2014 National Quantum Information and Control Conference sponsored by the UM-SJTU Joint Institute and the National Key Laboratory of System Control and Information Processing was held at JI’s Yu Liming Student Activity Center on October 23. Nearly forty specialists from leading research institutions nationwide such as the Institute of Systems Science and Institute of Applied Mathematics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, China University of Technology, University of National Defense Science, Tsinghua University, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University attended the conference which was hosted by Prof. Zizhong Tan from Washington University in St. Louis, an international leading expert in the field.
In his opening address, Prof. Xinping Guan, Associate Dean of the SJTU Research Institute, pointed out that the field of quantum information and control has been recognized by the Chinese government as one of the four key basic scientific research plans for China’s long- and mid-term （2006-2020）scientific and technological development and the research was initiated by the NSFC and the Ministry of Science and Technology in 2006. He hoped the conference would promote research collaboration and development; thereby the experts could obtain more national supports and produce more advanced results in the international community.
The conference lasted one and a half days. The backgrounds of the attendees span a wide range of disciplines, including control, physics, chemistry, and optics, which reflects the interdisciplinary characteristics of the novel field. Many papers were presented, encompassing the current hot topics of research, such as the acousto-optic modulation of a micro-cavity system on silicon chip and the experimental control and identification of the qubit system, which resulted in lively discussions and promoted active collaboration in multiple theoretical and experimental research.
Attending experts
Prof. Zizhong Tan concluded the conference with a summary and open discussion. He looked back to the 1980s before the field of quantum information and control emerged, at which point he had already realized its potential in the scientific field. Through three decades of hard work, he and his collaborators have published the first significant papers in the field and made pioneering contributions. Inspired by Prof. Tan’s achievements, many young attendees discussed the key issues of the field and asked many questions on research methods, paving the way for future research development.
Prof. Xinwan Li, JI Party Secretary as well as Associate Dean for Research, remarked that this is the first time the Joint Institute has organized a national conference, which sets a new model and direction for JI’s research. He hopes JI’s international environment and research resource will promote further domestic and international collaboration in research. JI Prof. Jun Zhang, the key organizer of this conference, is pleased with the success of the conference in promoting interdisciplinary collaboration within China. He looks forward to more such opportunities in the future.
