 |
|||
| ARGONNE HOME PAGE | ARGONNE INTRANET | NEWS HOME PAGE | BACK ISSUES |
|
Sept. 11, 2000 -- Some of this week's stories:
Lab's quantum computer pioneer honored
Goldhaber to speak at colloquium
MCS awards Wilkinson Fellowship
Fair to showcase care, support for adults, elders
Car show set for Argonne-East
Guest House chef to lead cooking class |
Paul Benioff (PHY) has been honored for pioneering work that established quantum computers as a theoretical possibility.
The Quantum Communication Award of the International Organization for Quantum Communication, Computing and Measurement recognizes Benioff's fundamental contributions to the field. The prestigious award was established in 1998 by the Research Institute of Tamagawa University, Japan.
The year 2000 prize, a certificate and 500,000 yen (about $5,000), is the premier scientific honor in the field of quantum communications. Two prizes were given: one to Benioff and the other shared by David Wineland and Chris Monroe of the National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colo.
Benioff established, in 1980, the theoretical possibility of quantum computing -- using multiple "spin" states of subatomic particles to perform calculations. Practical computers based on this concept are still only a gleam in scientists' eyes, but the concept holds promise for computers thousands or millions of times more efficient at solving some kinds of problems than computers based on classical mechanics.
Prior to Benioff's work, which was published in 19801982, it was thought by many that the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle would require dissipation of energy by any quantum mechanical model of computers -- that, in effect, heat generated by the computer's operation would disrupt the quantum mechanical system and render it useless. As part of his work, Benioff showed that quantum mechanical models of computers could be described that dissipated no energy as the computation progressed.
Several years later it was realized by others, including the late Richard Feynman, that quantum mechanical computers have the potential to carry out computations much more efficiently than classical computers.
Classical computers work with binary bits: a spot on a hard disk, for example, that has two states: one where a magnetic field is present (a "one") or absent (a "zero"). A quantum computer works with quantum bits, or "qubits," much like a regular digital bit -- but having the additional property of not being either definitely a one or a zero. In the counter-intuitive world of quantum mechanics, the qubit can represent both zero and one.
This "superposition" of states also applies to entire quantumcomputing systems containing many qubits. For example, a quantum system containing 100 qubits can itself be in a state with 2100 component states, each representing a different number. Quantum computers derive their power from the fact that the computation is performed simultaneously and independently on each component state. For a 100-qubit system the computation would be carried out simultaneously and independently on all 2100 numbers.
The problem of factoring a huge number, which is the basis of security codes used by banks and security agencies, can be solved in a reasonable amount of time by a quantum computer. A computer based on classical systems would have to perform roughly 2100 calculations to factor a 33-digit number; such a calculation would require eons to complete with current technologies. A quantum computer may only require a million steps and perform the same calculation in minutes or seconds. Quantum computers will also be more efficient than classical computers at searching large databases.
Benioff had always worked on foundational aspects of physics and mathematics as an avocation. Prior to 1995, Benioff's work in quantum computing and its foundational aspects was in addition to his other duties in Argonne's Chemistry and Environmental Divisions. He also worked on aspects of quantum computing while a visiting scientist at Tel Aviv University, Israel, and the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Marseilles, France.
Currently, Benioff works in the Physics Division as a retired staff member. Since 1995, he has been working on other theoretical aspects, such as a quantum "robot" -- a mobile quantum computer that can carry out tasks -- and a coherent theory of mathematics and physics.
Maurice Goldhaber will present "A Student at the Cavendish Laboratory in the 1930s" at a Director's Special Colloquium Thursday, Sept. 28, in the Advanced Photon Source Conference Center, Building 402. Goldhaber's talk will begin at 3 p.m.
Goldhaber is director emeritus of Brookhaven National Laboratory. Together with James Chadwick from the Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University, Goldhaber was the first to accurately measure the mass of the neutron, a fundamental particle found in atomic nuclei. Their 1934 discovery showed the neutron was not a compound of a proton and an electron as was believed at the time, but a new particle.
All employees whose schedules permit are invited to attend the colloquium.
Traian Iliescu of the University of Pittsburgh has been named the 2000 Wilkinson Fellow in Scientific Computing. He joined the Mathematics and Computer Science (MCS) Division in August 2000.
The fellowship is a one-year appointment to MCS, renewable for a second year.
The selection committee cited Iliescu's fundamental contributions to the simulation of turbulent flows.
Understanding such flows is central to many applications such as pollution estimation, global climate change calculations and combustion.
Iliescu received a Ph.D. in applied mathematics from the University of Pittsburgh in July. For his thesis, he carried out a rigorous mathematical investigation of large eddy simulation.
Iliescu won the Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics student paper prize for the best graduate student research in applied mathematics and has published in the Journal for Numerical Methods in Engineering Applied Mathematics Letters. Two other articles are scheduled to appear.
Iliescu has also collaborated on an industrial project modeling aluminum reduction, an energy-intensive process consuming more than 10 percent of the annual U.S. electrical output. For this project he developed a parallel linear solver that enabled scientists for the first time to accurately examine thermo-electrical effects in three dimensions.
Iliescu will join the faculty of the Mathematics Department at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University after his appointment at Argonne.
The Wilkinson Fellowship was created by Argonne's Mathematics and Computer Science Division in memory of James Hardy Wilkinson, who for many years acted as a consultant and guiding spirit for such efforts as the EISPACK and LINPACK projects.
The fellowship is intended to assist a young scientist engaged in state-of-the-art research in scientific computing.
Human Resources will sponsor an "Adult/Elder Fair" Wednesday, Sept. 27, from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Argonne-East's Building 213 Cafeteria.
As the U.S. population continues to age and more people live into their 80s and 90s, there is an increasing need for a variety of intensive health care services and for assistance in activities of daily living for the elderly.
The fair will showcase local and state-wide organizations that provide information, care and assistance to the elderly: the American Association of Retired Persons, Illinois Secretary of State Elder Programs, Good Samaritan Hospital, Rush Personal Services, DuPage Senior Citizens Council and the Illinois Attorney General's office.
A raffle will be held, with the drawing set for 2 p.m. Winners need not be present. Prizes are:
First prize: A blood pressure monitor
Second prize: Thera Spa Turbo Massager
Third, fourth and fifth prize: Movie tickets for
Loews theaters.
Antique and classic car owners at Argonne-East are invited to showcase their cars Wednesday, Sept. 20, in the Building 360 north parking lot at lunchtime.
Cars on display will be 25 years old or older, of special interest, modified or limited production. Cars will be on display from noon to 1 p.m, or as owners' schedules permit. Everyone is invited to stop by and view the cars and take photos.
Rain date will be Wednesday, Sept. 27.
For more information, call Clarence Clark (ASD) at (630) 553-9567 or Walter Czyz (IPNS) at (630) 553-6987.
Executive Chef Chris Kaminsky will present a grilled seafood cooking class Monday, Sept. 18, and again Thursday, Sept. 21, from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Argonne-East Guest House.
Participants will taste the results.
Registration is $23 per person. Registration for the Sept. 18 class ends Wednesday, Sept. 13; registration for the Sept. 21 class ends Monday, Sept. 18. Class size is limited. Payment by cash, check or charge is due with registration. Send by mail or drop off in person at the Argonne Guest House.
For more information, call Kathy at ext. 5-2006.
The Argonne 8-Ball Pool League will start its fall schedule of league matches Tuesday, Sept. 19.
Matches are held Tuesday evenings at 6 p.m. at Crickets and Cue in Bolingbrook. The handicap-based league invites players, both male and female, of all skill levels, including beginners. Family members and friends of Argonne employees are also welcome.
Fully formed teams with some experienced players (usually six to eight members) can participate; individual players will be placed on existing teams. Individual players may enroll up to Tuesday, Oct. 10.
For more information, call Vic Maroni (CMT) at ext. 2-4547 or Jenny Erdmann (APS) at ext. 2-8733.
The Argonne Chess Club will hold lunchtime speed-chess tournaments open to all employees Wednesday, Sept. 13, 20 and 27, in Argonne-East's Building 362, Room E188.
Entry fee is $1. All entry fees will be returned as prizes. The chess club will provide all needed equipment.
Games will be timed at five minutes each. The tournaments will use Swiss system pairings if more than six players enter; otherwise pairings will be round robin.
Registration ends at noon. Games will start at 12:05 p.m.
For more information, call Bob Hill (RA) at ext. 2-4865 or Dave Baurac (OPA) at ext. 2-5584.
LifeSource will hold its bi-annual blood drive Wednesday, Sept. 13, in Argonne-East's Building 617 (Exchange Club).
Employees who did not receive a donation form by inter-office mail should call the Medical Department at ext. 2-2800.
