The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics (APCTP) said on the 15th that they selected Peter Zoller of the University of Innsbruck in Austria as this year's recipient of the Benjamin W. Lee Professorship and will host a special lecture.
The Benjamin W. Lee Professorship was established in 2012 by the APCTP and the Korean Physical Society (KPS) to honor the achievements of the late Lee Hui-so, one of Korea's leading theoretical physicists. The award ceremony and the recipient's keynote lecture are held every year at the KPS fall meeting.
This year's laureate, Zoller, is a world-renowned authority in quantum optics and quantum information science who laid the theoretical foundation of modern quantum computing by proposing a quantum computer model that implements qubits by trapping ions in electromagnetic fields and a quantum simulation model that uses atoms in optical lattice superfluid states. He also proposed the concept of a quantum internet based on long-distance entanglement distribution, presenting a new vision for quantum communication and networks.
The APCTP will invite Zoller to Pohang University of Science and Technology POSTECH for two days from the 16th to the 17th to deliver a special lecture on quantum simulation. In particular, on the 17th, it will offer a tutorial for next-generation researchers, including graduate students, under the theme "Exploring Large Scale Entanglement in Quantum Simulation," to share the latest theories and methodologies.
The award ceremony will be held on the 22nd at the Korean Physical Society fall meeting at the Kim Dae-jung Convention Center in Gwangju. On the same day, a keynote lecture will also be given under the theme "Quantum Simulation with Atoms and Ions."
Misao Sasaki, director of the APCTP, said, "Thus far, the Benjamin W. Lee Professorship has served as a conduit for active academic exchange between world-class scholars and domestic researchers," and emphasized, "We will continue to elevate the stature of the Benjamin W. Lee Professorship so that it can become one form of academic exchange platform not only in Korea but across the Asia-Pacific region."
Kim Seong-su, director-general for basic research policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, said, "This year marks the 100th anniversary of quantum mechanics as designated by the UN, and the Nobel Prize in physics also went to a quantum researcher. At a time when many countries are striving to secure leadership in quantum research, we hope that the selection of Professor Zoller, a world-leading quantum scholar, for the Benjamin W. Lee Professorship will spark a boom in quantum research domestically and lay the groundwork for international cooperation."