Relativistic Quantum Information and Technologies

在过去的十年中，一个研究强度很高的新领域——相对论量子信息（RQI）领域应运而生。RQI将信息理论与现代物理学的两大支柱：广义相对论和量子理论结合在一起。RQI领域的成果范围从对自然定律的新见解（例如黑洞物理学和宇宙学）一直到量子计算和量子安全通信的具体应用。特别是，由于理论和技术的进步，量子信息处理中的相对论效应的研究最近变得更加重要：量子光学、超导电路和玻色-爱因斯坦凝聚体的实验现在可以探测相对论对量子信息的影响。将量子纠缠分布到数百公里之外的协议现在已经达到了相对论效应变得重要的程度，并且正在开发卫星实验来测量引力对量子纠缠的影响。

Over the past decade, a new field of high research intensity has emerged, the field of Relativistic Quantum Information (RQI). RQI brings together information theory with the two pillars of modern physics: General relativity and quantum theory. The results in the field of RQI range from new insights into the laws of Nature (e.g. black hole physics and cosmology) all the way to concrete applications in quantum computing and quantum-secured communication. In particular, the study of relativistic effects in quantum information processing has recently become more important due to improvements both in theory and in technology: Experiments in quantum optics, superconducting circuits and Bose-Einstein condensates can now probe relativistic influences on quantum information. Protocols that distribute entanglement over hundreds of kilometers are now reaching regimes where relativistic effects are becoming important, and satellite experiments are being developed that will measure gravitational effects on quantum entanglement. This proposal addresses some of the key theoretical and applied questions in the field of RQI: Which relativistic settings have an advantage over non-relativistic ones in quantum information technologies such as quantum cryptography or quantum computing? Can the fluctuations of a quantum field provide a practical and replenishable controlled source of quantum entanglement? Can we use quantum simulators in superconducting circuits or quantum optical settings to model early universe physics? Can information theory help us find a theory of quantum gravity? The PI’s proposed research is organized in three major streams. The first stream is concerned with the incorporation of relativistic effects to quantum information processing in order to harness new resources of entanglement, to construct new protocols and to optimize the performance of quantum information tasks. The second stream concerns the application of tools coming from quantum information to garner knowledge about the structure of spacetime and the interaction of gravity with matter. The third stream is concerned with proposing experimental setups where relativistic quantum effects can be harnessed for practical purposes, for instance, to refine metrology techniques in order to increase the accuracy of our current sensors in quantum optics, thermometry, gravitational wave detection and seismology. It will also be concerned with the design of quantum simulators of relativistic quantum phenomena.