Indo-German Symposium on Quantum Sciences and Technologies at IIT Madras, India
At the beginning of February, top-class scientists met in Chennai, India, for an Indo-German symposium. The event focused on quantum sciences and technologies. In lectures and discussions, the experts exchanged views on various aspects of the topic.
On February 9-10, 2020 a two-day Indo-German Symposium on Quantum Sciences and Quantum Communication was held at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras with leading researchers from India and Peter Grünberg Institute, FZ Jülich (Prof. David DiVincenzo, PGI-2 and JARA-FIT, Thomas Schäpers, PGI-9, Jan Timper, PGI Science Office) and University of Cologne, Institute for Theoretical Physics (David Gross).The DWIH New Delhi (German Centre for Innovation and Science) and IIT Madras (Prabha Mandayam) jointly organized the event with the Forschungszentrum to identify areas of common interest across the disciplines of quantum computation, quantum information theory and quantum cryptography. Furthermore, possible future roadmaps were discussed. The Indian scientists included such eminent quantum science researchers as Urbashi Sinha (Raman Research Institute), Arvind (IISER Mohali), Kavita Dorai (IISER Mohali), R. Vijayaraghvan (TIFR Mumbai), Rajiah Simon (Indian Institute of Mathematical Sciences), C. M. Chandrashekar (IIMSc), Arul Lakshminarayan (IIT Madras) and Anil Prabhakar (IITM).
Quantum information science and technologies have taken giant strides over the last decade. For the first time since the advent of quantum theory, it is now possible to build and precisely control very complex, highly entangled quantum states of many particles, and the idea of quantum computing seems well on its way to becoming a physically realisable prospect.
India announced its National Mission on Quantum Technologies and Applications in February 2020. A month earlier, the Helmholtz Quantum Center (HQC) was launched at Jülich which will serve as a central technology laboratory covering the entire range of quantum research according to the national research priority. It will pool six research fields and seven technology clusters, thus combining basic research, theory, and development – from quantum materials to complete quantum computer systems. Moreover, Jülich´s scientists are part of the EU Quantum Flagship research initiative, one of the EU’s most ambitious research initiatives. It brings together research establishments, universities, companies, and political figures, while also supporting large-scale, long-term research projects. According to the initiative’s plans, Forschungszentrum Juelich will become the home of a future quantum computer, which will be developed together with partners from science and industry.
© DWIH New Delhi (from left to right: Prof P. Mandayam (IITM), Prof M. Panchagnula (IITM), E. Portius (FZ Juelich), K. Stoll (General Consulate of Fed. Rep. of Germany, Chennai), Prof B. Ramamurthi (IITM), Prof D. DiVincenzo (FZ Juelich and JARA-FIT), Dr K. Lasch (DAAD/DWIH)
© FZ Jülich. From left to right: T. Schaepers, D.DiVincenzo, J. Timper, A. Prabhakar, R. Vijayaraghvan
Contact:
Dr. Jan Timper
Science Office of the Peter Grünberg Institute
Forschungszentrum Jülich
Tel.: 02461 61-85482
Email: j.timper@fz-juelich.de
Eva Portius,
National and International Relations, Corporate Development,
Tel.: 02461 61-6232
Email: e.portius@fz-juelich.de