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Thursday, November 26, 2015 1:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST (GMT -05:00)

Hao Qin: Side channel attack on a practical continuous-variable quantum key distribution system by inserting an external light

Hao Qin, Telecom ParisTech

We report a quantum hacking strategy on a Continuous-Variable (CV) Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) system by inserting an external light. In the implementations of CV QKD systems, transmitting openly local oscillator pulses is a potential vulnerability for an eavesdropper to launch side channel attacks. In this work, other than targeting on local oscillator, we concern two imperfections in a balanced homodyne detector used in CV QKD system: the imbalance in the beam splitter and the finite linear detection limit.

Monday, December 14, 2015 2:30 pm - 2:30 pm EST (GMT -05:00)

Jamie Sikora: Quantum Correlations: Dimension Bounds and Conic Formulations

Jamie Sikora, Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore

In this talk, I will discuss correlations that can be generated by performing local measurements on bipartite quantum systems. I'll present an algebraic characterization of the set of quantum correlations which allows us to identify an easy-to-compute lower bound on the smallest Hilbert space dimension needed to generate a quantum correlation. I will then discuss some examples showing the tightness of our lower bound.

Christopher Granade
Monday, September 14, 2015 1:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Chris Granade: Practical Bayesian Tomography

Chris Granade, University of Sydney

In recent years, Bayesian methods have been proposed as a solution to a wide range of issues in quantum state and process tomography. In this talk, we make these methods practical by solving three distinct problems: numerical intractability, a lack of informative prior distributions, and an inability to track time-dependent processes. Our approach allows for practical computation of point and region estimators for quantum states and channels, and allows tracking of time-dependent states.

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Four Waterloo professors named Royal Society of Canada fellows

Four professors from the University of Waterloo are among the new fellows of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) announced today, peer-elected as the best in their field.

The fellowship of the RSC consists of individuals who have made outstanding contributions in the arts, the humanities, science, and Canadian public life.

Thursday, August 20, 2015 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Ibrahim Nsanzineza: Quasiparticles and vortices in superconducting microwave resonators

Ibrahim Nsanzineza, Syracuse University

Nonequilibrium quasiparticles and trapped magnetic flux vortices can significantly impact the performance of superconducting microwave resonant circuits and qubits at millikelvin temperatures. Quasiparticles result in excess loss, reducing resonator quality factors and qubit lifetimes. Vortices trapped near regions of large microwave currents also contribute excess loss. However, vortices located in current-free areascan actually trap quasiparticles and lead to a reduction in the quasiparticle loss.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Ying Dong: Quantum Thermodynamics Based on Optomechanical System

Ying Dong, Hangzhou Normal University

Thermodynamics has been highly successful, impacting strongly on the natural sciences and enabling the development of technologies that have changed our lives, from fridges to jet planes. Until recently, it was applied to large systems described by the laws of classical physics. However, with modern technologies miniaturizing down to the nanoscale and into the quantum regime, testing the applicability of thermodynamics in this new realm has become an exciting technological challenge.

Wednesday, August 26, 2015 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Nitin Jain: Enabling high-speed quantum communication and foiling quantum hackers

Nitin Jain, Northwestern University

Quantum-optical frequency conversion (QFC) provides a method, usually via a nonlinear interaction with an optical ‘pump’ beam, to keep the quantum features of an optical ‘signal’ intact. Most QFC experiments
upconvert near-infrared signal photons to those in the visible or near-visible regime due to the availability of highly-efficient detectors that can be operated at high speeds without incurring a severe noise penalty.

Monday, August 10, 2015 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

John Martinis: What’s next after Moore’s law: quantum computing

 John Martinis, University of California,
Santa Barbara

As microelectronics technology nears the end of exponential growth over time, known as Moore’s law, there is a renewed interest in new computing paradigms. I will discuss recent research at UCSB on superconducting quantum bits, as well as our recent start at Google to build a useful quantum computer to solve machine learning problems.  A recent experiment will be highlighted that extends the lifetime of a qubit state using quantum error correction.