| January 21, 2005
The University of Calgary today joins a small, elite group
of universities worldwide when it launches its Institute for
Quantum Information Science, a research unit dedicated to exploring
the mind-bending nexus between computer science and quantum
physics.
There are currently fewer than 10 such institutes around the
world dedicated to this new and growing interdisciplinary field,
which is providing breakthroughs in information security and
contributing to a whole new paradigm in computing.
“Quantum information science deals with information
processing, information transmission and information security,” explains
Dr. Barry Sanders, physicist and director of the new institute. “Although
most of the developments to date relate to cryptography, the
fact is that we don’t yet know the full potential of
quantum information science. The important thing is that it
promises to be revolutionary – and Calgary will be there
from the beginning.”
The Institute for Quantum Information Science brings together
U of C researchers from computer science, mathematics and physics,
who will conduct theoretical and experimental research. The
institute is expected to attract top students, significant
research funding, and industrial partners. It will also provide
an administrative framework enabling it to link with other
quantum institutes, such as those at California Institute of
Technology, Cambridge University in the UK, and the University
of Waterloo in Canada, which is currently the only other Canadian
university with an institute of this type.
“Quantum information science could eventually lead to
the development of new materials, devices or other breakthroughs
that no one has yet foreseen,” Sanders says. Most researchers
agree, however, that the development of a ‘Quantum computer’,
which would be capable of massive parallel processing on a
single chip, is inevitable and anywhere from 10 to 20 years
away.
“A quantum computer would be a nuclear bomb to the Internet,” Sanders
says. “Right now our whole system of e-commerce is based
on encryption methods that are too difficult for existing computing
technology to attack. But a quantum computer could solve many
of these mathematical problems that are currently impossible
to crack, making the Internet insecure.”
On the other
hand, scientists have also already demonstrated that quantum
cryptography guarantees that data can be transmitted
publicly with 100 per cent unbreakable encryption – forever. “Even
if there is an alien invasion by some species that has incredibly
advanced technology, our information can be secure – at
least as long as the quantum laws of the universe hold up,” Sanders
says.
Quantum information
researchers investigate the mysterious nano-world where particles
can behave in very non-Newtonian
ways. For example, current computing is based on information
being digitized and exchanged in a linear stream of 1’s
and 0’s. “Any of the technological improvements
in computing that we see today are all designed to allow us
to send more ones and zeroes down a particular channel, to
send them faster, or to be able to encrypt them so they’re
secure,” Sanders says. But with quantum computing, the
1’s and 0’s – the inputs – can be created
and processed simultaneously, meaning an exponential increase
in processing speed.
Investors
have already recognized the great potential in the field.
Quantum-based computer security systems are being commercialized
by companies such as BBN Technologies, D-Wave Systems, id Quantique,
and MagiQ Technologies Inc. MagiQ’s founder and CEO,
Bob Gelfond, was one of five high-profile speakers who took
part in the new U of C institute’s official launch today.
Quantum information and cryptography is an institutional priority
at the U of C and there is already a talented group of researchers
working in the area. The talent base is growing, thanks to
various federal, provincial, private sector and U of C initiatives.
Current faculty
members who will be part of the Institute for Quantum Information
Science include Dr. Richard Cleve (computer
science), Dr. David Feder (physics and astronomy), Dr. Peter
Høyer (computer science), Dr. Alex Lvovsky (physics
and astronomy), Dr. Karl-Peter Marzlin (physics and astronomy),
and Dr. John Watrous (computer science). Affiliated faculty
members include Dr. David Hobill (physics and astronomy), Dr.
Renate Scheidler (mathematics and statistics), Dr. Robert Thompson
(physics and astronomy), and Dr. Hugh Williams (mathematics
and statistics). Sanders, the director, is also iCORE Professor
of Quantum Information Science.
Last spring,
Sanders and his colleagues at the Australian National University
captured international headlines when they
demonstrated how to ‘teleport’ data using quantum
physics. This experiment employed crystals, lenses and mirrors
to produce a pair of ‘entangled’ laser beams that
were then used to carry fragile information in the form of
quantum states.
For more information on the institute, contact Dr. Barry Sanders,
Director of the Institute for Quantum Information Science,
at (403) 210-8462 or (cell) 560-8288, or Greg Harris, Media
Relations, (403) 220-3506 or (cell) 540-7306.
For more details on the institute, visit: www.iqis.org.
__________
Gregory
Harris
Media Relations
External Relations
Administration Building, A113
University of Calgary
2500 University Drive N.W.
T2N 1N4
Phone (403) 220-3506
Cell (403) 540-7306
Fax (403) 282-8413
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