Events

An introduction to making scientific figures with Illustrator and Blender

Special guest speaker: Christopher Gutierrez, University of British Columbia

Scientific research can be a slow and laborious process. The absolutely final step in the process is to then communicate your exciting scientific findings to other scientists both in and outside of your field. Yet it is often at this final step where the least amount of time is spent.

Tobias Fritz, Perimeter Institute

Similar to how commutative algebra studies rings and their ideals, the protagonists of real algebra are ordered rings. Their interplay between algebra and geometry is studied in terms of Positivstellen- stze, real analogs of the Nullstellensatz, which go back to Artin's solution of Hilbert's 17th problem. I will describe some of the state of the art in this eld, and then introduce a new Positivstellensatz which unies and generalizes several of the existing ones.

Journal club presentation:

"Experimental superposition of orders of quantum gates" by Procopio et. al.

(Nature Comms 6, 7913 (2015)

Arash Ahmadi, Institute for Quantum Computing

Quantum computers achieve a speed-up by placing quantum bits (qubits) in superpositions of different states. However, it has recently been appreciated that quantum mechanics also allows one to ‘superimpose different operations’.

Adina Luican-Mayer, University of Ottawa

Innovative technologies have a history of capitalizing on the discovery of new physical phenomena, often at the confluence of advances in material characterization techniques and innovations in design and controlled synthesis of high-quality materials. Pioneered by the discovery of graphene, atomically thin materials (2D materials) hold the promise for realizing physical systems with distinct properties, previously inaccessible.

Nicole Yunger Halpern, Harvard University Department of Physics

Thermodynamics has shed light on engines, efficiency, and time’s arrow since the Industrial Revolution. But the steam engines that powered the Industrial Revolution were large and classical. Much of today’s technology and experiments are small-scale, quantum, and out-of-equilibrium. Nineteenth-century thermodynamics requires updating for the 21st century. Guidance has come from the mathematical toolkit of quantum information theory.

A polar decomposition for quantum channels: insightful tools to navigate through noisy quantum circuits

Arnaud Carignan-Dugas, Institute for Quantum Computing

Inevitably, assessing the overall performance of a quantum computer must rely on characterizing some of its elementary constituents and, from this information, formulate a broader statement concerning more complex constructions thereof.

“Quantum physics” has taken its position with “rocket science” in pop culture as a shorthand for frighteningly complicated science. Quantum physics has also taken on a sort of magical connotation in fiction, with features like entanglement, superposition, and tunneling, spurring imagination. But where does the science draw the line? How much is joyful speculation, and how much is disregard for reality? And if it’s always seen as either magical or scary, how does that affect the perception of quantum science?

Academic Writing Workshop #1

Elisabeth van Stam (UW Writing and Communication Center)

Learning to effectively communicate your research is an essential skill necessary for success within academia. Join Elisabeth van Stam (STEM Specialist) as she introduces you to the Writing and Communication Centre (WCC) services and resources that will help you successfully accomplish your research milestones.

This presentation will delve into a practical example of a patent procedure associated to a specific quantum technology: quantum random number generator. We will explore the specifics of the technology and its applications, review previously existing approaches and define the inventive step, explore the phrasing of the claims, and revisit the prior patents from the freedom-to-operate point of view.

Carbon Based Flexible and Multi-Component Self-Powered Devices

Dogan Sinar

Carbon and its allotropes have been researched intensively for their potential applications in various fields including energy storage/generation, sensor technology, and wearable electronics. Graphene and graphene oxide have especially drawn attention during the last decade due their unique electrical, chemical, and mechanical properties.