Quantum Information, Computing and Control Summer School 2013

The 2013 Quantum Information, Computing and Control (QuICC) summer school took place at Imperial College between 26th and 29th August.

Organised by the students of Cohort 4. The school featured six prominent speakers lecturing on a range of cutting-edge research topics. Students learnt about the experimental realisations of microwave-based quantum gates, photon Bose-Einstein condensates, and Imperial College's own electron EDM experiment. Theoretical topics covered relativistic quantum information, topos theory, and the relationship between measurement-based quantum computing and Bell inequalities.

Although primarily intended for first-year PhD students, participants came from a wide variety of backgrounds. Despite the intensive lecture timetable, a poster session gave the chance for more than 30 students to present their own work. A number of very popular social activities were also laid on, including a treasure hunt in Hyde Park, a trip to the London Aquarium and a formal dinner. 

Claudio Polisseni, head of the summer school, emphasised how important QuICC was for the organising committee of Cohort 4, many of whom had not attended a summer school before. "Not only did we learn interesting physics from the lectures, we also learnt a lot from organising the summer school itself. Although it was a big challenge, it was immensely rewarding to see our hard work pay off when QuICC ran so smoothly. Organising QuICC was an invaluable experience and we all gained skills that will serve us well for the rest of our PhDs and beyond." Claudio also wished to highlight the importance of QuICC for forming new relationships. "Judging by the comments of participants, I think that what made QuICC so successful was the way that people engaged with each other. QuICC gave students a great opportunity to interact, and I am confident that will lead to many fruitful collaborations in the future."