QUICC Summer School 2017

Is there anything better than a summer retreat to the lovely city of Bath?

Yes, a retreat that allows one to learn about quantum information, computing and control. This was possible thanks to the QuICC Summer School organised by Cohort 8 of the Imperial CQD CDT in August 2017. Almost 60 physicists from across the UK participated in a range of lectures and activities throughout a week, also taking  advantage of the sightseeing opportunities that the historic City of Bath offers.

The QuICC Summer School was hosted at the University of Bath (UoB) and featured a series of fascinating talks. The first lecture set came from Dr. Peter Moseley, who is a member of the Physics Department at the UoB. His experimental talks introduced everyone to photon pair generation in nonlinear materials. Another speaker with an experimental background was Prof. Johnathan Finley, who came all the way from the University of Munich to speak about scalable semiconductor nano-electronic and nano-photonic systems. An engaging set of lectures about light that carries orbital angular momentum and its applications was delivered by Dr. Sonja Franke-Arnold from the University of Glasgow. A more theoretical set of lectures was delivered by Prof. Gerardo Adesso. In the course of three hours he introduced the students to the general framework of quantum resource theories. The final speaker, Prof. Sougato Bose from University College London, took everyone through the interesting field of many-body systems for quantum information and solid-state quantum simulators. As can be seen the variety of topics catered to both the experimental and theoretical interests of participants. Since the academic background of participants ranged from final year undergraduates to first and second year PhD students, all of the lecturers covered the basics of their field and then built up the complexity to  and also give deliver valuable insights into more in-depth aspects of their research.

Participants of the 2017 QuICC Summer School were offered not only a variety of lectures given by renowned academics, but also an opportunity to relax, explore the amazing city of Bath, and network with people from different backgrounds. All the meals and evening entertainment gave participants the opportunity to forge new friendships and discuss scientific topics with like-minded people. A highlight of the organised entertainment was a visit to Roman Baths that gave everyone an insight into the daily lives of the ancient Romans.

Unequivocally, the 2017 QuICC Summer School was a success, giving its participants the opportunity to meet interesting new people, learn about the variety of subjects in quantum information and quantum control and visit the beautiful City of Bath. The efforts of the organising team and help from CQD CDT administrators, resulted in an interesting and unforgettable event.

If this sounds like something that you’d like to attend, look out for next year’s QuICC summer school, which will be organised by CQD CDT Cohort 9!