Category Archives: Quantum Physics

Rescale

Countless startup fortunes have been made over the past decade by new technologies aimed at the software developer experience in the wake of Marc Andreessens observation that software is eating the world.

From publicly-traded Atlassian ($54B market cap), to notable acquisitions like (Microsoft acquiring GitHub for $7.5B in stock), to a slew of private unicorns whose technologies address various optimizations of how software is developed and managed the idea that developers are the lifeblood of product innovation and revenue growth in every industry has become a universal truth and a very lucrative technology category.

There so many cultish new mantras for the right way to do software that have crept into mainstream business jargon that its hard to keep up from agile to move fast and break things, to developer processes like continuous integration / continuous deployment and DevOps.

Anything fast-growth companies can do to attract, hire and accelerate the productivity of developers has become a universally accepted guiding principle of doing business in the Internet era, with no signs of slowing down.

But while this developer experience has been a key focus in the mainstream business world, somehow in the research and science domain engineers today are still largely mired in a very old world slog in how they access their computational resources. They literally line up to get their turn to run computing jobs on their specialized high-performance computer clusters. These are expensive PhD headcounts. Waiting in line.

In this world where supercomputers and massive Linux clusters (aka high performance computing, or HPC) are the norm for everything from quantum physics, to nuclear fission, to propulsion to aerodynamics these science engineers sit on hold to run these algorithmically complex simulations while mainstream developers are pressing a button in Amazon Web Services to deploy a new server instantaneously in the cloud.

All of the mega cloud service providers (AWS / Azure / Google Cloud) are licking their chops to capture this HPC market that Intersect360 Research expects to reach $55 billion by 2024. Only an estimated 20 percent of HPC workloads presently run on the cloud, while more than 85 percent of companies overall will eventually have most workloads running on the cloud. Just not yet. Thats a huge lag in cloud adoption for HPC.

Right in the middle of the action of capturing this HPC cloud market and raising the developer experience of its engineers is a San Francisco- based company called Rescale. They recently closed a $50 million Series C funding rund. They bring specialized HPC hardware and software to the cloud, in pre-configured templates.

Rescale co-founder and CEO Joris Poort

Its co-founders, Joris Poort and Adam McKenzie, are former aerospace engineers at Boeing who designed complex physics simulations for wing design on the Boeing 787. Their experiences led them to realize just how broken the computing model was in the digital R&D domain. Necessity being the mother of invention, they went on to start Rescale based on the realization that eventually most HPC workloads would not run on hardware bought and maintained in private data centers but more and more on public cloud infrastructure in the same way that mainstream developers do in the enterprise.

The Rescale platform is the scientific communitys first cloud platform optimized for algorithmically-complex workloads, including simulation and artificial intelligence, plus integrations with more than 600 of the worlds most-popular HPC software applications and more than 80 specialized hardware architectures.

Rescale's Web-interface dashboard.

Rescale allows any science engineer to run any workload, on any major public cloud, including AWS, Google Cloud, IBM, Microsoft Azure, Oracle and more.

The company wants to bring the same developer ergonomics to digital R&D that their counterparts have enjoyed in the enterprise for nearly a decade, and so far they have attracted more than 300 customers, including Boom Supersonic, Nissan, and other large users with massive computational requirements that drive their simulations and product designs.

To truly empower R&D teams advancing the state of the art in science, HPC workloads should run not only in private data centers, but also on public cloud infrastructure that offers elastic compute, said Nagraj Kashyap, Global Head of M12, Microsoft's venture fund. Rescales customers get that, ultimately speeding up simulation and design cycles by orders of magnitude."

Among the investors in Rescale ($100 million in total funding) are Samsung and NVIDIA. Its not just the cloud service providers that are licking their chops at this lucrative HPC industry. There are untold billions to be made in the sale of specialized hardware architectures that power the artificial intelligence- driven simulations that power so much product discovery in the science domain, where products arent physically created until they have been digitally represented and tested against every possible variable.

Read more:

Can public clouds fix the developer experience in the HPC domain? - Forbes

The new single-photon source is based on excitation of a quantum dot (shown as a bulge on the bottom left), which then emits photons. A micro-cavity ensures that the photons are guided into an optical fiber and emerge at its end. Credit: University of Basel, Department of Physics

Researchers at the University of Basel and Ruhr University Bochum have developed a source of single photons that can produce billions of these quantum particles per second. With its record-breaking efficiency, the photon source represents a new and powerful building-block for quantum technologies.

Quantum cryptography promises absolutely secure communications. A key component here are strings of single photons. Information can be stored in the quantum states of these light particles and transmitted over long distances. In the future, remote quantum processors will communicate with each other via single photons. And perhaps the processor itself will use photons as quantum bits for computing.

A basic prerequisite for such applications, however, is an efficient source of single photons. A research team led by Professor Richard Warburton, Natasha Tomm and Dr. Alisa Javadi from the University of Basel, together with colleagues from Bochum, now reports in the journalNature Nanotechnologyon the development of a single-photon source that significantly surpasses previously known systems in terms of efficiency.

Each photon is created by exciting a single artificial atom (a quantum dot) inside a semiconductor. Usually, these photons leave the quantum dot in all possible directions and thus a large fraction is lost. In the photon source now presented, the researchers have solved this problem by positioning the quantum dot inside a funnel to send all photons in a specific direction.

The funnel is a novel micro-cavity that represents the real innovation of the research team: The micro-cavity captures almost all of the photons and then directs them into an optical fiber. The photons, each about two centimeters long, emerge at the end of an optical fiber.

The efficiency of the entire system that is, the probability that excitation of the quantum dot actually results in a usable photon is 57 percent, more than double that of previous single-photon sources. This is a really special moment, explains lead author Richard Warburton. Weve known for a year or two whats possible in principle. Now weve succeeded in putting our ideas into practice.

The increase in efficiency has significant consequences, Warburton adds: increasing the efficiency of single photon creation by a factor of two adds up to an overall improvement of a factor of one million for a string of, say, 20 photons. In the future, wed like to make our single-photon source even better: Wed like to simplify it and pursue some of its myriad applications in quantum cryptography, quantum computing and other technologies.

Reference: A bright and fast source of coherent single photons by Natasha Tomm, Alisa Javadi, Nadia Olympia Antoniadis, Daniel Najer, Matthias Christian Lbl, Alexander Rolf Korsch, Rdiger Schott, Sascha Ren Valentin, Andreas Dirk Wieck, Arne Ludwig and Richard John Warburton, 28 January 2021, Nature Nanotechnology.DOI: 10.1038/s41565-020-00831-x

The project was funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation, the National Center of Competence in Research Quantum Science and Technology (NCCR QSIT), and the European Union under the Horizon2020 programme.

See more here:

Record-Breaking Source for Single Photons Developed That Can Produce Billions of Quantum Particles per Second - SciTechDaily

The Fifth Solvay Conference on Quantum Mechanics in 1927, Brussels. Photo by Benjamin Couprie. From back row to front, reading left to right: Auguste Piccard, mile Henriot, Paul Ehrenfest, douard Herzen, Thophile de Donder, Erwin Schrdinger, Jules-mile Verschaffelt, Wolfgang Pauli, Werner Heisenberg, Ralph Howard Fowler, Lon Brillouin, Peter Debye, Martin Knudsen, William Lawrence Bragg, Hendrik Anthony Kramers, Paul Dirac, Arthur Compton, Louis de Broglie, Max Born, Niels Bohr, Irving Langmuir, Max Planck, Marie Skodowska Curie, Hendrik Lorentz, Albert Einstein, Paul Langevin, Charles-Eugne Guye, Charles Thomson Rees Wilson, Owen Willans Richardson. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons [Public domain])

While the fifth Solvay Conference is the most well known, this prestigious intellectual gathering was first held in 1911 with the theme of Radiation and the Quanta. A young Albert Einstein was in attendance, as was Max Planck, who discovered the energy quanta being discussed. Mathematician and physicist Henri Poincar was also presentknown as the last universalist for being a leader across multiple disciplines before academic specialization began to make that impossible.

The only woman in attendance in 1911 was Marie Curie, the legendary researcher of radioactivity. Curie was already exceptionally accomplished, having won her first Nobel Prize in Physics (shared with her husband and a colleague) in 1903the first time the Prize was awarded to a woman. In 1911the year of the first Solvay ConferenceCurie won her second Nobel Prize, this time on her own and in Chemistry. She was the first person to win the prize twice, and she remains the only person to ever receive a prize in two scientific disciplines.

Despite Madame Curies' accomplishments, women were incredibly rare in STEM in the early 20th century. As a result, even in 1927, Curie was once more the only woman at the Fifth Solvay Conference. Einstein and Planck returned. They were joined by Niels Bohr, Werner Heisenberg, Max Born, and Erwin Schrdingerall of whom were pioneers of the new quantum mechanics which drew upon Planck's quanta and other discoveries of how the universe functions on an atomic level.

Of the 29 scientists at the conference, 17 would win Nobel prizes in their lifetime. Virtually all would hold university chairs teaching the new theories which were changing the world from one Newton could explain to an entirely new realm of energy, wave-particle duality, and uncertainty. Captured on one day in October, the Salvoy Conference photo shows 29 of the greatest minds of the 20th century taking a brief break from the long process of defining the universe.

First Solvay Conference in 1911, Brussels. Photo by Benjamin Couprie. Seated (left to right): Walther Nernst, Marcel Brillouin, Ernest Solvay, Hendrik Lorentz, Emil Warburg, Jean Baptiste Perrin, Wilhelm Wien, Marie Skodowska-Curie, and Henri Poincar.Standing (left to right): Robert Goldschmidt, Max Planck, Heinrich Rubens, Arnold Sommerfeld, Frederick Lindemann, Maurice de Broglie, Martin Knudsen, Friedrich Hasenhrl, Georges Hostelet, Edouard Herzen, James Hopwood Jeans, Ernest Rutherford, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, Albert Einstein, and Paul Langevin. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons [Public domain])

Neils Bohr, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922 for his work on atoms and their radiation. He developed the Bohr model to describe electrons, their charges, and how they move between orbits. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons [Public domain])

Marie Curie, two-time Nobel Laureate in Physics and Chemistry respectively. Curie was the first female professor at the University of Paris. Photo by Henri manuel circa 1920. (Photo: Wikimedi Commons [Public domain])

Viral Video of Physics Professor Shows the Lengths He Goes to to Make Science Fun

Science Experiment Shows How 25,000 Random Dice Neatly Assemble into Perfect Circles

Scientists on Twitter Are Sharing the Most Interesting Facts Theyve Learned

20+ Creative Gifts For People Who Love Math and Science

Read more here:

29 Scientists Came Together in the "Most Intelligent Photo" Ever Taken - My Modern Met

Tibetan spiritual leaderThe Dalai Lama

On the 140th anniversary of the founding of The Tribune, I am glad to have this opportunity to share some of my thoughts with your readers. I am pleased to learn that the newspaper was established because its founder understood the importance of educating the Indian community and saw the role that education could play in sustaining a sense of national identity when India was under British rule.

I generally say that the media plays an important part in ensuring that people can see every development in society from a broader perspective. I have even jokingly said on occasion that those in the media should have long noses like elephants, so that they can smell, and then expose, both the good and the bad.

Yet, while doing its job, the media should always be honest and fair, and remain unbiased in its news reporting. The fact that this newspaper has been in existence since 1881 is an indication that it is making a valuable contribution to society.

As the longest staying guest of India, I have been able to observe developments in this country quite closely. It is admirable that India has, in general, been able to maintain her robust democratic stability since Independence.

It is also wonderful that the country, despite many challenges, is growing at a rapid rate. There is, however, one area in which I would like, if I may, to offer some encouragement. That is in reviving interest in Indias ancient wisdom, especially in relation to such principles as ahimsa and karuna, non-violence and compassion. If we can develop such values, we can make a tremendous contribution not just to India but also to the entire world.

Over 61 years ago, I had to leave my homeland of Tibet to seek shelter and freedom in India. Since then, I have had the chance to interact with religious leaders, scholars and scientists from around the world. As I have a strong personal interest in quantum physics, I have particularly enjoyed my discussions with scientists in that field, including Indias own Dr Raja Ramanna. It was he who once explained to me that though quantum physics is comparatively new in the West, the science behind it corresponds closely to what Indian Buddhist master Nagarjuna was writing about centuries ago. Even in the modern world, ancient wisdom has much to offer.

After Buddhism came to Tibet in the seventh century, we were able to preserve it even while it was declining in India. The religious aspects of Buddhism may be of relevance only to Buddhists, but I really feel that Buddhist science-including the science of mind-and Buddhist culture (based around compassion and non-violence) can be of great importance to the whole world, and even to those who do not practise Buddhism or follow any religion.

When we arrived here in 1959, the Indian government generously provided us with the space in which to train Tibetan students of all ages, and also several thousand Tibetan monks. Through them we have kept alive what is essentially ancient Indian wisdom and continued a tradition that is more than a thousand years old.

We Tibetans and I personally are profoundly grateful to India for not only coming to our aid during our current crisis, but also for providing us with spiritual knowledge that has benefited our people greatly over several centuries. I am convinced that the rich ancient Indian understanding of the workings of the mind and emotions, as well as Indian techniques of mental training, such as meditation, are of great relevance to todays world.

To share and sustain this great Indian tradition is my essential commitment, along with the promotion of human values, the promotion of religious harmony and the preservation of Tibetan culture.

Today, I invite my Indian brothers and sisters to join me in this effort. Since India has a long history of logic and reasoning, I am confident that its ancient knowledge, viewed from a secular perspective, can be combined with modern education. India is, in fact, unusually well-placed to promote this combination of ancient and modern forms of knowledge so that a more integrated and ethically grounded way of being in the world can be cultivated in the twenty-first century. In essence, there is the need for education of the brain as well as for the development of warm-heartedness.

People need such qualities as non-violence and compassion if they are to live happily together. These principles not only make logical sense, but are also of immediate practical benefit, whether you are a religious person or not. I have no doubt that if people paid more attention to compassion and non-violence in their day-to-day lives, the world would be a better place.

Just as many of us work to protect our physical hygiene, I believe we need to cultivate emotional hygiene. We must learn how to deal with anger, anxiety and fear and reduce them all. The key is learning how to cultivate peace of mind.

Ultimately, the source of peace and happiness is warm-heartedness. That is something within us. We cannot buy it or find it in a machine. We have to cultivate it inside ourselves. We must combine our intelligence with warm-heartedness. In that way, we can find happiness, for ourselves and for those around us.

I truly believe that India is the only country that can combine modern education with the ancient Indian understanding of the workings of the mind, and that the whole world urgently needs this. If we all work together, we can make a fresh Indian contribution to the welfare of the entire planet.

Original post:

Valuable contributor to society - The Tribune India

We all have (or are) that one stoner friendthe lovable pal who habitually smokes an impressive amount of weed and often shares said weed with you, but only on the condition you listen to their misinformed theories on the latest quantum physics news they read on Google Digest.

It can be a bit much sometimes, which is why this new episode of The Action Lab, chemical engineer James J. Orgills ongoing Science FTW! YouTube series, does us all a solid by providing a novel distraction to silence your annoying stoner friends once and for all. Who under the influence can resist the identity-questioning lure of a mirror-encased room? So trippy, man!

Check out the video of its construction, along with some interesting factoids about light, mathematics, the nature of infinity itself.

Theres a lot of interesting info to process in Orgills video, assuming you didnt need to pause it early and lay down from vertigo. Take mirrors reflective limits, for example: If you suddenly turned off the rooms light source, surely a delay would show up somewhere along the seemingly endless line of reflections (thus briefly offsetting the inevitable existential dread that comes from standing in a room of infinite darkness), right?

Nope. The speed of a cameras light travels at, uh, the speed of light, or roughly 300,000 km/second. Since mirrors reflect a paltry 95% of light (step it up, mirrors!) one can only really see about 15-16 reflections in Orgills room, which is extremely far from the number necessary to begin seeing any kind of delay in light.

Theres also a brief explanation given on the mathematical phenomenon known as Gabriels Horn where an objects volume is finite, but its surface area is infinite. Neat stuff, but, after Orgill filled the mirror room with smoke and laser pointers, all we can think about is returning to our Dark Side of the Moon-in-reverse listening session.

G/O Media may get a commission

Send Great Job, Internet ego-deaths to gji@theonion.com

Originally posted here:

Silence your stoner friends with this video of a room entirely constructed out of mirrors - The A.V. Club

Newswise From the perspective of a materials science physicist, a keen interest in copper oxides makes sense. The metallic compounds are versatile in their usefulnessfrom coins and antibacterials to spin dynamics and high-temperature superconductivity.

For a condensed matter expert like UC San Diegos Alex Frano, the goal of high-temperature superconductivity is to move charge currents through a material without resistance and energy loss at easily attainable temperatures. This efficiency is necessary for low-power electronics and quantum technology. But the ultra-low temperatures required for traditional materials to be superconductinghundreds of degrees below zerois a major obstacle.

While copper oxides are materials with the highest superconducting transition temperatures under normal conditions, physicists arent sure why. Frano, whose passion for physics is grounded in high-temperature superconductivity, believes this is a central problem. So while studying copper oxides recently, he and a group of research collaborators from the Max Planck Institute, Yale University, the University of British Columbia and UC Davis may have stumbled upon a major clue about how these metallic materials work. Their findings are published inNature Communicationsand could help revolutionize our understanding of these superconductive materials.

Copper involves electrons engaging with other electrons through whats called the electrostatic Coulomb interaction (when like charges repel and opposites attract). A ground state can emerge from this interaction and form a charge densitythe amount of electrical charge per unit of length or surface areawhich can modulate like waves in a sand dune. Running a sophisticated experiment using resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS), a method that investigates the electronic structure of a material, the researchers observed how X-rays scattered off their sample, making their surprising discovery possible.

Frano explained that while charge density waves are known to propagate in two well-defined directions within a plane of the material,for exampleeast-west and north-south, they observed fluctuating charge density waves propagatingin all directionswithin the plane. This is because of the Coulomb interaction, which emanates in all directions.

Nobody saw this coming, said the assistant professor in theDepartment of Physics. The Coulomb interaction governs most of the physical phenomena we have ever experienced. Most of the time, it is simple and monotoniconly consistently increasing or consistently decreasing as a function of distance between two separate charges. However, for electrons in solids, this can be non-monotonic because of the presence of other atoms.

The study showed that the electrons moved in a medium of other atoms that could be polarized, meaning that under certain conditions electrons with the same charge could even attract. This general concept of how electrons in solids interact may be key to understanding the emerging electronic phases of strongly correlated quantum materials, such as heavy fermions, iron- and copper-based high-temperature superconductors and twisted bilayer graphene.

According to Frano, high-temperature superconductivity is a majestic manifestation of quantum mechanics emerging into something so surprising and beautiful that the origin of high-temperature superconductivity is among the most important questions in solid state physics.

Not only because it could completely revolutionize the way energy is handled, but also because it is at the heart of one of the most fascinating kinds of materials called quantum materials, said Frano. What makes these interesting is that the rules of quantum mechanics govern their properties in a way that is completely unknown to all of us. They display a gamma of electronic phases like magnetism, charge density waves, and superconductivity all in the same material. And it is widely believed that the reason they are so rich in their properties is precisely why they are superconducting at such high temperatures. In other words, out of complexity comes more fascinating complexity.

This study was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy ([DOE] grant no. DESC0012704); the Advanced Light Source, a DOE Office of Science User Facility (contract no. DE-AC02-05CH11231); the National Science Foundation (grant nos. 845994 and 2034345); JSPS KAKENHI (grant no. JP17H01052) and several other research facilities, foundations and institutes.

See the original post here:

Copperizing the Complexity of Superconductivity - Newswise

Princeton University President Christopher L. Eisgruber knows how to fry an egg.

President Christopher L. Eisgruber leads the online workshop "How to Fry an Egg: Simple Cooking for Fun, Friends and Yourself" during the University's inaugural Wintersession, a vibrant, virtual two-week experience featuring more than 300 workshops and events led by faculty, staff, students and alumni.

Photo by Pranav A. Avva, Class of 2024

On Jan. 26, working from his home kitchen, Eisgruber taught 13 undergraduates his culinary secrets during How to Fry an Egg: Simple Cooking for Fun, Friends and Yourself, a two-hour online workshop that was part of the Universitys inaugural Wintersession, held from Jan. 18-31.

It was great to see the students.I had fun, and I hope that they did, too, Eisgruber said. I have new admiration for anyone who leads a cooking class:its not easy to teach and mind a hot stove at the same time!"

The mission of Wintersession is to bring the Princeton University community together for a vibrant, two-week experience that offers unexpected, active and intriguing non-graded learning and growth opportunities, said Judy Jarvis, director of Wintersession and campus engagement.

From "Start Your Podcast Engine" and "Ukulele for Beginners" to the closing keynote, Beyond the Resume with Jonathan Van Ness the television personality, podcaster and celebrity hairstylist who stars on Netflixs series Queer Eye programming featured more than 300 workshops and events. Most sessions were led by members of the University community eager to share their skills and passions.

Nearly 70 hands-on workshops taught by Princeton, Trenton and Philadelphia artists and Campus Recreation fitness instructors were added in December to support returning students confined to their sleeping spaces during the arrival quarantine period.

Close to 2,700 students, faculty and staff registered for the wide range of the offerings with most students signing up for three or four events. Highlights included:

Tracy K. Smith (upper right), the Roger S. Berlind 52 Professor in the Humanities, professor of creative writing in the Lewis Center for the Arts and chair of the Lewis Center for the Arts, engages in a lively conversation with renowned poets Danez Smith (upper left) and Jericho Brown during one of 24 evening talks.

Photo courtesy of the Office of Wintersession and Campus Engagement

A series of 24 evening events included To Be Known and Heard: Systemic Racism and Princeton University; Life and Leadership, a talk with Anthony Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, moderated by Professor of History Kevin Kruse; renowned poets Jericho Brown and Danez Smith in conversation with Tracy K. Smith, the Roger S. Berlind '52 Professor in the Humanities, professor of creative writing in the Lewis Center for the Arts and chair of the Lewis Center for the Arts; and a two-part session featuring alumni in politics, with the first night moderated by Mickey Edwards, visiting lecturer in public and international affairs.

Winterfest, a virtual arts showcase held Jan. 23, featured performances and conversations by students, alumni and guest artists. Pictured (clockwise from upper left): Abe Joshua, Class of 2021; Jessica Bailey, program coordinator-arts, Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Students; guest music artist Louis Futon; and Malachi "MalPractice Byrd, a 2020 alumnus.

While Wintersession was originally planned to be held in person, the pivot to a virtual format presented some unexpected opportunities. The silver lining has been that students, faculty and staff have been able to connect with each other from wherever they are, and the workshops are able to accommodate a lot of people, Jarvis said. I have been thrilled with all of our faculty and alumni partnerships, especially for our evening events. I think it bodes really well for future fabulous Wintersessions!

Following is a peek into an art workshop in which participants created a personal healing bowl and a behind-the-scenes event featuring alumni who work in Hollywood.

From 2005-07, Hope VanCleaf, the communications assistant in the Lewis Center for the Arts, ran six-week workshops at the YWCA's Breast Cancer Resource Center for women living through all stages of breast cancer, instructing them how to use art as a tool of expression.

She adapted one of the projects from that series for her two-day Wintersession workshop Healing Through Creativity, designed to invite anyone in need without exception to find healing and empowerment through art making.Every participant explored their own creative self by making a healing bowl.

There is some level of stress, anxiety and fear that inhabits all of us which needs releasing, said VanCleaf, a photographer, multi-media artist, instructor, storyteller and founder of Creative Fingerprint. Working on the healing bowl becomes the cathartic release of stress, anxiety and fear through physical contact with the materials used in the journey.

She sent each of the participants seven undergraduates and two graduate students a package of art materials, including a gessoed papier-mch bowl that she had pre-made herself, assorted acrylic paints, gloss and matte gels, a paintbrush set, an assortment of metallic foil and tissue paper squares, acrylic gems, glitter, glue, disposable paint trays and a journal.

Hope VanCleaf, the communications assistant in the Lewis Center for the Arts, led the two-day workshop "Healing Through Creativity," in which participants made "healing bowls." VanCleaf sent them a package of art materials, including a gessoed papier-mch bowl that she had pre-made herself, and a journal in which to capture the experience.

Photo courtesy of Hope VanCleaf, Lewis Center for the Arts

A close-up view of the gessoed papier-mch bowl that workshop leader Hope VanCleaf pre-made for the participants. There is some level of stress, anxiety and fear that inhabits all of us which needs releasing, said VanCleaf, a photographer, multimedia artist, instructor, storyteller and founder of Creative Fingerprint. Working on the healing bowl becomes the cathartic release of stress, anxiety and fear through physical contact with the materials used in the journey.

Photo courtesy of Hope VanCleaf, Lewis Center for the Arts

One participant reflected in her journal: "The four colors I used on my bowl represent my family my mom, two older brothers and myself. These colors are colors that we each like and also relate to our personalities."

Photo courtesy of Hope VanCleaf, Lewis Center for the Arts

The inside of one participant's "healing bowl." In her journal she wrote: "I painted a moon scene inspired by the song "moonchild" by RM. The song explores light and hope in shadows, similar to my own character and journey throughout. The colors of red, purple and blue show contrasts between various reflections and silhouettes of my own decisions, choices and actions."

Photo courtesy of Hope VanCleaf, Lewis Center for the Arts

One participant described the tree on her bowl in her journal: I now had something that grew. The last thing I needed was something strong and sturdy, so I added purple twirling roots to my tree As I painted my bowl and shaped my tree and put down my roots, I thought about some of the moments that Ive experienced."

Photo courtesy of Hope VanCleaf, Lewis Center for the Arts

One participant who used colors to represent her family members wrote in her journal: "Inside the bowl, I chose a spiral design (1) because it's a nice design and (2) because, due to COVID-19, life has gone into a spiral! The virus has affected everyone's lives, but even so, my family remains close and connected like the colors in the spiral."

Photo courtesy of Hope VanCleaf, Lewis Center for the Arts

One participant reflected on why she chose this workshop: "I took this class on a whim because it looked accessible even though I don't have much background in art. ... I am generally very interested in how our bodies, minds and souls interact and I think this workshop works to tease out that connection and bring them into sync by making the internal external."

Photo courtesy of Hope VanCleaf, Lewis Center for the Arts

While VanCleaf was initially concerned about the virtual format, she witnessed in awe and amazement how each participant transformed the Zoom environment into their own private studio as they focused entirely on their own creative journey.

The students were asked to capture the experience in their own words using the journals they received.

One student wrote: Towards the end of my senior year of high school there were some moments that knocked me down. So when I received my bowl, I knew I wanted it to be strong and sturdy, something that grew and something that was beautiful.

After painting a sky on the outside of her bowl, she wrapped pieces of aluminum foil together to form the trunk and branches of a tree.

She wrote: I now had something that grew. The last thing I needed was something strong and sturdy, so I added purple twirling roots to my tree As I painted my bowl and shaped my tree and put down my roots, I thought about some of the moments that Ive experienced. Those are moments that I will always go back to and that I will always remember, moments that have rewritten the world that I live in. But there are also moments ahead of me that Im learning to still reach for and grow towards. I hope that my roots will ground me so that I may continue to grow into the sky.

How do you get your foot in the door in Hollywood? In this two-part career seminar, participants got to rub virtual elbows with an A-list of film and television producers, screenwriters, showrunners and actors who hopped on Zoom from their homes in Los Angeles and New York.

"Our vision for the seminar was to provide participants the opportunity to hear from, and connect with, their fellow Tigers working in entertainment, said Angel Gardner, associate director, external affairs, in the Lewis Center for the Arts.We had an amazing group of alumni volunteers who participated as panelists on the first day. They shared their career journeys honestly, providing candid and sometimes surprising insights into the realities of working in the business. Day two was more focused, with workshops led by alumni that introduced participants to specific careers within the industry.

More than 100 students and members of the University community tuned in to day one a lively conversation moderated by Matt Iseman, a 1993 alumnus, television personality, host of NBCs American Ninja Warrior and A&Es Live Rescue and the 2017 winner of Celebrity Apprentice, where he raised over half a million dollars for his chosen charity, the Arthritis Foundation.

Many of the panelists shared how Princeton played into their career paths sometimes in unexpected ways.

Iseman, for example, was a history major and pre-med at Princeton. He remembered one history professor who made history come alive through stories. Even in reality TV, were sharing stories. While attending medical school at Columbia University, where his father was a professor, Iseman decided to make the leap to stand-up. My dad said: Life is short. Do what makes you happy.

Iseman credits his Princeton education for his focus and determination. For me, my best friends are 40 to 50 of my Princeton classmates who are all well-rounded. The drive to be successful that to me was the benefit of Princeton.

Ellie Kemper, a 2003 alumna, comedian and actress perhaps best-known for her title role on The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as well as The Office and the movie Bridesmaids, majored in English and was a member of the field hockey team her first year at Princeton. While she cut her comedy teeth as a member of the student improv troupe Quipfire! and the Triangle Club, she credits the discipline you learn through academics and athletics for building her resilience in the entertainment industry.

Her best piece of advice? Bet on yourself. Know your limits and weaknesses but bet on yourself. Who else is going to?

Matt Iseman (left), a 1993 alumnus and host of NBCs American Ninja Warrior and A&Es Live Rescue, moderated a "Script to Screen" discussion with alumni in Hollywood including comedian and actress Ellie Kemper, Class of 2003; writer Taofik Kolade, Class of 2008; and producer Wyck Godfrey, Class of 1990.

Photos courtesy of the subjects

Taofik Kolade, a 2008 alumnus and a writer/producer for "Atlanta" on FX and "Barry" on HBO, was a mechanical and aerospace engineering major at Princeton but became interested in film after taking an adaptation class his senior year taught by an industry professional. He got his first internship through the networking group Princeton in Hollywood.

Kolade, who said he is driven by telling stories of marginalized people, said to fight nerves he scripts out his pitches. I think about it this way: How would I pitch this idea to a friend?

Most of my projects are books to movies, said Wyck Godfrey, a 1990 alumnus who majored in English and is a partner in the production company Temple Hill Entertainment whose film and TV credits include the Twilight saga series and Maze Runner series.

I was always drawn to emotion things that exercise your heart, said Godfrey, who was president of Paramount Pictures Motion Picture Group from 2018-20, where he oversaw the production and release of A Quiet Place, Book Club and the sixth installment of Mission: Impossible. I am inspired by great stories and the way film can help us process emotions that are difficult to express. He encouraged students to read all those books on the syllabus.

Abhijay Prakash, a 1998 alumnus, president of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group and former chief operations officer for DreamWorks Animation and Focus Features, said: Between streaming and the creator economy, there is great demand for stories. Be expansive theres lots of ways to make your mark across lots of different platforms.

Godfrey agreed. There are more online festivals and screening festivals than ever. I have 15 employees who scour the internet for screenwriters and talent. With a Princeton degree, youll get noticed.

More than 100 students and members of the University community tuned in to day one of "Script to Screen: Tigers in Hollywood," a two-part career seminar. Panelists included: television writer, showrunner, producer and author Howard Gordon (left), Class of 1984; Abhijay Prakash, Class of 1998 and president of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group; and writer/producer Alexander Woo, Class of 1993. Day two included workshops on screen writing and pitching, film music, digital animation and unconventional paths to Hollywood careers.

Photos courtesy of the subjects

Howard Gordon, a 1984 alumnus and member of the Lewis Center for the Arts Advisory Council, is an award-winning television writer, showrunner, producer and author whose credits include Homeland, 24 and X Files. He and his business partner and classmate Alex Gansa were both English majors who also earned certificates in creative writing.

He had this advice for budding TV writers: Whats the emotional contract you want to make with your audience? Why this show and why now? And, why you?

Alexander Woo, a 1993 alumnus and writer/producer for television whose credits include HBOs True Blood and AMCs The Terror: Infamy, started his career as a playwright.

My playwriting was all Asian themes, said Woo, who made the pivot to Hollywood after running into a Princeton classmate, Jacqueline Swanson, who asked him, Have you ever considered writing for TV?

He is currently working with Netflix as executive producer of an adaptation of Cixin Liu's Three-Body Problem, considered the greatest Chinese science fiction trilogy. The climate were in has allowed for a greater diversity of voices, he said.

Alumni presenters on day two led workshops on script writing and pitching (Jennie Snyder Urman, Class of 1999), film music (Scott Salinas, Class of 1997), digital animation (Ricky Arietta, Class of 2013) and unconventional paths to Hollywood careers (Ben Neumann, Class of 2014, and Ashley Alexander, Class of 2009). Script to Screen: Tigers in Hollywood was presented by the Lewis Center for the Arts, Princeton in Hollywood and the Center for Career Development.

Excerpt from:

A Zoom with a view: Wintersession offers a virtual journey from the kitchen to Hollywood - Princeton University

A team of physicists have developed a way to mathematically describe the quantumness of different objects or systems that is, the degree to which they behave in a quantum manner.

The research is laid out in a newpaper that wasrecentlypublished in the journal AVS Quantum Science.

Previously, researchers had measured quantumness in systems that involved light, says lead authorAaron Goldberg,a PhD candidate in the University of Torontos department of physics in the Faculty of Arts & Science.

But we can apply our generalized approach to any quantum system systems involving light, atoms, molecules or even combinations of those things.

So what, exactly, are researchers measuring?

The subatomic world described by quantum physics is very different from the world described by Newtons classical laws of physics. In the familiar world of classical physics, we know the position and momentum of objects with enough precision to, for example, make a difficult shot in a game of billiards. We also know the ball wont magically transform into something other than a ball. It wont inexplicably pass through the side of the table. And we know when we strike a ball on our table, it wont affect a ball on another table on the other side of the planet.

But in the quantum world, a subatomic particle unlike a billiard ball on a pool table has only a probable position and speed. Light acts sometimes like particles and sometimes like waves. Subatomic particles can quantum tunnel through seemingly impenetrable barriers. And particles can mirror each other over vast distances a phenomenon known as quantum entanglement.

Such characteristics define an objects quantumness.

Goldberg says thatmany initially believed there was a clear distinction between the classical and quantum that objects were one or the other. But as our understanding of the quantum realm grew, he saysthat idea changed.

Over the years, scientists conducted more and more sophisticated experiments but failed to see a distinct boundary between the two, says Goldberg. And now, the prevailing theory is that quantum mechanics describes everything from photons to billiard balls to planets.

In fact, there are probably an infinite number of degrees of quantumness.

For example, a billiard ball is in fact a quantum object that could tunnel through the side of the table. But that would only happen if the quantum state of the atoms and molecules in the ball aligned and the chances of that are as small as the number of atoms and molecules in the ball is large.

Goldberg and his collaborators looked at the quantum end of the classical-to-quantum spectrum and identified the two highest degrees of quantumness, which they labeled as King and Queen.

And there are definitely more than just Kings and Queens, says Goldberg.

While the research seems esoteric, there are important applications in our increasingly quantum world.

Knowledge about the degree of quantumness of a system may help in the development of quantum computers, sensing technologies and in the technologies used to measure physical constants and other properties with extreme precision. For example, the research could potentially help in detecting gravitational waves because the observations involve measurements that must be accurate to 1/10,000th the diameter of a proton.

Goldberg and his colleagues are continuing to explore extreme quantum states with the help of teams in labs around the world,including the lab ofAephraim Steinberg in thedepartment of physics.

This result feels like a single step down a long road, Goldberg says.

I think research into extreme quantum states has just begun. I expect Ill be revisiting this quest for a good while.

The research received support from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, among others.

See the original post:

How quantum is it? U of T physicist Aaron Goldberg may have the answer - News@UofT

(Subscribe to our Today's Cache newsletter for a quick snapshot of top 5 tech stories. Click here to subscribe for free.)

Crunch numbers fast and at scale has been at the centre of computing technology. In the past few decades, a new type of computing has garnered significant interest. Quantum computers have been in development since the 1980s. They use properties of quantum physics to solve complex problems that cant be solved by classical computers.

Companies like IBM and Google have been continuously building and refining their quantum hardware. Simultaneously, several researchers have also been exploring new areas where quantum computers can deliver exponential change.

In the context of advances in quantum technologies, The Hindu caught with IBM Researchs Director Gargi Dasgupta.

Dasgupta noted that quantum computers complement traditional computing machines, and said the notion that quantum computers will take over classical computers is not true.

Quantum computers are not supreme against classical computers because of a laboratory experiment designed to essentially [and almost certainly exclusively] implement one very specific quantum sampling procedure with no practical applications, Dasgupta said.

Also Read: Keeping secrets in a quantum world and going beyond

For quantum computers to be widely used, and more importantly, have a positive impact, it is imperative to build programmable quantum computing systems that can implement a wide range of algorithms and programmes.

Having practical applications will alone help researchers use both quantum and classical systems in concert for discovery in science and to create commercial value in business.

To maximise the potential of quantum computers, the industry must solve challenges from the cryogenics, production and effects materials at very low temperatures. This is one of the reasons why IBM built its super-fridge to house Condor, Dasgupta explained.

Quantum processors require special conditions to operate, and they must be kept at near-absolute zero, like IBMs quantum chips are kept at 15mK. The deep complexity and the need for specialised cryogenics is why at least IBMs quantum computers are accessible via the cloud, and will be for the foreseeable future, Dasgupta, who is also IBMs CTO for South Asia region, noted.

Quantum computing in India

Dasgupta said that interest in quantum computing has spiked in India as IBM saw an many exceptional participants from the country at its global and virtual events. The list included academicians and professors, who all displayed great interest in quantum computing.

In a blog published last year, IBM researchers noted that India gave quantum technology 80 billion rupees as part of its National Mission on Quantum technologies and Applications. They believe its a great time to be doing quantum physics since the government and people are serious as well as excited about it.

Also Read: IBM plans to build a 1121 qubit system. What does this technology mean?

Quantum computing is expanding to multiple industries such as banking, capital markets, insurance, automotive, aerospace, and energy.

In years to come, the breadth and depth of the industries leveraging quantum will continue to grow, Dasgupta noted.

Industries that depend on advances in materials science will start to investigate quantum computing. For instance, Mitsubishi and ExxonMobil are using quantum technology to develop more accurate chemistry simulation techniques in energy technologies.

Additionally, Dasgupta said carmaker Daimler is working with IBM scientists to explore how quantum computing can be used to advance the next generation of EV batteries.

Exponential problems, like those found in molecular simulation in chemistry, and optimisation in finance, as well as machine learning continue to remain intractable for classical computers.

Quantum-safe cryptography

As researchers make advancement into quantum computers, some cryptocurrency enthusiasts fear that quantum computers can break security encryption. To mitigate risks associated with cryptography services, Quantum-safe cryptography was introduced.

For instance, IBM offers Quantum Risk Assessment, which it claims as the worlds first quantum computing safe enterprise class tape. It also uses Lattice-based cryptography to hide data inside complex algebraic structures called lattices. Difficult math problems are useful for cryptographers as they can use the intractability to protect information, surpassing quantum computers cracking techniques.

According to Dasgupta, even the National Institute of Standards and Technologys (NIST) latest list for quantum-safe cryptography standards include several candidates based on lattice cryptography.

Also Read: Google to use quantum computing to develop new medicines

Besides, Lattice-based cryptography is the core for another encryption technology called Fully Homomorphic Encryption (FHE). This could make it possible to perform calculations on data without ever seeing sensitive data or exposing it to hackers.

Enterprises from banks to insurers can safely outsource the task of running predictions to an untrusted environment without the risk of leaking sensitive data, Dasgupta said.

Last year, IBM said it will unveil 1121-qubit quantum computer by 2023. Qubit is the basic unit of a quantum computer. Prior to the launch, IBM will release the 433-qubit Osprey processor. It will also debut 121-qubit Eagle chip to reduce qubits errors and scale the number of qubits needed to reach Quantum Advantage.

The 1,121-qubit Condor chip, is the inflection point for lower-noise qubits. By 2023, its physically smaller qubits, with on-chip isolators and signal amplifiers and multiple nodes, will have scaled to deliver the capability of Quantum Advantage, Dasgupta said.

The rest is here:

IBMs top executive says, quantum computers will never reign supreme over classical ones - The Hindu

Albert Einsteins theory of general relativity profoundly changed our thinking about fundamental concepts in physics, such as space and time. But it also left us with some deep mysteries. One was black holes, which were only unequivocally detected over the past few years. Another was wormholes bridges connecting different points in spacetime, in theory providing shortcuts for space travellers.

Wormholes are still in the realm of the imagination. But some scientists think we will soon be able to find them, too. Over the past few months, several new studies have suggested intriguing ways forward.

Black holes and wormholes are special types of solutions to Einsteins equations, arising when the structure of spacetime is strongly bent by gravity. For example, when matter is extremely dense, the fabric of spacetime can become so curved that not even light can escape. This is a black hole.

As the theory allows the fabric of spacetime to be stretched and bent, one can imagine all sorts of possible configurations. In 1935, Einstein and physicist Nathan Rosen described how two sheets of spacetime can be joined together, creating a bridge between two universes. This is one kind of wormhole and since then many others have been imagined.

Some wormholes may be traversable, meaning humans may be able to travel through them. For that though, they would need to be sufficiently large and kept open against the force of gravity, which tries to close them. To push spacetime outward in this way would require huge amounts of negative energy.

Sounds like sci-fi? We know that negative energy exists, small amounts have already been produced in the lab. We also know that negative energy is behind the universes accelerated expansion. So nature may have found a way to make wormholes.

How can we ever prove that wormholes exist? In a new paper, published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Society, Russian astronomers suggest they may exist at the centre of some very bright galaxies, and propose some observations to find them. This is based on what would happen if matter coming out of one side of the wormhole collided with matter that was falling in. The calculations show that the crash would result in a spectacular display of gamma rays that we could try to observe with telescopes.

Could we travel to other universes using wormholes?

This radiation could be the key to differentiating between a wormhole and a black hole, previously assumed to be indistinguishable from the outside. But black holes should produce fewer gamma rays and eject them in a jet, while radiation produced via a wormhole would be confined to a giant sphere. Although the kind of wormhole considered in this study is traversable, it would not make for a pleasant trip. Because it would be so close to the centre of an active galaxy, the high temperatures would burn everything to a crisp. But this wouldnt be the case for all wormholes, such as those further from the galactic centre.

The idea that galaxies can harbor wormholes at their centers is not new. Take the case of the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way. This was discovered by painstakingly tracking of the orbits of the stars near the black hole, a major achievement that was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2020. But one recent paper has suggested this gravitational pull may instead be caused by a wormhole.

Unlike a black hole, a wormhole may leak some gravity from the objects located on the other side. This spooky gravitational action would add a tiny kick to the motions of stars near the galactic centre. According to this study, the specific effect should be measurable in observations in the near future, once the sensitivity of our instruments gets a little bit more advanced.

Weve only just seen a black hole. Credit: Event Horizon Telescope

Coincidentally, yet another recent study has reported the discovery of some odd radio circles in the sky. These circles are strange because they are enormous and yet not associated with any visible object. For now, they defy any conventional explanation, so wormholes have been advanced as a possible cause.

Wormholes hold a strong grip on our collective imagination. In a way, they are a delightful form of escapism. Unlike black holes which are a bit frightening as they trap everything that ventures in, wormholes may allow us to travel to faraway places faster than the speed of light. They may in fact even be time machines, providing a way to travel backwards as suggested by the late Stephen Hawking in his final book.

Wormholes also crop up in quantum physics, which rules the world of atoms and particles. According to quantum mechanics, particles can pop out of empty space, only to disappear a moment later. This has been seen in countless experiments. And if particles can be created, why not wormholes? Physicists believe wormholes may have formed in the early universe from a foam of quantum particles popping in and out of existence. Some of these primordial wormholes may still be around today.

Wormholes may have arisen in the early universe.

Recent experiments on quantum teleportation a disembodied transfer of quantum information from one location to another have turned out to work in an eerily similar way to two black holes connected through a wormhole. These experiments appear to solve the quantum information paradox, which suggests physical information could permanently disappear in a black hole. But they also reveal a deep connection between the notoriously incompatible theories of quantum physics and gravity with wormholes being relevant to both which may be instrumental in the construction of a theory of everything.

The fact that wormholes play a role in these fascinating developments is unlikely to go unnoticed. We may not have seen them, but they could certainly be out there. They may even help us understand some of the deepest cosmic mysteries, such as whether our universe is the only one.

Written by Andreea Font, Senior Lecturer of Astrophysics at Liverpool John Moores University.

Originally published on The Conversation.

The rest is here:

Wormholes May Be Lurking in the Universe Here Are Proposed Ways of Finding Them - SciTechDaily