Quantum Information: Philosophical, Mathematical and Experimental Perspectives

Abstract

The present issue of “Quantum Information Processing” (QIP) as well as the two subsequent issues will be a forum for a subset of distinguished speakers and authors who met at the University of Vienna in May 2005 to contribute to the international conference “Quantum Physics of Nature (QUPON2005)” and the 6th European workshop on “Quantum information processing and communication (QIPC)”. There is always a good reason for a top-level scientific meeting. But this time several additional motivations called for an event with outstanding scientists: The year 2005 was not only officially declared to be the UNESCO World Year of Physics, it was also the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein’s paper on the quantum nature of light—, which marks the birthday of quantum optics. It also happened that the first day of the conference coincided with Anton Zeilinger’s 60th birthday, which is seen by many of us as an important date for Quantum Optics and QIP. While work on the foundations of quantum physics has long been regarded as a subject for philosophers rather than physicists, it has now transformed into an information science and correspondingly into an important field of research everywhere in the world: QIP is substantially and very successfully supported by the European Commission. The American physical society has started a new topical group to create a forum for QI. And the theme of “quantum information” (QI) has been the seed for a growing number of new research institutes in the US, Canada or Europe. Strong scientific and even already industrial consortia are also working in Asia and Australia towards quantum computing and quantum communication. And African groups are by now connected to the QI community, too. About 300 participants from 35 different countries and five continents attended QUPON2005 and QIPC2005 at the University of Vienna. 227