The XXVIth International Conference on Photonic, Electronic and Atomic Collisions was held on the campus of Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo during 22–28 July 2009. Kalamazoo, the home of a major state university amid pleasant surroundings, was a delightful place for the conference. The 473 scientific participants, 111 of whom were students, had many fruitful discussions and exchanges that contributed to the success of the conference. Participants from 43 countries made the conference truly international in scope. The 590 abstracts that were presented on the first four days formed the heart of the conference and provided ample opportunity for discussion. This change, allowing the conference to end with invited talks, was a departure from the format used at previous ICPEAC gatherings in which the conferences ended with a poster session. The abstracts were split almost equally between the three main conference areas, i.e., photonic, electronic, and atomic collisions, and the posters were distributed across the days of the conference so that approximately equal numbers of abstracts in the different areas were scheduled for each day. Of the total number of presented abstracts, 517 of these are included in this proceedings volume, the first time that abstracts have been published by ICPEAC. There were 5 plenary lectures covering the different areas of the conference: Paul Corkum (University of Ottawa) talked on attosecond physics with atoms and molecules, Serge Haroche (Collège de France) on non-destructive photon counting, Toshiyuki Azuma (Tokyo Metropolitan University) on resonant coherent excitation of highly-charged ions in crystals, Eva Lindroth (Stockholm University) on atomic structure effects, and Alfred Müller (Justus Liebig University) on resonance phenomena in electron- and photon-ion collisions. Two speakers gave very illuminating public lectures that drew many people from the local area, as well as conference participants: Patricia Dehmer (US DOE) gave a talk on 'Facing Our Energy Challenges in a New Era of Science' and William Phillips (Nobel laureate, NIST) presented a talk on 'Time, Einstein, and the Coolest Stuff in the Universe'. These public talks, held on Thursday and Friday evenings, respectively, were very accessible to a general audience. In addition, there were 61 progress reports on ongoing current research, and 26 special reports selected from the submitted abstracts based on their relevance and importance. These talks covered the full range of the conference topics. Notably, this was the 50th anniversary of ICPEAC and a formal session was held the first day to honor the event as well as those who were instrumental in initiating the conference. Thirteen scientists, representing both those from the early days of ICPEAC as well as chairs of previous ICPEACs, were present and called to the stage, including Benjamin Bederson, Lewis Branscomb, Robert Crompton, Alexander Dalgarno, Gordon Dunn, Werner Eissner, Brian Gilbody, Edward Gerjuoy, Hartmut Hotop, Eugen Merzbacher, Eugene Rudd, Felix Smith, and Aaron Temkin. Steven Manson was the chair of the session and he introduced those present from the early days. Joachim Burgdörfer presented an overview of the history of ICPEAC. This session was followed by a special anniversary reception to honor all of the early 'ICPEACers'. Generous support for the conference was provided by IUPAP, the WMU President's office, and the National Science Foundation. The funds were sizeable, timely, and greatly appreciated, and permitted us to support a significant number of young scientists (postdocs and students) and persons from developing/disadvantaged countries. Nevertheless, the number of requests was far greater than the total support available (by about a factor of five!), and we had to turn down many financial requests. We encourage the organizers of the next ICPEAC to seek a higher level of funding for supporting young scientists and scientists from developing/disadvantaged countries. All in all, the XXVIth ICPEAC in Kalamazoo was very successful. The plenary lectures and the progress and special reports bridged the gap between the different fields of collision physics, making it possible for non-experts in a given area to gain insight into new areas. Also, included among the speakers were several young scientists, namely, postdocs and students, who brought new perspectives to their fields. The next ICPEAC will take place in Belfast in 2011, and the ones after that will be in Lanzhou in 2013 and Madrid in 2015. Given the rapidity with which science is advancing in all of the areas covered by ICPEAC, we expect that these future ICPEAC conferences will be as stimulating as this most recent one was, as indicated by the contributions presented in this proceedings volume. Ann Orel, University of California-Davis Anthony F Starace, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Dragan Nikolić, Western Michigan University Nora Berrah, Western Michigan University Thomas W Gorczyca, Western Michigan University Emanuel Y Kamber, Western Michigan University John A Tanis, Western Michigan University The PDF file contains details of the Sponsors and Exhibitors, Committees and Previous Proceedings.
The XXVIth International Conference on Photonic, Electronic and Atomic Collisions was held on the campus of Western Michigan University (WMU) in Kalamazoo during 22–28 July 2009. Kalamazoo, the home of a major state university amid pleasant surroundings, was a delightful place for the conference. The 473 scientific participants, 111 of whom were students, had many fruitful discussions and exchanges that contributed to the success of the conference. Participants from 43 countries made the conference truly international in scope. The 590 abstracts that were presented on the first four days formed the heart of the conference and provided ample opportunity for discussion. This change, allowing the conference to end with invited talks, was a departure from the format used at previous ICPEAC gatherings in which the conferences ended with a poster session. The abstracts were split almost equally between the three main conference areas, i.e., photonic, electronic, and atomic collisions, and the posters were distributed across the days of the conference so that approximately equal numbers of abstracts in the different areas were scheduled for each day. Of the total number of presented abstracts, 517 of these are included in this proceedings volume, the first time that abstracts have been published by ICPEAC. There were 5 plenary lectures covering the different areas of the conference: Paul Corkum (University of Ottawa) talked on attosecond physics with atoms and molecules, Serge Haroche (Collège de France) on non-destructive photon counting, Toshiyuki Azuma (Tokyo Metropolitan University) on resonant coherent excitation of highly-charged ions in crystals, Eva Lindroth (Stockholm University) on atomic structure effects, and Alfred Müller (Justus Liebig University) on resonance phenomena in electron- and photon-ion collisions. Two speakers gave very illuminating public lectures that drew many people from the local area, as well as conference participants: Patricia Dehmer (US DOE) gave a talk on 'Facing Our Energy Challenges in a New Era of Science' and William Phillips (Nobel laureate, NIST) presented a talk on 'Time, Einstein, and the Coolest Stuff in the Universe'. These public talks, held on Thursday and Friday evenings, respectively, were very accessible to a general audience. In addition, there were 61 progress reports on ongoing current research, and 26 special reports selected from the submitted abstracts based on their relevance and importance. These talks covered the full range of the conference topics. Notably, this was the 50th anniversary of ICPEAC and a formal session was held the first day to honor the event as well as those who were instrumental in initiating the conference. Thirteen scientists, representing both those from the early days of ICPEAC as well as chairs of previous ICPEACs, were present and called to the stage, including Benjamin Bederson, Lewis Branscomb, Robert Crompton, Alexander Dalgarno, Gordon Dunn, Werner Eissner, Brian Gilbody, Edward Gerjuoy, Hartmut Hotop, Eugen Merzbacher, Eugene Rudd, Felix Smith, and Aaron Temkin. Steven Manson was the chair of the session and he introduced those present from the early days. Joachim Burgdörfer presented an overview of the history of ICPEAC. This session was followed by a special anniversary reception to honor all of the early 'ICPEACers'. Generous support for the conference was provided by IUPAP, the WMU President's office, and the National Science Foundation. The funds were sizeable, timely, and greatly appreciated, and permitted us to support a significant number of young scientists (postdocs and students) and persons from developing/disadvantaged countries. Nevertheless, the number of requests was far greater than the total support available (by about a factor of five!), and we had to turn down many financial requests. We encourage the organizers of the next ICPEAC to seek a higher level of funding for supporting young scientists and scientists from developing/disadvantaged countries. All in all, the XXVIth ICPEAC in Kalamazoo was very successful. The plenary lectures and the progress and special reports bridged the gap between the different fields of collision physics, making it possible for non-experts in a given area to gain insight into new areas. Also, included among the speakers were several young scientists, namely, postdocs and students, who brought new perspectives to their fields. The next ICPEAC will take place in Belfast in 2011, and the ones after that will be in Lanzhou in 2013 and Madrid in 2015. Given the rapidity with which science is advancing in all of the areas covered by ICPEAC, we expect that these future ICPEAC conferences will be as stimulating as this most recent one was, as indicated by the contributions presented in this proceedings volume. Ann Orel, University of California-Davis Anthony F Starace, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Dragan Nikolić, Western Michigan University Nora Berrah, Western Michigan University Thomas W Gorczyca, Western Michigan University Emanuel Y Kamber, Western Michigan University John A Tanis, Western Michigan University The PDF file contains details of the Sponsors and Exhibitors, Committees and Previous Proceedings.
This year in October the Humboldt Foundation invited its award winners, fellows, alumni, top league scientists and young researchers to discuss problems and successes in quantum optics. It was the third Humboldt Award Winners‘ Forum held in Bonn from 9–12 October. The first one “Frontiers in Macromolecular and Material Science” was held in 2011, followed by “The New Desire for Metaphysics” the year after. This year, about 180 participants from all over the world attended the forum “Frontiers in Quantum Optics: Taming the World of Atoms and Photons – 100 Years after Niels Bohr” which took place at the Hotel Bristol and, partly, at the University of Bonn, Germany. Jürgen Fohrmann, rector of the university in Bonn, opened the conference with his welcome address, followed by Jürgen Nimptsch, the Lord Mayor of the City of Bonn, and Helmut Schwarz, President of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. The first keynote lecture was given by Serge Haroche (Collège de France, Paris) titled “Controlling photons in a box to explore the quantum world”. His talk outlined his Nobel Prize winning work and new developments (see Fig. 1).1 The next day (Thursday, 10), further welcome and introduction speeches were given by Enno Aufderheide, Secretary General of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, Wolfgang Sandner, Vice-President of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft, and Dieter Meschede from the University Bonn who organized the meeting. The forum was organized in four panels. The first one “Exploring the Quantum World with Atoms and Photons” was introduced and chaired by Jean-Michel Raimond. Howard J. Carmichael held a keynote lecture about 100 years of quantum jumps, outlining the history from Bohr and Einstein's A and B coefficients to the works by Haroche's group and beyond. Vahid Sandoghdar talked about the efficient coupling of single photons and single quantum emitters in a cavity-free way, Nir Davidson continued the session by talking about long coherence times in dense ultracold atomic ensembles, and Atac Imamoglu finished the session by outlining recent developments in solid-state quantum optics. The panel “Cold Atoms and Many Body Physics” was chaired by Wolfgang Ketterle who also introduced the topic in a brief presentation. Ketterle showed how physics is interconnected and that the study of cold atoms can indeed help solving problems in many-body (solid-state) physics. There is a quest for new materials, like high-temperature superconductors, new carbon-based materials (e.g. nanotubes or graphene) or materials revealing colossal magnetoresistance, to name just a few. There will be more materials needed in the future. To newly discover or to further understand these materials “we like to use paradigmatic models”, he said, “some sort of atomic ‘legos’ that help us understand complex systems”. We are now in a process of quantum “engineering” that will most likely guide future progress in the field. The following lectures further outlined this vision. Georgii V. Shlyapnikov talked about many-body physics of quantum gases in disorder. Of special interest was his discussion about work based on D.M. Basko, I.L. Aleiner, B.L. Altshuler (the AAH model) in which fluid–insulator transitions of disordered quantum gases were discussed. In these systems a surprising effect can occur. Shlyapnikov said: “Imagine you boil a pot of water and then discover that you got ice cubes as a result”, i.e. phase transitions can occur that are unique and do not appear in other systems or materials. Massimo Inguscio continued the session with a discussion about ultracold fermions and novel one-dimensional matter, and Michael Köhl talked about photonic coupling of atoms and solid-state quantum systems, asking the question “Can we make different quantum systems communicate with each other?” – a theme that will keep many scientists busy over the next few years or decades. Finally, Tilman Pfau showed the potential of using electrons of Rydberg atoms to probe Bose–Einstein condensates (BEC). As he showed, the electrons of Rydberg atoms with very high principal quantum numbers (e.g. around n = 100 to 200) can enclose up to several thousand atoms of a Bose–Einstein condensate – a remarkable achievement which allows the investigation of electron–phonon scattering in the BEC. After a full day of science William A. Kinderman gave a lecture on Ludwig van Beethoven's 1823 composed Diabelli variations and completed his presentation with a first-class performance of the piano sonata in C minor, Opus 111, at the Beethovenhaus in Bonn. The next day (Friday, 11) started with the panel “Quantum Information Science”, which was introduced and chaired by Michael Fleischhauer. Arno Rauschenbeutel talked about the possibilities to trap and investigate ions using an optical nanofiber, a technique that has potential as a quantum memory and processing device for quantum computing. Jian-Wei Pan discussed recent experimental progress in quantum manipulation with photons and cold atoms, specifically in quantum information processing (QIP). He showed that linear system equations of the form ; can be solved faster using QIP (with O(log(N)) steps) than in a classical way (with O(N) steps), but that the scalability of QIP is still a challenge as it requires quantum repeaters and quantum memories. He also showed the latest achievements in long-range free-space quantum communication of around 100 km in China and other places and noted that the next step would be to cover a 1200-km distance via satellite. The ultimate aim is to enable and set up large-scale, long-range quantum communication networks. Andrea Alberti discussed transport phenomena in quantum systems. Using quantum walks with neutral atoms as an example he showed that classical and quantum systems differ strongly in their behavior. The last session contribution was by David DiVincenzo talking about prospects for superconducting qubits including some outlook for “Moore's law” of coherence times, and surface code error correction using resonators or cavities. Elisabeth Giacobino then introduced the panel “Precision Measurements and Hot Topics”, with keynote lecturer Jun Ye talking about probing exotic quantum matter (e.g. many-body quantum spin dynamics in which quantum fluctuations become correlated) with clock precision. Edward A. Hinds discussed how cold atoms can be used to test fundamental physics, and Gerald Gabrielse continued in this direction with his talk about measured and calculated properties of elementary particles. For example: Is there an electron electric dipole moment? According to the current standard model it is nearly nonexistent (around ). Gabrielse and his coworkers want to challenge this by going beyond the current experimental limit of by one or more orders of magnitude. A positive result would have tremendous effect on the standard model and could help to decide on recent predictions by supersymmetric and technicolor models. Quantum optomechanics on various scales, from nano- to macromechanics was discussed by Markus Aspelmeyer. He also showed that this research field has potential to make contributions at the absolute limit of the physical realm, testing fundamental physical aspects where quantum and space–time (i.e. gravity) aspects become relevant. In the evening, Hans Bachor (Australian National University, Wamboin) gave the dinner speech, or what he called “the after soup” speech as he was placed between the starter and the main course. Among other things, Bachor recalled how science was done in the early times of quantum mechanics and pointed to the central role of personal relationships and friendships among scientists. Bohr was put forward as a memorable example who brought forward many of the central ideas of quantum mechanics by walking and discussing matters with his colleagues, like Heisenberg and Einstein. It is this deep, sometimes controversial, but continuous thinking that enables us to solve sheer insurmountable problems jointly as an interactive science community. The Alexander von Humboldt (AvH) foundation sets great value on promoting excellent scientists, but it does not stop with a one-time support. It goes beyond the usual sponsorship by continued fostering of its award winners, fellows and alumni. It is the networking aspect that makes the foundation a key player in Germany's scientific landscape and unique among international science founders. Steffan Mehlich (AvH representative) emphasized that the family aspect of the Alexander von Humboldt foundation is key to its success and helps strengthen the links within the network. Consequently, the forum did not end with the scientific talks but continued with a cultural program. Here, the participants could visit the castle “Burg Satzvey”, the Radio Telescope Effelsberg at Bad Münstereifel-Effelsberg (Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy), and the winery “Kloster Marienthal” (Bad Neuenahr), thus getting into closer contact with each other. Helmut Schwarz formulated it at the beginning of the meeting: “Science is made by individuals, not by projects”. In the end it needs both – individuals and projects – but the meeting showed that without a strong focus on the researcher as a person there will be no progress. This meeting was in the right spirit to bring together outstanding individuals and to make them think and work together.
PREFACE The papers selected for this volume were reported at the International Symposium 'Optics and its applications' (OPTICS-2011, Yerevan & Ashtarak, Armenia, September 5–9, 2011), http://www.ipr.sci.am/optics2011/ . The Symposium was organized by the SPIE Armenian Student Chapter and major Armenian R&D organizations, universities and industrial companies working in the field of basic and applied optics: Institute for Physical Research of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, Yerevan State University, Russian–Armenian (Slavonic) University, and LT-PYRKAL Closed Joint Stock Company. OPTICS-2011 was primarily intended to support and promote the involvement of students and young scientists in various fields of modern optics, giving them the possibility to attend invited talks by prominent scientists and to present and discuss their own results. Furthermore, the Symposium allowed foreign participants from 14 countries to become acquainted with the achievements of optical science and technology in Armenia, which became a full member of the International Commission for Optics (ICO) in 2011. To follow this concept, the Symposium sessions were held in various host institutions. The creative and friendly ambience established at OPTICS-2011 promoted further international collaboration in the field and motivated many students to take up research in optics and photonics as a career. This volume of Journal of Physics: Conference Series covers thematic sections of the Symposium (both oral and poster), which represent the main fields of interest in optics for Armenian scientists: quantum optics & information, laser spectroscopy, optical properties of nanostructures, photonics & fiber optics, and optics of liquid crystals. Such wide coverage is consistent with the general scope of the Symposium, allowing all the students involved in optics to present, discuss and publish their recent results, and for those who are making their first steps in science to choose the direction of their further studies. We are confident that the publication of the Symposium proceedings in JPCS , a worldwide-known open access journal, will help to disseminate and promote current activities in optics, thus facilitating international cooperation and the integration of Armenian scientists into the worldwide optical community. We would like to thank the sponsors of the Symposium: National Foundation of Science and Advanced Technologies (NFSAT), The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP), LT-PYRKAL, State Committee of Science of Armenia, Russian–Armenian (Slavonic) University, and Devout Generation Foundation. We also express our gratitude to the members of the Program Committee for their organization of the manuscript reviewing. Special thanks go to Narine Gevorgyan, Lilit Mantashyan and Paytsar Mantashyan for their invaluable assistance in the compilation of this issue. The Editors, Aranya B Bhattacherjee , University of Delhi, India Maria L Calvo , Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain Eduard M Kazaryan , Russian–Armenian (Slavonic) University, Armenia Aram V Papoyan , Institute for Physical Research of NAS, Armenia Hayk A Sarkisyan , Russian–Armenian (Slavonic) University, Armenia Participants of OPTICS-2011 in front of Yerevan State University Participants of OPTICS-2011 in Khor Virap The PDF also contains additional photographs from the Symposium.
We are glad to welcome you at the 21st Central European Workshop on Quantum Optics. Started in 1993 in Bratislava within a European project aimed at collaborating with Central-European countries, the Central European Workshops on Quantum Optics have evolved into a central annual gathering of European researchers working in this fast growing field as well as its applications to quantum information sciences and the foundations of quantum mechanics. For two decades, the workshops traveled all over the continent, reaching its geographical edges. This year, the 21st edition comes to the of Europe.We thank all the participants for the abstract submissions. The peer-review has shown a high level of contributions accepted for oral and poster presentations. As usual, we see a substantial participation of students and young postdocs from around the world and we are happy that our field attracts new generations of researchers. CEWQO 2014 in Brussels would have been impossible without the steering of Prof. Antonino Messina and Prof. Margarita Man'ko,who kindly proposed to locate the 21st edition here and provided a priceless help at all stages of its preparation. We would like to acknowledge also the previous organizers of CEWQO workshops for sharing their experience, in particular Prof. Gunnar Bjork and Prof. Aurelian Isar. A valuable help in the selection of invited speakers and in reviewing the contributions was given by the members of the International Advisory Board.We have received financial support from the Brussels Capital Region via its agency VISITBRUSSELS, the two National Research Funds, F.R.S.-FNRS and FWO, the Interuniversity Attraction Poles program of the Belgian Science Policy Office (BELSPO) via project Photonics@be,and the European program CHIST-ERA via projects HIPERCOM and QSCALE.Among our sponsors are the European Physical Society (via the journal EuroPhysics Letters) which supported student grants, the American Institute of Publishing (via Physica Scripta) which offered the Best Poster Award for young scientists, and Springer Publishing (via The European Physical Journal) which contributed to the organization of a plenary session, along with the company IDQ.We would like to thank all members of the local organizing committee and our colleagues, who invested their time for making this conference happen.
These proceedings comprise the plenary lectures and poster contributions of the 'Heinz von Foerster Conference 2011' on Emergent Quantum Mechanics (EmerQuM11), which was held at the University of Vienna, 11?13 November 2011. With the 5th International Heinz von Foerster Conference convened at the occasion of von Foerster's 100th birthday, the organizers opted for a twin conference to take place at the Large and Small Ceremonial Halls of the University's main building, respectively. The overall topic was chosen as 'Self-Organization and Emergence', a topic to which von Foerster was an early contributor. While the first conference ('Self-Organization and Emergence in Nature and Society') addressed a more general audience, the second one ('Emergent Quantum Mechanics') was intended as a specialist meeting with a contemporary topic that could both serve as an illustration of von Foerster's intellectual heritage and, more generally, point towards future directions in physics. We thus intended to bring together many of those physicists who are interested in or are working on attempts to understand quantum mechanics as emerging from a suitable classical (or, more generally, deeper level) physics. EmerQuM11 was organized by the Austrian Institute for Nonlinear Studies (AINS), with essential support from the Wiener Institute for Social Science Documentation and Methodology (WISDOM), the Department of Contemporary History at the University of Vienna, and the Heinz von Foerster-Gesellschaft. There were a number of individuals who contributed to the smooth course of our meeting and whom I would like to sincerely thank: Christian Bischof, Thomas Elze, Marianne Ertl, Gertrud Hafner, Werner Korn, Angelika Krawanja, Florian Krug and his team, Sonja Lang, Albert M?ller, Ilse M?ller, Irene M?ller, Karl M?ller, Armin Reautschnig, Marion Schirrmacher, Anton Staudinger, Roman Zlabinger, and, last but not least, my AINS colleagues Siegfried Fussy, Herbert Schwabl and Johannes Mesa Pascasio, the latter in particular for his invaluable technical help with these proceedings. Funds made available by the Federal Ministry of Science and Research (BMWF), the City of Vienna MA7 Science Funding, the Faculty of Historical and Cultural Studies, Blaha Office Furniture, and Padma AG Zurich are gratefully acknowledged. As for the nature of the search for a 'deeper level' foundation of quantum mechanics, a first difficulty already arises with respect to the question: Where do we start? One may look for quite different points of departure, such as an encompassing theory of quantum gravity. Or one may find arguments for the necessity to base one's approach at least on a relativistic formulation of the problem. Or one may discard searching for general principles for the time being, and develop an explicit physical model first. And so on. In fact, this is actually what is happening today in different research programs for emergent quantum mechanics, a fact which is also reflected in the rich variety of approaches presented at our meeting. This may be considered a very welcome situation, reminding us of Heinz von Foerster's dictum: 'Act always so as to increase the number of choices.' However, some may view this variety also as a drawback: There is not (yet?) a single, definite alternative theory that would challenge orthodox positions, for example, by providing different experimental predictions. However, the prevailing orthodoxy has shown throughout the 20th century to the present day, that a too restrictive attitude towards theoretical alternatives can lead to almost a standstill in coping with the serious shortcomings and contradictions of present-day physics. Many of us remember famous quantum physicists repeating in an almost mantra-like fashion that quantum theory, or experimental evidence, 'excludes hidden variables as a possibility', along with a reference to some or other newly found 'impossibility proof'. Yet we also recall John Bell's famous counter-statement: 'What is proved by impossibility proofs is lack of imagination.' In this sense, therefore, our task is to make use of the variety of the different approaches offered, for it is in scrutinizing each of them that a chance for further progress and understanding may emerge. The papers collected in these proceedings essentially follow the order of the plenary talks during the conference program, with the addition of the poster presentations. Prior to the contributions to EmerQuM11, the very first paper of these proceedings presents the opening lecture by Yves Couder who addressed both twin conferences with his talk on wave-particle duality in a classical system. (Although he was not able to participate personally, the contribution of Robert Carroll, a member of the academic advisory board, is included here. Regrettably, the lectures by John Bush, Marek Czachor, Mark Everitt, Felix Finster, and Lee Smolin could not be included, partly for copyright reasons.) Finally, I would like to thank Sarah Toms and Graham Douglas and their team at IOP Publishing (Bristol) for their friendly advice and help during the preparation of these proceedings. Vienna, April 2012 Gerhard Gr?ssing