhand von Beispielen f¨urHeisenberg- und Fermi-Hubbard-Modellen in einer und zwei Dimensionen gezeigt und erl¨autert.
    [Show full text]
  • Scientific Report for the Year 2000
    The Erwin Schr¨odinger International Boltzmanngasse 9 ESI Institute for Mathematical Physics A-1090 Wien, Austria Scientific Report for the Year 2000 Vienna, ESI-Report 2000 March 1, 2001 Supported by Federal Ministry of Education, Science, and Culture, Austria ESI–Report 2000 ERWIN SCHRODINGER¨ INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MATHEMATICAL PHYSICS, SCIENTIFIC REPORT FOR THE YEAR 2000 ESI, Boltzmanngasse 9, A-1090 Wien, Austria March 1, 2001 Honorary President: Walter Thirring, Tel. +43-1-4277-51516. President: Jakob Yngvason: +43-1-4277-51506. [email protected] Director: Peter W. Michor: +43-1-3172047-16. [email protected] Director: Klaus Schmidt: +43-1-3172047-14. [email protected] Administration: Ulrike Fischer, Eva Kissler, Ursula Sagmeister: +43-1-3172047-12, [email protected] Computer group: Andreas Cap, Gerald Teschl, Hermann Schichl. International Scientific Advisory board: Jean-Pierre Bourguignon (IHES), Giovanni Gallavotti (Roma), Krzysztof Gawedzki (IHES), Vaughan F.R. Jones (Berkeley), Viktor Kac (MIT), Elliott Lieb (Princeton), Harald Grosse (Vienna), Harald Niederreiter (Vienna), ESI preprints are available via ‘anonymous ftp’ or ‘gopher’: FTP.ESI.AC.AT and via the URL: http://www.esi.ac.at. Table of contents General remarks . 2 Winter School in Geometry and Physics . 2 Wolfgang Pauli und die Physik des 20. Jahrhunderts . 3 Summer Session Seminar Sophus Lie . 3 PROGRAMS IN 2000 . 4 Duality, String Theory, and M-theory . 4 Confinement . 5 Representation theory . 7 Algebraic Groups, Invariant Theory, and Applications . 7 Quantum Measurement and Information . 9 CONTINUATION OF PROGRAMS FROM 1999 and earlier . 10 List of Preprints in 2000 . 13 List of seminars and colloquia outside of conferences .
    [Show full text]
  • Quantum Theory Needs No 'Interpretation'
    Quantum Theory Needs No ‘Interpretation’ But ‘Theoretical Formal-Conceptual Unity’ (Or: Escaping Adán Cabello’s “Map of Madness” With the Help of David Deutsch’s Explanations) Christian de Ronde∗ Philosophy Institute Dr. A. Korn, Buenos Aires University - CONICET Engineering Institute - National University Arturo Jauretche, Argentina Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Center Leo Apostel fot Interdisciplinary Studies, Brussels Free University, Belgium Abstract In the year 2000, in a paper titled Quantum Theory Needs No ‘Interpretation’, Chris Fuchs and Asher Peres presented a series of instrumentalist arguments against the role played by ‘interpretations’ in QM. Since then —quite regardless of the publication of this paper— the number of interpretations has experienced a continuous growth constituting what Adán Cabello has characterized as a “map of madness”. In this work, we discuss the reasons behind this dangerous fragmentation in understanding and provide new arguments against the need of interpretations in QM which —opposite to those of Fuchs and Peres— are derived from a representational realist understanding of theories —grounded in the writings of Einstein, Heisenberg and Pauli. Furthermore, we will argue that there are reasons to believe that the creation of ‘interpretations’ for the theory of quanta has functioned as a trap designed by anti-realists in order to imprison realists in a labyrinth with no exit. Taking as a standpoint the critical analysis by David Deutsch to the anti-realist understanding of physics, we attempt to address the references and roles played by ‘theory’ and ‘observation’. In this respect, we will argue that the key to escape the anti-realist trap of interpretation is to recognize that —as Einstein told Heisenberg almost one century ago— it is only the theory which can tell you what can be observed.
    [Show full text]
  • Black Holes and Qubits
    Subnuclear Physics: Past, Present and Future Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Scripta Varia 119, Vatican City 2014 www.pas.va/content/dam/accademia/pdf/sv119/sv119-duff.pdf Black Holes and Qubits MICHAEL J. D UFF Blackett Labo ratory, Imperial C ollege London Abstract Quantum entanglement lies at the heart of quantum information theory, with applications to quantum computing, teleportation, cryptography and communication. In the apparently separate world of quantum gravity, the Hawking effect of radiating black holes has also occupied centre stage. Despite their apparent differences, it turns out that there is a correspondence between the two. Introduction Whenever two very different areas of theoretical physics are found to share the same mathematics, it frequently leads to new insights on both sides. Here we describe how knowledge of string theory and M-theory leads to new discoveries about Quantum Information Theory (QIT) and vice-versa (Duff 2007; Kallosh and Linde 2006; Levay 2006). Bekenstein-Hawking entropy Every object, such as a star, has a critical size determined by its mass, which is called the Schwarzschild radius. A black hole is any object smaller than this. Once something falls inside the Schwarzschild radius, it can never escape. This boundary in spacetime is called the event horizon. So the classical picture of a black hole is that of a compact object whose gravitational field is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. Yet in 1974 Stephen Hawking showed that quantum black holes are not entirely black but may radiate energy, due to quantum mechanical effects in curved spacetime. In that case, they must possess the thermodynamic quantity called entropy.
    [Show full text]
  • Is There Ontology After Bell's Theorem?
    IS THERE ONTOLOGY AFTER BELL'S THEOREM? A Speech given to the Philosophical Club of Cleveland February 14, 1984 By John Heighway 1 IS THERE ONTOLOGY AFTER BELL'S THEOREM? I feel that it’s unfair to use a title containing a generally unfamiliar term, in this case "Bell's Theorem," without promptly giving some explanation. It happens that logic demands a rather lengthy lead-in, so let me quote here, as a sort of "jacket blurb" introduction, the abstract of the excellent review article on Bell's Theorem, by John Clauser and Abner Shimony. Bell's Theorem represents a significant advance in understanding the conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics. The theorem shows that essentially all local theories of natural phenomena that are formulated within the framework of realism may be tested using a single experimental arrangement. Moreover, the predictions by these theories must significantly differ from those by quantum mechanics. Experimental results evidently refute the theorem's predictions for these theories and favour those of quantum mechanics. The conclusions are philosophically startling: either one must totally abandon the realistic philosophy of most working scientists, or dramatically revise our concept of space-time. If I were permitted to edit this statement, I would just add the words "or both" to the final sentence. Ontology is a branch of metaphysics dealing with theories of reality or being. Almost all scientists, past and present, have embraced without reservation the theory called realism, which holds that external reality exists and possesses definite properties, altogether independently of whether or not those properties are observed by someone.
    [Show full text]
  • Ccjun12-Cover Vb.Indd
    CERN Courier June 2012 Faces & Places I NDUSTRY CERN supports new centre for business incubation in the UK To bridge the gap between basic science and industry, CERN and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) have launched a new business-incubation centre in the UK. The centre will support businesses and entrepreneurs to take innovative technologies related to high-energy physics from technical concept to market reality. The centre, at STFC’s Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus, follows the success of a business-incubation centre at the STFC’s Harwell campus, which has run for 10 years with the support of the European Space Agency (ESA). The ESA Business Incubation Centre (ESA BIC) supports entrepreneurs and hi-tech start-up companies to translate space technologies, applications and services into viable nonspace-related business ideas. The CERN-STFC BIC will nurture innovative ideas based on technologies developed at CERN, with a direct contribution from CERN in terms of expertise. The centre is managed by STFC Innovations Limited, the technology-transfer office of STFC, which will provide John Womersley, CEO of STFC, left, and Steve Myers, CERN’s director of accelerators and successful applicants with entrepreneurial technology, at the launch of the CERN-STFC Business Incubation Centre on the Daresbury support, including a dedicated business Science and Innovation Campus. (Image credit: STFC.) champion to help with business planning, accompanied technical visits to CERN as business expertise from STFC and CERN. total funding of up to £40,000 per company, well as access to scientific, technical and The selected projects will also receive a provided by STFC.
    [Show full text]
  • A Contribuição De Chien Shiung Wu Para a Teoria Quântica
    UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DA BAHIA UNIVERSIDADE ESTADUAL DE FEIRA DE SANTANA PROGRAMA DE PÓS-GRADUAÇÃO EM ENSINO, FILOSOFIA E HISTÓRIA DAS CIÊNCIAS ANGEVALDO MENEZES MAIA FILHO PARA UMA HISTÓRIA DAS MULHERES NA CIÊNCIA: A CONTRIBUIÇÃO DE CHIEN SHIUNG WU PARA A TEORIA QUÂNTICA Salvador 2018 ANGEVALDO MENEZES MAIA FILHO PARA UMA HISTÓRIA DAS MULHERES NA CIÊNCIA: A CONTRIBUIÇÃO DE CHIEN SHIUNG WU PARA A TEORIA QUÂNTICA Dissertação apresentada ao Programa de Pós- Graduação em Ensino, Filosofia e História das Ciências, da Universidade Federal da Bahia e da Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana como requisito parcial para a obtenção do título de Mestre em Ensino, Filosofia e História das Ciências. Orientadora: Profa. Dra. Indianara Lima Silva Salvador 2018 ANGEVALDO MENEZES MAIA FILHO PARA UMA HISTÓRIA DAS MULHERES NA CIÊNCIA: A CONTRIBUIÇÃO DE CHIEN SHIUNG WU PARA A TEORIA QUÂNTICA Dissertação apresentada como requisito parcial para obtenção do grau de mestre em 19 de abril de 2018, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ensino, Filosofia e História das Ciências, da Universidade Federal da Bahia e da Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana. 19 de abril de 2018 Banca Examinadora _______________________________________________ Professora Doutora Indianara Lima Silva _______________________________________________ Professora Doutora Maria Margaret Lopes _______________________________________________ Professor Doutor Olival Freire Júnior AGRADECIMENTOS Como não poderia deixar de ser, os agradecimentos revelam o quão importante são as pessoas que nos cercam e o quanto pode ser difícil, no meu caso, absolutamente impossível, realizar um trabalho individualmente. Agradeço a Josenice Assunção Maia e Angevaldo Maia, pessoas que tive a sorte de ter enquanto genitores me apoiando incondicionalmente desde sempre, confiando e acreditando nas minhas escolhas, a maior e inesgotável fonte de amor que pude encontrar na vida.
    [Show full text]
  • Bell's Inequality and the Collapse of Objective Reality
    Bell’s Inequality and the Collapse of Objective Reality William O. Straub, PhD Pasadena, California November 27, 2005 I first read about Bell’s inequality and the “demise of locality” in a Scientific American article in the late 1970s, and I remember being very much impressed with its oddball conclusions regarding the fate of objective reality (what E. Squires has more recently referred to as “the ultimate silliness of the quantum world”). Nowadays I am much less impressed, but I don’t know why; maybe it’s only because I am now more accustomed to quantum mechanics than I was then. Nevertheless, the quantum mechanical violation of Bell’s inequality, which was proven experimentally in the 1980s, is yet another example of how God has cooked up a universe that is stranger than anything we could have imagined. If you have experienced problems deriving Bell’s inequality and/or its quantum variant, the following discussion should be of help to you. The only prerequisite is elementary quantum mechanics and an open mind. And although I will share some of my personal thoughts about what I think it all means, you’ll have to decide for yourself if there’s anything really profound involved. Bohr v. Einstein You may have read about the friendly but earnest “war” that Niels Bohr and Albert Einstein waged from the 1920s on regarding whether nature was deterministic or probabilistic. Briefly stated, Einstein never made the “quantum leap,” believing instead that God didn’t play dice with the universe in the sense that God didn’t leave important stuff to probability (like an atom radiatin g purely by chance).
    [Show full text]
  • Frontiers in Optics 2010/Laser Science XXVI
    Frontiers in Optics 2010/Laser Science XXVI FiO/LS 2010 wrapped up in Rochester after a week of cutting- edge optics and photonics research presentations, powerful networking opportunities, quality educational programming and an exhibit hall featuring leading companies in the field. Headlining the popular Plenary Session and Awards Ceremony were Alain Aspect, speaking on quantum optics; Steven Block, who discussed single molecule biophysics; and award winners Joseph Eberly, Henry Kapteyn and Margaret Murnane. Led by general co-chairs Karl Koch of Corning Inc. and Lukas Novotny of the University of Rochester, FiO/LS 2010 showcased the highest quality optics and photonics research—in many cases merging multiple disciplines, including chemistry, biology, quantum mechanics and materials science, to name a few. This year, highlighted research included using LEDs to treat skin cancer, examining energy trends of communications equipment, quantum encryption over longer distances, and improvements to biological and chemical sensors. Select recorded sessions are now available to all OSA members. Members should log in and go to “Recorded Programs” to view available presentations. FiO 2010 also drew together leading laser scientists for one final celebration of LaserFest – the 50th anniversary of the first laser. In honor of the anniversary, the conference’s Industrial Physics Forum brought together speakers to discuss Applications in Laser Technology in areas like biomedicine, environmental technology and metrology. Other special events included the Arthur Ashkin Symposium, commemorating Ashkin's contributions to the understanding and use of light pressure forces on the 40th anniversary of his seminal paper “Acceleration and trapping of particles by radiation pressure,” and the Symposium on Optical Communications, where speakers reviewed the history and physics of optical fiber communication systems, in honor of 2009 Nobel Prize Winner and “Father of Fiber Optics” Charles Kao.
    [Show full text]
  • Opening Paragraph • State for Which Job You’Re Applying, and Where You Saw the Ad
    2018 Physics Nobel Prize Tomorrow! • Leading contenders: • Yakir Aharonov and Michael Berry, Geometric phases in Quantum Mechanics • John Clauser and Anton Zeilinger, Bell’s Inequalities and Entanglement • Akihiro Kojima, Kenjiro Teshima, Yasuo Shirai and Tsutomu Miyasaka, Use of Perovskite and organometals in solar cells • Lene Hau, Slowing of light (to 50 km/h) • David Smith and John Pendry, Development of “metamaterials” (invisibility cloaks!) Presenting Your Best Side! Resumes, Cover Letters, Personal Statements, and Elevator Speeches PHYS 480 – Fall 2018 Curriculum Vitaes (CVs) • A short (one to two page) summary of your skills and experience • Should include: 1. Full name / address / email / website 2. Education 3. Work Experience 4. Skills and Knowledge Cover Letters • Opening paragraph • State for which job you’re applying, and where you saw the ad. Describe your interest and enthusiasm for the job. If you have any particular connections to the company, you may want to mention them up front. • Make it a captivating read! • Middle paragraph (or two) • Clearly connect your past to the job opening. Talk about how your past experiences gave you the necessary skills and knowledge for this particular job. Focus on what you can bring to the company, not what the job will do for you. • Closing paragraph • Thank the person you’re writing for their time / attention. • Reiterate your enthusiasm for joining the company. • Express your eagerness to meet in person to discuss the opportunity. Personal Statements • An opportunity for you to present yourself to the graduate (medical) school application committee! • Similar to the cover letter for job applications (so make the first paragraph count!) • May be a deciding factor to a committee looking at a borderline acceptance.
    [Show full text]