TODAY: ICTP Colloquium, by Prof.Yuval Gefen:"Weak Measurement: A Peephole into the Quantum World"

[ICTP Director]

Dear All,

The ICTP Colloquium by Prof. Yuval Gefen, "Weak Measurement: A Peephole 
into the Quantum World" will take place this afternoon at 16:30 hrs, in 
the Budinich Lecture Hall, Leonardo Building, ICTP.

ABSTRACT: The measurement of observables in quantum mechanics is a 
probabilistic process, traditionally described by von Neumann’s 
projection postulate. Each eigenvalue of the observable happens to be a 
possible outcome of the measurement process with a given probability, 
and the original state of the system collapses into the corresponding 
eigenstate. Weakly measuring an observable (i.e., coupling the system 
weakly to the measuring device), perturbs the former weakly, yet, at the 
same time, provides only partial information on the state of the 
measured system. Employing composite measurement protocols, e.g., a weak 
measurement followed by a strong one, opens new horizons. Such composite 
protocols can be employed, inter alia, for efficient weak signal 
amplification; they provide a tool for quantum state discrimination, and 
may facilitate direct, yet non-destructive, observation of quantum 
virtual states. A very recent challenge is their utility in probing 
topological states of matter. I will address the principles and 
applications—present and future-- of weak measurement protocols, paying 
particular attention to the arena of solid state physics.

BIOSKETCH: Professor Yuval Gefen holds the Isabelle and Samuel Friedman 
Professorial Chair of Theoretical Physics at the Weizmann Institute. His 
research concerns the movement and interaction of electrons in systems 
on the "nano scale" (which lays the foundations for the field of 
nano-electronics). He is one of the “founding fathers” of the field of 
mesoscopic physics. One of his predictions—that currents traveling 
through extremely small pieces of metal or semiconductor material can be 
measured in single electrons—helped establish the lower limit of what 
characterizes the flow of electricity, and eventually led to the 
experimental design of a single-electron transistor. Professor Gefen is 
the recipient of many honors and fellowships, among them the Morris L. 
Levinson Award in Physics, the Alexander von Humboldt Award, and, in 
2003, the prestigious Max Planck Award for Physics.

The abstract of the talk is available at: http://indico.ictp.it/event/8130/

The Colloquium will be livestreamed at
http://video.ictp.it/livestream

The poster is attached.

Light refreshments will be served after the lecture.

You are all very warmly invited to attend.

Best regards,

Sandro Scandolo on behalf of Fernando Quevedo