Peter Zoller
Encyclopedia
Peter Zoller is a theoretical physicist from Austria
. He is Professor
at the University of Innsbruck and works on quantum optics
and quantum information
and is best known for his pioneering research on quantum computing and quantum communication and for bridging quantum optics and solid state physics.
stipend to research with Peter Lambropoulos at the University of Southern California
. In 1980, he stayed in Auckland
, New Zealand
, as a researcher with the group around Dan Walls. In 1981, Peter Zoller handed in his book “Über die lichtstatistische Abhängigkeit resonanter Multiphoton-Prozesse” at the University of Innsbruck to qualify as a professor by receiving the “venia docendi”. He spent 1981/82 and 1988 as Visiting Fellow at the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics
(JILA) of the University of Colorado
, Boulder
, and 1986 as guest professor at the Université de Paris-Sud 11
, Orsay
. In 1991, Peter Zoller was appointed Professor of Physics and JILA Fellow at JILA and at the Physics Department of the University of Colorado, Boulder. At the end of 1994, he accepted a chair at the University of Innsbruck, where he has worked ever since. From 1995 to 1999, he headed the Institute of Theoretical Physics, from 2001 to 2004, he was vice-dean of studies. Peter Zoller continues to keep in close touch with JILA as Adjoint Fellow. Numerous guest professorships have taken him to all major centres of physics throughout the world. He was Loeb lecturer in Harvard, Boston
, MA (2004), Yan Jici chair professor at the University of Science and Technology of China
, Hefei
, and chair professor at Tsinghua University
, Beijing
(2004), as well as Lorentz professor at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands
(2005). Since 2003, Peter Zoller has also held the position of Scientific Director at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information
(IQOQI) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
.
. Zoller and his researcher colleagues have also managed to link quantum physics with solid state physics. One of his suggestions has been to build a quantum simulator with cold atoms and use it to research hitherto unexplained phenomena in high temperature superconductors. Zoller’s ideas and concepts attract plenty of interest within the scientific community, his works have been cited more than 24,000 times to date (2009).
(2005) of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft
, the Humboldt Research Award (2000), the Schrödinger Prize (1998) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
, the Max Born Award
(1998) of the Optical Society of America
, as well as the Wittgenstein Award (1998), Austria’s highest scientific accolade, the Ludwig Boltzmann Prize
(1983) of the Austrian Physical Society
.
In 2001, Peter Zoller became full member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, in 2008 he was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences
and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
, in 2009 to the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences
, and in 2010 to the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. In 2012 he will receive the honorary doctorate of the University of Amsterdam.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. He is Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
at the University of Innsbruck and works on quantum optics
Quantum optics
Quantum optics is a field of research in physics, dealing with the application of quantum mechanics to phenomena involving light and its interactions with matter.- History of quantum optics :...
and quantum information
Quantum information
In quantum mechanics, quantum information is physical information that is held in the "state" of a quantum system. The most popular unit of quantum information is the qubit, a two-level quantum system...
and is best known for his pioneering research on quantum computing and quantum communication and for bridging quantum optics and solid state physics.
Biography
Peter Zoller studied physics at the University of Innsbruck, obtained his doctorate there in February 1977, and became a lecturer at their Institute of Theoretical Physics. For 1978/79, he was granted a Max KadeMax Kade
Dr. h.c. Max Kade was an emigrant from Germany to New York City who became successful in the pharmaceutical industry. Kade was committed to advancing German-American relations...
stipend to research with Peter Lambropoulos at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. In 1980, he stayed in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, as a researcher with the group around Dan Walls. In 1981, Peter Zoller handed in his book “Über die lichtstatistische Abhängigkeit resonanter Multiphoton-Prozesse” at the University of Innsbruck to qualify as a professor by receiving the “venia docendi”. He spent 1981/82 and 1988 as Visiting Fellow at the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics
Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics
JILA, formerly known as the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, is one of the leading physical science research institutes in the United States. Its faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral research associates explore some of today's most challenging and fundamental scientific questions...
(JILA) of the University of Colorado
University of Colorado at Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder is a public research university located in Boulder, Colorado...
, Boulder
Boulder
In geology, a boulder is a rock with grain size of usually no less than 256 mm diameter. While a boulder may be small enough to move or roll manually, others are extremely massive....
, and 1986 as guest professor at the Université de Paris-Sud 11
Paris-Sud 11 University
University of Paris-Sud or University of Paris-Sud or University of Paris XI is a French university distributed among several campuses in the southern suburb of Paris...
, Orsay
Orsay
Orsay is a commune in the Essonne department in Île-de-France in northern France. It is located in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France, from the center of Paris.Inhabitants of Orsay are known as Orcéens.-History:...
. In 1991, Peter Zoller was appointed Professor of Physics and JILA Fellow at JILA and at the Physics Department of the University of Colorado, Boulder. At the end of 1994, he accepted a chair at the University of Innsbruck, where he has worked ever since. From 1995 to 1999, he headed the Institute of Theoretical Physics, from 2001 to 2004, he was vice-dean of studies. Peter Zoller continues to keep in close touch with JILA as Adjoint Fellow. Numerous guest professorships have taken him to all major centres of physics throughout the world. He was Loeb lecturer in Harvard, Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, MA (2004), Yan Jici chair professor at the University of Science and Technology of China
University of Science and Technology of China
The University of Science and Technology of China is a national research university in Hefei, People's Republic of China. It is a member of the C9 League formed by nine top universities in China...
, Hefei
Hefei
Hefei is the capital and largest city of Anhui Province in Eastern China. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, and cultural centre of Anhui...
, and chair professor at Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University
Tsinghua University , colloquially known in Chinese as Qinghua, is a university in Beijing, China. The school is one of the nine universities of the C9 League. It was established in 1911 under the name "Tsinghua Xuetang" or "Tsinghua College" and was renamed the "Tsinghua School" one year later...
, Beijing
Beijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
(2004), as well as Lorentz professor at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
(2005). Since 2003, Peter Zoller has also held the position of Scientific Director at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information
Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information
The Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information is an child institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and was founded in November 2003...
(IQOQI) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Austrian Academy of Sciences
The Austrian Academy of Sciences is a legal entity under the special protection of the Federal Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every field, particularly in fundamental research...
.
Research
As a theoretician, Peter Zoller has written major works on the interaction of laser light and atoms. In addition to fundamental developments in quantum optics he has succeeded in bridging quantum information and solid state physics. The model of a quantum computer, suggested by him and Ignacio Cirac in 1995, is based on the interaction of lasers with cold ions confined in an electromagnetic trap. The principles of this idea have been implemented in experiments over recent years and it is considered one of the most promising concepts for the development of a scalable quantum computerQuantum computer
A quantum computer is a device for computation that makes direct use of quantum mechanical phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement, to perform operations on data. Quantum computers are different from traditional computers based on transistors...
. Zoller and his researcher colleagues have also managed to link quantum physics with solid state physics. One of his suggestions has been to build a quantum simulator with cold atoms and use it to research hitherto unexplained phenomena in high temperature superconductors. Zoller’s ideas and concepts attract plenty of interest within the scientific community, his works have been cited more than 24,000 times to date (2009).
Awards
Peter Zoller has received numerous awards for his achievements in the field of quantum optics and quantum information and especially for his pioneering work on quantum computers and quantum communication. These include the "Hamburger Preis für theoretische Physik" (2011), The Franklin Institute's 2010 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Physics (with Ignacio Cirac and David Wineland), the 2008 BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award, in the Basic Sciences category (ex aequo with Ignacio Cirac), the Dirac Medal (2006), the 6th International Quantum Communication Award (2006), the Niels Bohr/UNESCO Gold Medal (2005), the Max Planck MedalMax Planck medal
The Max Planck medal is an award for extraordinary achievements in theoretical physics. It is awarded annually by the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft , the world's largest organization of physicists.-List of recipients:...
(2005) of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft
Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft
The Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft is the world's largest organization of physicists. The DPG's worldwide membership is cited as 60,000, as of 2011...
, the Humboldt Research Award (2000), the Schrödinger Prize (1998) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Austrian Academy of Sciences
The Austrian Academy of Sciences is a legal entity under the special protection of the Federal Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every field, particularly in fundamental research...
, the Max Born Award
Max Born Award
The Max Born Award is given by the Optical Society for "outstanding contributions to physical optics", and is named after Max Born.-Recipients:* 2011 Carlton M. Caves* 2010 Vladimir M. Shalaev* 2009 Mordechai Segev...
(1998) of the Optical Society of America
Optical Society of America
The Optical Society is a scientific society dedicated to advancing the study of light—optics and photonics—in theory and application, by means of publishing, organizing conferences and exhibitions, partnership with industry, and education. The organization has members in more than 100 countries...
, as well as the Wittgenstein Award (1998), Austria’s highest scientific accolade, the Ludwig Boltzmann Prize
Ludwig Boltzmann Prize
The Ludwig Boltzmann Prize is awarded by the Austrian Physical Society and honors outstanding achievements in theoretical physics. It is named after the famous austrian physicist Ludwig Boltzmann....
(1983) of the Austrian Physical Society
Austrian Physical Society
-History:Until 1938 Austrian physicists were part of the German Physical Society. On December 13, 1950, it was decided to found a separate society for Austria and Fritz Kohlrausch was elected as first president in 1951.-Prizes:...
.
In 2001, Peter Zoller became full member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, in 2008 he was elected to the United States National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
and the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences is an organisation dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands...
, in 2009 to the Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences
Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences
The Spanish Royal Academy of Sciences was founded in 1847.-History:...
, and in 2010 to the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. In 2012 he will receive the honorary doctorate of the University of Amsterdam.