I attended a recent talk by Peter Zoller, who, along with Ignacio Cirac, is a master of quantum control. I especially enjoyed his description of a geometric phase gate which is resistant to temperature fluctuations. These ideas are contained in the article at quant-ph/0411103, written by Zoller and collaborators.
Unfortunately, I don't have time to digest the article right now, but I can say a few words. The thing I found most interesting is the fact that geometric phases can be non-adiabatic. Many people, including myself, are familiar with the concept of Berry's phase which is a geometric phase that arises when the system evolves adiabatically through a closed path in parameter space. For the geometric phase gate that Zoller described, you can design a laser pulse sequence so that you can perform a two-ion gate operation which results in the ions having a fixed relative phase afterwards. The phase is the same no matter what the initial state of the ions. Even better, if the operation is perfect, the temperature of the system doesn't matter eitiher.
03 May 2005
Michael Nielsen: "Principles of Effective Research"
My friends in humanities and science have really enjoyed Michael Nielsen's article on effective research, so I have decided to post a link to it on my public blog.
As a graduate student, I find the process of going from student to independent researcher quite daunting. I'm not sure I can add much to what Michael has already said, but if I learn anything new, I will be sure to write about it in the future.
As a graduate student, I find the process of going from student to independent researcher quite daunting. I'm not sure I can add much to what Michael has already said, but if I learn anything new, I will be sure to write about it in the future.
01 May 2005
Living a balanced life
We often are told to have a "balanced life." What does that really mean? I think an individual's "balance" is a highly personal idea. One person might be happy spending 80% of their time working and 20% of their time on their personal life. For another person, it might be 40% work and 60% personal life. The work and personal mega-categories can be broken down into further sub-categories, for example: job, fixing the house, volunteer work, exercise, blogging, family, friends, cultural events, etc.
The main point is that we strive for diversified lifestyle (sounds like a stock portfolio!) so that if one part of our life fails, we don't collapse completely. For instance, if you focus all your energy on work and fail to get a much-desired promotion, you'd be crushed. Or, if you focus on enjoying your personal life and suddenly become disabled, you wouldn't have anything to fall back on.
Let me play philosopher. What are the essential parts of a balanced life?
1) Something you do (independent of other people) that makes you supremely happy, so happy that you get a rush of good feeling. Examples: a favorite sport, hiking, traveling, volunteering to build houses, painting, reading, movie watching, writing poetry.
2) A network of friends you can count on, to varying degrees. This network consists of three main groups. First, there is your boss (or employees) and colleagues at work. I typically eat lunch with fellow science graduate students. Second, there is your local social group. For me, these are the people I live with. Third, there is your family and long-distance friends. I think one should have meaningful relationships with all of these groups. Then out of everyone, there should be a few people who can be relied on in dire emergencies (whether emotional, medical, academic, etc.) I like talking to my peers for the short-term perspective (i.e. getting through grad school) and talking to older people for the long-term perspective (i.e. finding an ideal career).
3) Personal growth. You don't want to stagnate. For some people, life effectively ends after they finish their formal education. They're the same person at 45 as they were at 25. The main ways to achieve personal growth are intellectually challenging work and cultivating new personal relationships or improving existing ones. If you're a professor, that might mean switching research fields. If you have a family, that might mean joining an activity club to meet new people. Friends can be a good influence. If you surround yourself with creative go-getters, you'll obtain inspiration to try new things. A smaller way to influence personal growth is to read different books, listening to new genres of music, travel, etc. I don't consider these activities as effective for personal growth because they're more passive.
Of these three essential ingredients, personal growth is probably the most difficult because it requires constant work.
The value of living a balanced life can be difficult to appreciate until you experience your first "life failure." I think most people have to learn the hard way. There are also some people who never even try to construct a balanced life. I also notice that many young people get bogged down in details (living up to parental expectations, pleasing their boyfriend/girlfriend, getting A's, brushing up their resume, figuring out how to get ahead in the job market, etc.) rather than trying to develop their identity and understand what they're good at and what makes them happy. The important thing is to lay a solid foundation. Once you know where you're going, the details are easy to pick up. I fell into this trap myself. In my last two years of college, I became so worried about doing well in school that I stopped seeing my friends and never thought about what kind of physics research I wanted to pursue in graduate school. The emphasis on the GPA for graduate/professional school admissions and entry-level jobs ruins the college experience for a lot of people. Students spend all their time hoop jumping instead of exploring.
Our society might be happier and more productive if life philosophy were incorporated into basic education.
The main point is that we strive for diversified lifestyle (sounds like a stock portfolio!) so that if one part of our life fails, we don't collapse completely. For instance, if you focus all your energy on work and fail to get a much-desired promotion, you'd be crushed. Or, if you focus on enjoying your personal life and suddenly become disabled, you wouldn't have anything to fall back on.
Let me play philosopher. What are the essential parts of a balanced life?
1) Something you do (independent of other people) that makes you supremely happy, so happy that you get a rush of good feeling. Examples: a favorite sport, hiking, traveling, volunteering to build houses, painting, reading, movie watching, writing poetry.
2) A network of friends you can count on, to varying degrees. This network consists of three main groups. First, there is your boss (or employees) and colleagues at work. I typically eat lunch with fellow science graduate students. Second, there is your local social group. For me, these are the people I live with. Third, there is your family and long-distance friends. I think one should have meaningful relationships with all of these groups. Then out of everyone, there should be a few people who can be relied on in dire emergencies (whether emotional, medical, academic, etc.) I like talking to my peers for the short-term perspective (i.e. getting through grad school) and talking to older people for the long-term perspective (i.e. finding an ideal career).
3) Personal growth. You don't want to stagnate. For some people, life effectively ends after they finish their formal education. They're the same person at 45 as they were at 25. The main ways to achieve personal growth are intellectually challenging work and cultivating new personal relationships or improving existing ones. If you're a professor, that might mean switching research fields. If you have a family, that might mean joining an activity club to meet new people. Friends can be a good influence. If you surround yourself with creative go-getters, you'll obtain inspiration to try new things. A smaller way to influence personal growth is to read different books, listening to new genres of music, travel, etc. I don't consider these activities as effective for personal growth because they're more passive.
Of these three essential ingredients, personal growth is probably the most difficult because it requires constant work.
The value of living a balanced life can be difficult to appreciate until you experience your first "life failure." I think most people have to learn the hard way. There are also some people who never even try to construct a balanced life. I also notice that many young people get bogged down in details (living up to parental expectations, pleasing their boyfriend/girlfriend, getting A's, brushing up their resume, figuring out how to get ahead in the job market, etc.) rather than trying to develop their identity and understand what they're good at and what makes them happy. The important thing is to lay a solid foundation. Once you know where you're going, the details are easy to pick up. I fell into this trap myself. In my last two years of college, I became so worried about doing well in school that I stopped seeing my friends and never thought about what kind of physics research I wanted to pursue in graduate school. The emphasis on the GPA for graduate/professional school admissions and entry-level jobs ruins the college experience for a lot of people. Students spend all their time hoop jumping instead of exploring.
Our society might be happier and more productive if life philosophy were incorporated into basic education.
25 April 2005
Being thankful
We physicists grumble a lot. Maybe we should look to the example of Eric Cornell, 2001 Nobel Laureate in physics. He lost an arm and shoulder to a deadly bacterial infection yet he told the media that it was merely "inconvenient." A full text interview with Eric is available at the NIST website. Here's a photo of Eric after surviving his near-death experience.
This story reminds me of another physicist who lives with a disability: Ian Shipsey, a physics professor at Purdue. He lost his hearing while taking drugs to treat a deadly illness. After 11 years, he got a cochlear implant and heard his daughter's voice for the first time. He also remarked that his wife still had a beautiful Italian accent; he thought she would have lost it by now after living in America for so long. I wrote about Ian in an earlier post.
This story reminds me of another physicist who lives with a disability: Ian Shipsey, a physics professor at Purdue. He lost his hearing while taking drugs to treat a deadly illness. After 11 years, he got a cochlear implant and heard his daughter's voice for the first time. He also remarked that his wife still had a beautiful Italian accent; he thought she would have lost it by now after living in America for so long. I wrote about Ian in an earlier post.
23 April 2005
Relative attractiveness of men and women in academia
Following up on my entry about the dressing habits of women physicists, I spotted an entertaining writeup by Sean Carroll. In his original post, Sean said that women physicists are, on average, more physically attractive than male physicists. Unfortunately, due to a barrage of comments (which are fun to read), the original post was taken down.
Some people found Sean's opinion offensive, but I thought it was quite insightful. When I look around at my graduate student colleagues (across all fields in the academy), the number of really attractive women is much higher than the number of really attractive men. I hope it's not the case that male mentors encourage more attractive women to attend graduate school over less attractive women. That is not to say that a great mind is not attractive either. As Sean comments in an earlier post, women really like Nobel Prize winners.
In general, I find that most science/engineering professors (of both genders) aren't very attractive, but the few who are good looking really stand out. What can be better than a guy/gal with a great mind and body?
Before I get attacked, let me say that I rarely think about the looks of my colleagues on a daily basis. But just because we're intellectuals doesn't mean we should stop being human.
Some people found Sean's opinion offensive, but I thought it was quite insightful. When I look around at my graduate student colleagues (across all fields in the academy), the number of really attractive women is much higher than the number of really attractive men. I hope it's not the case that male mentors encourage more attractive women to attend graduate school over less attractive women. That is not to say that a great mind is not attractive either. As Sean comments in an earlier post, women really like Nobel Prize winners.
In general, I find that most science/engineering professors (of both genders) aren't very attractive, but the few who are good looking really stand out. What can be better than a guy/gal with a great mind and body?
Before I get attacked, let me say that I rarely think about the looks of my colleagues on a daily basis. But just because we're intellectuals doesn't mean we should stop being human.
18 April 2005
Music of the day: Cuban son
My sister introduced me to Cuban son music recently. A prime example of this style is the Buena Vista Social Club soundtrack. The Buena Vista Social Club is actually a documentary about the aging Cuban son musicians. Another good album is Buenos Hermanos. Ibrahim Ferrer, a 70+ year old man, sings the lead vocals.
Here's what Rhapsody has to say about the history of Cuban son:
The Son was created in the nineteenth century in Santiago de Cuba from a mix of French, African, and Spanish elements that came together as a result of Haitian immigration. The Son developed as the Spanish decima (a ten line poem) and French parlor music brought melody and harmony to African rhythms. Standard Son was played on (tres) guitar, acoustic bass, maracas, bongo, and most importantly, the clave - two sticks that mark the rhythm when struck together. In the early twentieth century, Septeto Nacional, Trio Matamoros, and Sexteto Habanero popularized songs such as "Manicero" (the Peanut Vendor). The addition of trumpets made the conjunto sound of artists such as Arsenio Rodriguez jazzier and more urban, creating the template for modern Salsa. Its lyrics are generally about love, women, and country life, as exemplified by the song "Guantanamera." The Son is the true godfather of Cuban music, giving birth to many forms such as the son montuno, guaracha, guajiro, and later, the modern songo of Los Van Van.
Here's what Rhapsody has to say about the history of Cuban son:
The Son was created in the nineteenth century in Santiago de Cuba from a mix of French, African, and Spanish elements that came together as a result of Haitian immigration. The Son developed as the Spanish decima (a ten line poem) and French parlor music brought melody and harmony to African rhythms. Standard Son was played on (tres) guitar, acoustic bass, maracas, bongo, and most importantly, the clave - two sticks that mark the rhythm when struck together. In the early twentieth century, Septeto Nacional, Trio Matamoros, and Sexteto Habanero popularized songs such as "Manicero" (the Peanut Vendor). The addition of trumpets made the conjunto sound of artists such as Arsenio Rodriguez jazzier and more urban, creating the template for modern Salsa. Its lyrics are generally about love, women, and country life, as exemplified by the song "Guantanamera." The Son is the true godfather of Cuban music, giving birth to many forms such as the son montuno, guaracha, guajiro, and later, the modern songo of Los Van Van.
Philanthropy as a future of basic science funding?
If the federal government is reluctant to fund basic science, at least we are getting a little help from some enlightened benefactors. One such person is Fred Kavli who was recently profiled in the following New York Times article. He has given money to establish centers of research in nanoscience, neuroscience, and cosmology. Kavli also has the clever idea of awarding $1 million prizes in these areas to draw media attention to basic science. Another idea I admire very much is prize postdoc fellowship sponsored by Neil Pappalardo. The money allows the awarded MIT postdocs to pursue their own independent research. I think the idea is similar to the Harvard Society of Fellows but the Pappalardo Fellowships are restricted to MIT physics postdocs.
10 April 2005
Music of the day: Van Cliburn playing Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff
I'm hooked on a new CD of Van Cliburn playing Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in B flat minor, Op. 23 and Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18. These are showpieces and you won't be let down.
The CD was produced shortly after Van Cliburn (a lanky Texan) won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow during the Cold War. He instantaneously became a sensation and a hero for Americans. Supposedly small children grew up hearing his legendary recordings.
The Cold War seems to have inspired many good things in the United States. For instance, the Russian Sputnik launching created a huge interest in pushing American children towards science. Too bad there isn't anything like that nowadays. Young people these days tend towards safe, lucrative careers (law, medicine, business) -- though there are some admirable individuals who opt for service careers (Teach for America, Peace Corps, etc.) At the university where I study, there has also been a surge of interest in Arabic languages and current events.
The CD was produced shortly after Van Cliburn (a lanky Texan) won the International Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow during the Cold War. He instantaneously became a sensation and a hero for Americans. Supposedly small children grew up hearing his legendary recordings.
The Cold War seems to have inspired many good things in the United States. For instance, the Russian Sputnik launching created a huge interest in pushing American children towards science. Too bad there isn't anything like that nowadays. Young people these days tend towards safe, lucrative careers (law, medicine, business) -- though there are some admirable individuals who opt for service careers (Teach for America, Peace Corps, etc.) At the university where I study, there has also been a surge of interest in Arabic languages and current events.
07 April 2005
Public art - Bottleproject
A friend of mine sent me a link to an interesting art project in Philadelphia. It's the work of a UPenn student.
The idea is to put messages in bottles and place the bottles around the city, then see what happens. There is an email address on the bottles so people can write back to say where they found the bottle.
The idea is to put messages in bottles and place the bottles around the city, then see what happens. There is an email address on the bottles so people can write back to say where they found the bottle.
06 April 2005
Funding in particle physics
There have been some recent posts by Sean Carroll and Peter Woit related to a recent Science article about the decline of high energy physics in America.
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