Quantum Steganography

After two years of research Todd and I have finally submitted our work on quantum steganography. You can find the paper here. There's more to come in a month or so. I've reproduced the abstract from the arXiv website:

Steganography is the process of hiding secret information by embedding it in an "innocent" message. We present protocols for hiding quantum information in a codeword of a quantum error-correcting code passing through a channel. Using either a shared classical secret key or shared entanglement the sender (Alice) disguises her information as errors in the channel. The receiver (Bob) can retrieve the hidden information, but an eavesdropper (Eve) with the power to monitor the channel, but without the secret key, cannot distinguish the message from channel noise. We analyze how difficult it is for Eve to detect the presence of secret messages, and estimate rates of steganographic communication and secret key consumption for certain protocols.

What the heck is a quantum computer?

Come hear me ramble on about quantum information science (QIS). This will be a very short and introductory talk. I will first give an overview and history of the field, and then develop some mathematical tools to understand and appreciate David Deutsch's toy quantum algorithm. I may end up explaining quantum teleportation and quantum super-dense coding if time permits. I am dedicating this talk to my adviser Todd Brun and my mentor Dave Bacon.


Details:

http://blog.crashspace.org/2010/05/what-the-heck-is-a-quantum-computer/

CaTeGOricalLy NoT! Grand Challenges

I am looking forward to attending Categorically Not which if you have read my past blog posts is a series of salon-based talks started by K. C. Cole. This upcoming event will take place at the Santa Monica Art Studios (a.k.a "The Hangar") on February 7 from 6:30 p.m. till 9:00 p.m. The title of the talk is "Grand Challenges." Doors open at 6:00 p.m., so you can partake in the drinks and food that the organizers kindly provide for. In order to cover the cost of the food/drinks, they ask for a donation of $5.00. I highly recommend arriving early because space is limited and if past events have been any indication, all the seats will get occupied rather quickly. Here is the excerpt from the Categorically Not website:

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Sometimes, it can seem like a grand challenge just to get out of bed in the morning. But the world presents us with an almost overwhelming array of grand challenges made all the more urgent because of the dizzying rate of change in technology and society in general: how to stay out of war and manage resources on an already overcrowded planet; how to deliver medical care and reliable information in a babel of contexts and cultures; how to adapt traditional models of entertainment and communication to thrive in this new world?

For our February 7th Categorically Not!, we will explore grand challenges in journalism, cinema and engineering. Geneva Overholser, director of USC’s Annenberg School of Communication, Pulitzer Prize winner and former ombudsman for the Washington Post will talk about the challenges of trying to figure out how journalism—so essential to democracy—is going to survive when its economic underpinnings are collapsing and its traditional forms are being disrupted by new technologies. This perilous moment for journalism, she will explain, is in fact full of promise.

Just as journalism tries to make sense of life, so does “that bastard child” of literature, the screenplay. USC Cinema School professor Georgia Jeffries—who has written and produced films for HBO, Showtime, USA and Lifetime and been honored with numerous awards—will discuss the challenge writers face in balancing integrity and relevance in a time of extraordinary change in the marketplace. The screenplay explores every facet of human relationships, including gender, race, class, religion, age and youth. It is a demanding canvas, she says, but one with infinite possibility.

Scientists also face challenges in making sense of information—a specialty of Carl Kesselman, Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Co-Director of USC's Center for Health Informatics. His research focuses on grid computing, a technology for creating multi-institutional collaborations and virtual communities that require sharing of data, knowledge and computational infrastructure. The technology aids everything from large physics experiments to limiting damage (and improving responses) to Earthquakes as well as collecting and integrating biomedical data to improve accessibility.

Yoga With Travis Eliot

For a while now, I have been practicing yoga with Travis Eliot who has recently opened an online store. You can find inspiring yoga music, and audio downloads of his classes, and his instructional DVD. You can find more information about Travis at his website.

Travis truly brings the perfect balance of spirituality and physical fitness to his yoga practice. He is an amazing teacher, ever aware of his student's needs, and ever aware of where each one stands in their yoga practice. He strengthens our weaknesses without judgement, with empathy, with care and with deep-seated love. His music and his passion elevates the soul. For the first time in my life, I've become aware of my own breath and its movement. My challenge has been to regulate my breath each moment of my day. My breath-consciousness grounds my mental discipline which I find indispensable for my scientific and artistic pursuits.

Travis, congratulations on the new store, and thank you for being such a great teacher!

Len Adleman on Mathematical Logic and Quantum Mechanics

My former advisor Leonard Adleman, the 'A' in the RSA encryption algorithm and the inventor of DNA-based computation, has written up an interesting article that he thinks may shed some light on the relationship between mathematical logic and quantum mechanics. You can read about it over at Clifford V. Johnson's blog Asymptotia. Here is the link.

The Quantum Pontiff pontificates on Adleman's article here. The comment section is full of interesting references and insights. I highly recommend reading it.

Dr. Abdul Kalam at USC

Dr. Abdul Kalam, the former president of India visited USC on September 15, 2009, to give a talk on how the Indian youth can lead their country. He outlined his bold vision "Lead India 2020" and talked about what strengths a leader should have. He answered quite a few questions from the audience which was mostly comprised of Indian students. I wish the talk had been organized at Bovard Auditorium so that more students and professors could come and hear him speak. The students were cramped in a small classroom in the Mudd Hall of Philosophy. I think that Dr. Abdul Kalam's visit to USC was organized at the very last minute, and that's why they couldn't find a bigger venue. Regardless, I enjoyed his talk and his sense of humor. The students asked him various questions ranging from India's current problems with corruption, poverty, and infrastructure, to nuclear energy solutions to Indian's growing energy needs. Toward the end I asked him what he did for fun when he wasn't working, or collecting accolades, to which he replied, "I write poetry." He then proceeded to read a translated version of a poem that he had written in Tamil to the audience. It was quite a day for me!

L A S E R - A Film By Clifford V. Johnson

I just watched a short film by Clifford V. Johnson on the science that goes behind the production of a laser (Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation). It is well done and explains the concept with clarity. But besides that it is also fun to watch!