Bulletin of the American Physical Society
Annual Meeting of the Four Corners Section of the APS
Volume 57, Number 11
Friday–Saturday, October 26–27, 2012; Socorro, New Mexico
Session A1: Welcome! Plenary Session I |
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Chair: Richard Sonnenfeld, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology Room: Macey Center Main Auditorium |
Friday, October 26, 2012 8:30AM - 9:00AM |
A1.00001: Welcome |
Friday, October 26, 2012 9:00AM - 9:36AM |
A1.00002: Dynamical Evolution of the Solar System Invited Speaker: Hal Levinson Our understanding of planet formation has advanced significantly in the last decade due to a combination of the discovery of extra-solar planetary systems and advancements in our ability to construct computer models. Even so, the standard model of planet formation has difficulties explaining some of the features observed in our Solar System. Of particular note, it predicts that Mars should be as massive as the Earth. In addition, it has difficulty in building the the giant planets, which are made mainly of hydrogen, before the nebula disappeared. In this talk I will review the standard model of planet formation. Then I will argue that current models are missing two important processes - planetesimal-driven migration and collisional grinding. I will present new simulations that include these processes. Preliminary results suggest a heretofore unknown and radical mechanism for building the outer planets. [Preview Abstract] |
Friday, October 26, 2012 9:36AM - 10:12AM |
A1.00003: Adiabatic Quantum Computing Invited Speaker: Andrew Landahl Quantum computers promise to exploit counterintuitive quantum physics principles like superposition, entanglement, and uncertainty to solve problems using fundamentally fewer steps than any conventional computer ever could. The mere possibility of such a device has sharpened our understanding of quantum coherent information, just as lasers did for our understanding of coherent light. The chief obstacle to developing quantum computer technology is decoherence--one of the fastest phenomena in all of physics. In principle, decoherence can be overcome by using clever entangled redundancies in a process called fault-tolerant quantum error correction. However, the quality and scale of technology required to realize this solution appears distant. An exciting alternative is a proposal called ``adiabatic'' quantum computing (AQC), in which adiabatic quantum physics keeps the computer in its lowest-energy configuration throughout its operation, rendering it immune to many decoherence sources. The Adiabatic Quantum Architectures In Ultracold Systems (AQUARIUS) Grand Challenge Project at Sandia seeks to demonstrate this robustness in the laboratory and point a path forward for future hardware development. We are building devices in AQUARIUS that realize the AQC architecture on up to three quantum bits (``qubits'') in two platforms: Cs atoms laser-cooled to below 5 microkelvin and Si quantum dots cryo-cooled to below 100 millikelvin. We are also expanding theoretical frontiers by developing methods for scalable universal AQC in these platforms. We have successfully demonstrated operational qubits in both platforms and have even run modest one-qubit calculations using our Cs device. In the course of reaching our primary proof-of-principle demonstrations, we have developed multiple spinoff technologies including nanofabricated diffractive optical elements that define optical-tweezer trap arrays and atomic-scale Si lithography commensurate with placing individual donor atoms with scanning-tunneling microscopy. I will review our experimental and theoretical progress in this plenary talk.\\[4pt] This work was supported by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program at Sandia National Laboratories. Sandia National Laboratories is a multi-program laboratory managed and operated by Sandia Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, for the U.S. Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000. [Preview Abstract] |
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