The Nobel Prize and quantum information
Everyone is happy with the attribution of the 2012 Nobel Prize for physics, and so definitely am I. However, I cannot fully agree with those of my colleagues who are hailing this attribution as “a Nobel Prize for quantum information”. Serge Haroche and Dave Wineland started working on those experiments well before the idea of the quantum computer. Did they join the quantum information community, or is it the community that joined them? There is no sharp answer of course, because the cross-fertilization of ideas goes both ways; but I think that Serge and Dave would be more or less where they are without quantum information.
By their choice, the Nobel committee endorses great developments in atomic physics and quantum optics. The endorsement of quantum information proper is still pending.
Posted on October 10, 2012, in Latest topics. Bookmark the permalink. 1 Comment.
Yes, I agree. They are members of the quantum computing community, but the prize is not for QIP.