The quantum butterfly non-effect
Illustration from SciAm.
The butterfly effect is well accepted in our everyday world, where classical physics describes systems above the atomic scale. But in the submicroscopic world where quantum mechanics reigns, different—and very strange—rules apply. Does the butterfly effect still hold true? If not, what happens instead?
As we describe in a peer-reviewed article in Physical Review Letters, we explored this facet of quantum mechanics when we were developing a novel method to protect quantum information. Exploiting the property of quantum entanglement induced by a complex evolution, we wanted to put qubits (quantum bits) into a state where they would be immune to damage.
The authors: Nikolai Sinitsyn is a theoretical physicist in the Theoretical Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Bin Yan is a postdoc in the Center for Nonlinear Studies at the Laboratory. (Full story)
Up to 15 inches of sea-level rise from ice sheets by 2100
Antarctic melt model, LANL image.
Los Alamos National Laboratory, working with three dozen other institutions from around the world, has helped to create the most accurate prediction of how melting ice in Antarctica and Greenland will contribute to global sea-level rise.
The six-year effort, called the Ice Sheet Model Intercomparison
Project (ISMIP6), found that by the year 2100, sea levels could rise by as much
as 15 inches, from melting of the ice sheets alone. This is in addition to 5 to
26 inches of sea-level rise expected to come from ocean thermal expansion, the
melting of mountain glaciers around the world, and changes in storage of water
on land. (Full story)
Also from the Los Alamos Reporter
This
interview is with Gary Grider, leader of the High Performance Computing (HPC)
Division at Los Alamos National Laboratory. As Division Leader, Gary is
responsible for all aspects of high performance computing technologies and
deployment at Los Alamos. Additionally, Gary is responsible for managing the
R&D portfolio keeping the new technology pipeline full to provide solutions
to problems in the lab’s HPC environment, through funding of university and
industry partners. Gary also helps manage the U.S. government investments in
data management, mass storage, and IO. Gary has 26 granted patents, with 17
pending in the data storage area and has been working in HPC and HPC-related
storage since 1984. (Full story)
Phil Tubesing awarded Los Alamos National Laboratory’s 2020 Global Security Medal
Philip K. “Phil” Tubesing is the 2020 awardee of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s prestigious Global Security Medal, which recognizes the exceptional achievements of active or recently retired employees who have made significant contributions to the Laboratory’s global security mission.
“Phil’s leadership and technical expertise in weapons and
nuclear nonproliferation have had a tremendous impact on the Laboratory’s
global security work,” said Thom Mason, Laboratory director. “He is not only a
technical expert on actinide processes, but he has consistently demonstrated a
unique ability to apply his expertise to a variety of global security programs
at the national and international levels." (Full story)
Also from the Reporter this week:
Rod Borup named 2020 Electrochemical Society Fellow
Rod Borup, of Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Materials Synthesis and Integrated Devices group, has been named a 2020 Electrochemical Society (ECS) Fellow. The distinction recognizes advanced individual technological contributions in electrochemical and solid-state science and technology and service to the society.
“Rod is one of the Laboratory’s distinguished leaders in
chemistry and materials as applied to energy applications. His recognition as
an Electrochemical Society Fellow is a significant honor that he deeply
deserves,” said Toni Taylor, associate laboratory director for Physical
Sciences. (Full story)
Nathan Moody to share in 2021 IEEE particle accelerator award
Nathan Moody of Los Alamos National Laboratory is a co-winner of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society (NPSS) 2021 Particle Accelerator Science and Technology (PAST) Award.
“We’re very excited about Nathan Moody’s recognition with the
2021 PAST Award, which is testament to his leadership, and Nathan’s and his
colleagues’ technical achievements,” said John Sarrao, deputy director for
Science, Technology, and Engineering at Los Alamos. “We also look forward to
watching his future accomplishments on behalf of the Laboratory and the
accelerator community." (Full story)
