June 2023 - news - Mailing lists@ IFISC

IFISC News - IFISC hosts the Complexity72h workshop
by ifisc＠ifisc.uib-csic.es 26 Jun '23

26 Jun '23

IFISC hosts the Complexity72h workshop IFISC (Institute of Cross-disciplinary Physics and Complex Systems, UIB-CSIC) will host the fourth edition of the Complexity72h workshop, which will take place at Palma de Mallorca, Spain, on June 26-30 2023. Complexity72h is an interdisciplinary workshop for young researchers in complex systems. Participants form teams and carry out projects in a three days' time, i.e. 72 hours. The goal of each team is to upload on the arXiv (or similar repositories) a report of their work by the end of the event. The editions of 2018 and 2019 were a success: 11 out of 11 projects have become arXiv preprints and new collaborations have been born. The 2020 edition was canceled due to the pandemic. But we are now back for a 2023 edition, which will take place in Palma (Mallorca, Spain) on June 26-30. Speakers at the workshop will include Márton Karsai (CEU, Austria), Jesús Gómez-Gardeñes (University of Zaragoza, Spain) and James Watson (Oregon State University, USA). The 60 participants will be supervised by researchers Alberto Aleta (University of Zaragoza, Spain), Elsa Arcaute (UCL, UK), Juan Fernández-Gracia (IFISC, Spain), Alessandro Galeazzi (Ca' Foscari University of Venice, Italy), The Anh Han (Teesside University, UK), Giulia Pullano (Georgetown University, USA) and Enrico Ser-Giacomi (IFISC, Spain).The organizing committee includes: Alberto Antonioni (University Carlos III de Madrid, Spain), Sofia Texeira (University of Lisbon, Portugal), Maddalena Torricelli (City University of London, UK), Eugenio Valdano (INSERM, France), Pere Colet (IFISC, Spain) and José Javier Ramasco (IFISC, Spain). The fourth edition of the Complexity72hworkshop is supported by IFISC (UIB-CSIC), Comsotec and the Complex Systems Society (CSS). http://ifisc.uib-csic.es/en/news/ifisc-hosts-complexity72h-workshop/

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IFISC News - The language puzzle: how Physics helps unlock linguistic mysteries
by ifisc＠ifisc.uib-csic.es 22 Jun '23

22 Jun '23

The language puzzle: how Physics helps unlock linguistic mysteries The field of language dynamics, which applies physics to linguistics, is a relatively new interdisciplinary area of research. Physicists have successfully used their methods to study various aspects of language. By analyzing linguistic data and using mathematical models, physicists have contributed to explain how certain words spread across a country and how languages evolve and split into dialects. Language dynamics also involves studying language shift and the coexistence of multiple languages within a population. Specifically, physicists have used statistical physics and computational tools to analyze large datasets, such as written texts and tweets, to uncover regularities and patterns in language use, revealing insights into language complexity, social interactions, and cultural variations. IFISC (UIB-CSIC) researcher Dr. David Sánchez, together with Dr. Marco Patriarca (NICPB) and Dr. Els Heinsalu (NICPB), both IFISC alumni, discuss in a popular science article in Physics World the latest advancements of the field. From how swear words spread out in Japan, to how different languages are mixed in regions such as Catalonia or Belgium, the article covers for a nonspecialist audience the transversal research between physics and linguistics with the aim of elucidating the intricate social phenomena of linguistics and language itself. The article "The physics of languages" is freely available in Physics World.Photo: iStockPatriarca M., Heinsalu E. and Sánchez D. The physics of languages. Physics World (2023). https://physicsworld.com/a/the-physics-of-languages/ http://ifisc.uib-csic.es/en/news/language-puzzle-how-physics-helps-unlock-l…

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IFISC News - Unveiling the role of Coulomb interactions in high-energy electron collisions
by ifisc＠ifisc.uib-csic.es 15 Jun '23

15 Jun '23

Unveiling the role of Coulomb interactions in high-energy electron collisions A group of three research teams, in which IFISC (UIB-CSIC) researcher Sungguen Ryu participated, have conducted groundbreaking experiments demonstrating that high-energy electrons repel each other upon collision in a beam splitter due to strong Coulomb interactions. These results clearly show the importance of Coulomb interaction when manipulating few electron excitations, in contrast to the photons. The experiments, published in Nature nanotechnology, fall within the field of electronic quantum optics and focus on high-frequency quantum transport. By utilizing fast voltage pulses in the gigahertz range, researchers can emit single electrons in nanoscale electrical circuits and manipulate them using electronic components similar to optical elements. Such electron excitations enable an electronic analog of the Hong-Ou-Mandel experiment. In the original version of photons (see Fig. a), the photons tend to bunch together due to the bosonic nature. In the electronic equivalent (see Fig. b), the electrons behave as fermions. If the colliding electron pair was low-energy excitations near the Fermi-sea, the screened Coulomb interaction is negligible and the pair would be splitted into different paths due to the Pauli-exclusion principal. However, if the Coulomb interaction effect is present, the fate of the colliding electron pair becomes more complicated. In separate experiments, the research teams employed various setups, yet they all reached the same conclusion. When high-energy electrons are emitted above the Fermi sea in an electric conductor and simultaneously arrive on each side of an electron beam splitter, they repel each other because of the strong Coulomb interactions, not because of the Pauli exclusion principle. The experiments involved using single electron pumps to emit charges in a semiconductor structure containing a two-dimensional electron gas. In the presence of a strong magnetic field, chiral edge states formed along the sample boundaries, acting as pathways for the emitted electrons. The electrons were guided to a central region, where they collided on either side of an electron beam splitter. These three experiments collectively demonstrate that Coulomb interactions play a dominant role in the antibunching effect observed when high-energy electrons collide in a beam splitter. This discovery has significant implications for quantum information processing with electronic qubits, as controlled interactions are vital for entanglement generation. Unlike photonic qubits, which typically exhibit weak or no interaction, electronic qubits can entangle through the Coulomb forces revealed in these experiments. This opens up possibilities for device architectures where spin or orbital degrees of freedom of electronic qubits intertwine through controlled Coulomb interactions. The experimental advancements represent a crucial step in the manipulation of single electrons in nanoscale conductors, enabling researchers to enter the nonlinear regime of electronic quantum optics. While challenges remain, these three experiments provide reasons to be optimistic about further advancements in the field of electronic quantum optics in the future.Figure. Hong-Ou-Mandel-type collision of photons (a) and electrons (b).Extracted from Brange, F., Flindt, C. Interacting electrons collide at a beam splitter. Nat. Nanotechnol. (2023). Brange, F., Flindt, C. Interacting electrons collide at a beam splitter. Nat. Nanotechnol. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-023-01389-0 Fletcher, J.D., Park, W., Ryu, S. et al. Time-resolved Coulomb collision of single electrons. Nat. Nanotechnol. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-023-01369-4 http://ifisc.uib-csic.es/en/news/unveiling-role-coulomb-interactions-high-e…

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IFISC News - The eminent scientist Margarita del Val will give a lecture at UIB on interdisciplinary research in epidemics
by ifisc＠ifisc.uib-csic.es 14 Jun '23

14 Jun '23

The eminent scientist Margarita del Val will give a lecture at UIB on interdisciplinary research in epidemics The CSIC Representation in the Balearic Islands, the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB) and the Institute of Cross-disciplinary Physics in Complex Systems (IFISC, UIB-CSIC) are organizing the lecture "Investigación interdisciplinar en epidemias desde la Plataforma de Salud Global del CSIC: ¿preparados para la próxima pandemia?" given by the leading scientist Margarita del Val. As coordinator of the CSIC Global Health Platform and expert in immunity and vaccines against viral diseases, Margarita del Val will share her valuable knowledge and experience in this scientific dissemination activity. The lecture will take place on Tuesday 20 June at 11 am, in the Aula Magna of the Guillem Cifre de Colonya building, on the UIB campus. Admission is free and open to the public. Margarita del Val is an internationally renowned scientific researcher, virologist and immunologist. Her research, currently carried out at the Centro de Biología Molecular Severo Ochoa in Madrid, focuses on the study of the immune response to viral infections and immunological memory, especially in relation to the functioning of vaccines. Throughout her career, she has led numerous research projects and published high-impact scientific articles. Margarita del Val played a leading role in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. She coordinates the Plataforma Temàtica Interdisciplinària Salut Global del CSIC, which aims to address current and future challenges related to the pandemic. In addition, he represented Spain at the European Medicines Agency and is a member of the Royal National Academy of Pharmacy and the Expert Advisory Committee on Vaccines of the Community of Madrid. In addition to her scientific work, Margarita del Val is dedicated to communicating scientific knowledge to society. She has received the CSIC-BBVA Foundation Award for Scientific Communication and the Medal of Honour for Social Values from the Menéndez Pelayo International University, among more than 30 other awards and recognitions.El diari de la UIB http://ifisc.uib-csic.es/en/news/conference-scientist-margarita-del-val/

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IFISC News - IFISC (UIB-CSIC) researchers present a new quantum method of pattern classification
by ifisc＠ifisc.uib-csic.es 01 Jun '23

01 Jun '23

IFISC (UIB-CSIC) researchers present a new quantum method of pattern classification Researchers at IFISC (UIB-CSIC) have proposed a novel method for pattern classification using a single nonlinear quantum oscillator instead of a lattice of spins (bits). The study, published in the prestigious journal Physical Review Letters, focuses on the implementation of the associative memory method and classification algorithms using AI. Until now, pattern classification tasks were performed by implementing bit or spin networks in which these elements interact with each other classically or quantum, respectively. However, these methods present problems in terms of the ability to recognize a large number of different patterns, as this capability is strongly limited by the size of the system. The proposed method published by the IFISC researchers is based on replacing the spin lattice by a single quantum oscillator periodically forced and with nonlinear dissipation terms. These nonlinear terms allow the system to have a metastable phase in which the patterns to be identified can be encoded in coherent states of light that act as attractors, to which the system has a tendency to direct its dynamics The energy levels of the quantum oscillator can encode the different patterns that the method will classify. This is an important advantage since it works with a single system, as opposed to a network of bits or spins in which it is necessary to build a lattice of interacting elements. In addition, the study demonstrates that with a smaller system size more patterns can be discerned, overcoming the theoretical limit presented by quantum bit lattices. This novel method of pattern classification is performed in the transient phase of the system, allowing results to be obtained more quickly and, therefore, preventing quantum information from being lost. The study represents a significant advance in the field of pattern recognition and classification using quantum physics. Artificial neural networks are brain-inspired computational systems that can solve and model numerous types of tasks, from pattern and speech recognition to big data analysis. The proposal opens up new possibilities in implementing time-stable solutions using quantum oscillators for a variety of problems, such as pattern recognition.Labay-Mora, A., Zambrini, R., & Giorgi, G. L. (2023). Quantum associative memory with a single driven dissipative nonlinear oscillator. Physical Review Letters, 130(19). https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.130.190602 http://ifisc.uib-csic.es/en/news/ifisc-uib-csic-researchers-present-new-qua…

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