Institute for Quantum Information

量子信息科学（QIS）致力于理解如何利用量子物理的基本定律来显著改善信息的获取、传输和处理。QIS潜在的科学和技术回报是巨大的，但在实现这一潜力之前，必须解决许多深层次和根本性的问题。这些进步将需要在不同学科受过训练的科学家做出贡献，他们足够大胆，可以无视学科之间的传统界限，并为建立一个重要的新领域而共同努力。考虑到这一需求，量子信息研究所（IQI）于2000年9月在加州理工学院成立，并得到了美国国家科学基金会（NSF） 5年500万美元信息技术研究（ITR）奖的支持。自2005年9月以来，IQI得到了由MPS/PHY的信息前沿物理项目（PIF）、CISE/CCF的新兴计算模型和技术集群（EMT）和多学科活动办公室（OMA）联合赞助的一个为期三年的奖项的支持。IQI由五名加州理工学院教授组成的多学科团队领导，致力于建立量子信息科学的理论基础，涵盖量子算法、量子密码学、量子信息理论、容错量子信息处理等广泛领域。自2000年9月以来，IQI的参与者已经发表了282篇论文，涵盖了理论QIS的各个方面；其中86项是自2005年9月本奖项开始以来产生的。在过去的两年中，一些值得注意的成就是：(1)量子算法的进步，例如发现了寻找隐藏非线性结构的指数加速。(2)对量子通信的见解，如基于环境解耦的量子信道容量定理的证明。(3)量子纠缠的研究，如非局部相关的一夫一妻制的表征。(4)用于容错量子计算的工具，例如防止高度偏置噪声的方案。(5)量子硬件的建议，如基于超导电流镜的保护量子比特。(6)量子信息理论与量子多体理论之间的联系，如探索量子霍尔准粒子的非阿贝尔统计实验的新建议。IQI的广泛影响也有许多方面。随着传统硅基信息技术可扩展性的终结，积极探索信息技术的新范式至关重要。IQI的贡献扩大了美国的技术基础，确保了美国在量子科学技术未来发展中的领导地位。IQI吸引并培养了顶尖的博士后学者，其中16人已经转到其他地方担任教职（或同等职位），从而大大加强了全球在QIS方面的努力。IQI还培养了许多仍在该领域工作的博士生，我们还资助了各种本科生研究项目。IQI特别重要的方面是什么？更广泛的影响是一个充满活力的游客计划。2000年以来，共接待高级、博士后学者120人次，其他院校研究生70人次。访问计划激发了智力的兴奋，促进了科学思想的合作和交流，并为国际QIS社区提供了高度重视的服务。IQI可以通过培养其独特的品质来最好地确保其持续的成功：专注于跨学科研究，强调培养世界级博士后人才的职业发展，并致力于积极的访客计划。与此同时，为了应对新的科学机遇，未来几年IQI的使命将在重要方面发生演变。两个日益突出的主题将是量子信息系统与凝聚态物理的令人兴奋的接口，以及缩小量子信息系统的理论和实验实践与量子计算的物理实现之间的巨大差距的艰巨挑战。所有这些领域的基本进展都需要使革命性的量子技术更接近实现。

Quantum information science (QIS) is devoted to understanding how the fundamental laws of quantum physics might be harnessed to dramatically improve the acquisition, transmission, and processing of information.The potential scientific and technological payoff from QIS is vast, but many deep and fundamental problems must be solved before that potential can be fulfilled. These advances will require contributions from scientists trained in a variety of subjects who are bold enough to disregard the traditional boundaries between disciplines and to pool their efforts in building an important new field.With this need in mind, the Institute for Quantum Information (IQI) was founded at Caltech in September 2000, supported by a five-year $5M Information Technology Research (ITR) award from NSF. Since September 2005, the IQI has been supported by a three-year award sponsored jointly by the Physics at the Information Frontier program (PIF) in MPS/PHY, the Emerging Models and Technologies for Computation Cluster (EMT) in CISE/CCF, and the Office of Multidisciplinary Activities (OMA). The IQI, led by a multidisciplinary team of five Caltech professors, is devoted to building the theoretical foundations of quantum information science across a broad front encompassing quantum algorithms, quantum cryptography, quantum information theory, fault-tolerant quantum information processiThe research accomplishments of the IQI have clear intellectual merit. Since September 2000, IQI participants have produced 282 publications covering all aspects of theoretical QIS; of these 86 were generated since the onset of our current award in September 2005.Some noteworthy achievements during the past two years are: (1) Progress in quantum algorithms, such as the discovery of an exponential speedup for finding hidden nonlinear structures. (2) Insights into quantum communication, such as a proof of the quantum channel capacity theorem based on decoupling of the environment. (3) Studies of quantum entanglement, such as a characterization of the monogamy of nonlocal correlations. (4) Tools for fault-tolerant quantum computation, such as a scheme for protecting against highly biased noise. (5) Proposals for quantum hardware, such as a protected qubit based on a superconducting current mirror. (6) Connections between quantum information theory and quantum many-body theory, such as new proposals for experiments that probe the non-abelian statistics of quantum Hall quasiparticles.The broader impact of the IQI also has many facets. With the end of scalability of conventional siliconbased information technology on the horizon, it is vitally important to explore aggressively new paradigms for information technology. IQI contributions are broadening the nation's technical base, ensuring US leadership in the future development of quantum science and technology. The IQI has attracted and trained top postdoctoral scholars, 16 of whom have moved on to faculty positions (or the equivalent) elsewhere, thus significantly strengthening the world effort in QIS. The IQI has also trained many Ph.D. students who are still working in the field, and we have sponsored a variety of undergraduate research projects.A particularly important aspect of the IQI?s broader impact is a vibrant visitor program.Since 2000, we have sponsored 120 visits by senior and postdoctoral scholars, and 70 visits by graduate students from other institutions. The visitor program fuels intellectual excitement,facilitates collaborations and exchanges of scientific ideas, and performs a highly valued service for the international QIS community.The IQI can best ensure its continued success by nurturing its distinctive qualities: a focus on interdisciplinary research, an emphasis on fostering the career development of world-class postdoctoral talent, and devotion to an active visitor program. At the same time, in response to new scientific opportunities, the mission of the IQI will evolve in important ways over the next several years. Two increasingly prominent themes will be the exciting interface of QIS with condensed matter physics, and the daunting challengeof closing the considerable gap between the theory and experimental practice of QIS and physical implementations of quantum computing. Basic advances in all of these areas are needed to bring revolutionary quantum technologies closer to realization.