3^rd Winter School on Practical Quantum Cryptography

After two very successful editions in 2009 and 2010, ID Quantique is proud to announce that the third edition will take place in January 2011 in the Swiss Alps (testimonies about and pictures of previous editions).

The goal of this Winter School is to introduce, to a general audience of physicists and computer scientists with little or no background in practical quantum cryptography, this exciting topic in a relaxed and stimulating atmosphere. Special emphasis will be put on practical quantum cryptography system design. The emerging applications of this promising technology will also be discussed.

By including hands-on tutorials, the Winter School will offer participants the unique opportunity to learn to operate a real quantum cryptography system, as well as single-photon detectors.

In order to maximize the possibility to interact with instructors and to allow intensive hands-on tutorials, the number of participants is limited to 16. Applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.

Come join us in Les Diablerets next winter! This Winter School is a unique opportunity to learn about state-of-the-art practical quantum cryptography and gain hands-on experience. The program will also allow participants to network and socialize, while discovering winter sports such as downhill skiing or snowshoe hiking in a beautiful Swiss Alps winter landscape.

To apply or for more information: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or download the winter school brochure here.

Key Facts

• Dates

• Location

Professor Nicolas Gisin is the group leader of the group of applied physics at the university of Geneva. After a master in physics and a degree in mathematics, he received his Ph.D. degree in Physics from the University of Geneva in 1981 for his dissertation in quantum and statistical physics. The "Fondation Louis de Broglie" recognized this work with an award.

After a post-doc at the University of Rochester, NY, he joint a start-up company, Alphatronix, dedicated to fiber instrumentation for the telecommunication industry. Initially head of the software, he quickly became responsible for the hardware-software interface. Four years later he joined a Swiss software company developing an image processing package which received the attention of the American journal "PC Magazine".

In 1988 an opportunity to join the Group of Applied Physics at the University of Geneva as head of the optics section brought him back to the academic life. At the time the optics section was entirely devoted to support of the Swiss PTT (now Swisscom). In order to get a critical mass and stability, the optics section under the impulse of Prof. N. Gisin started two new research directions, one in optical sensors, one in quantum optics. The telecom and the sensing activities led to many patents and technological transfers to Swiss and international industries. Several products had and still have a commercial success. The quantum optics activities are more basic research oriented. The main theme is to combine the large expertise of the group in optical fibers with basic quantum effects. More recently, the demonstration of quantum cryptography and of long distance quantum entanglement received quite a lot of attention as well from the international scientific community as from the press "grand public".

• Instructors

Members of the ID Quantique R&D team and researchers from leading academic institutions

• Brochure

• Certificate

Granted upon completion of the Winter School

• Application

Applications will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.

• Price

EURO 2’900.- per participant (early bird discount available), including board and accommodation, course participation, teaching materials, and recreational activities.

This amount does not include travel to and from Les Diablerets.

Prof. Dr. Renato Renner is Head of Quantum Information Group at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zürich). He has been Assistant Professor in Theoretical Physics at ETH Zurich since October 2007.

Renner was born on December 11, 1974, in Lucerne. He studied physics, first at EPF Lausanne and later at ETH Zurich, where he graduated in theoretical physics. He then moved to the Computer Science Department to work on a thesis in the area of quantum cryptography. After getting his PhD degree, he spent two years in the UK, where he was a HP research fellow in the Department for Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at the University of Cambridge. In 2007, he joined the Institute for Theoretical Physics at ETH Zurich as an assistant professor. His research interests are in the area of quantum information sciences and quantum cryptography.

Dr. Vadim Makarov is a postdoctoral researcher at the Quantum Hacking group at NTNU (Trondheim, Norway). He has extensive experience in quantum hacking and practical security of QKD systems. He has become internationally well-known as a pioneer on practical security of QKD.
He has previously worked as a postdoctoral researcher for one year at the Department of Physics, Pohang University of Science and Technology (Korea). He has received PhD degree in quantum cryptography from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (2007) and Master’s degree in radiophysics from the St. Petersburg State Polytechnical University (1998).

Notes
• For hands-on tutorials, participants will work in groups. Each group will participate to take part in the following tutorials: Tutorial 1 – Single-photon detection , and Tutorial 2 – Experimental Quantum Key Distribution.
• The courses will not focus sole on ly on ID Quantique's products, but will use them for as illustrative purposes illustrations .

Winter School Location
Les Diablerets, Switzerland

Enjoy the pure mountain air in a charming family resort at the foot of a magnificent glacier. Les Diablerets is an unspoiled country village set amid spectacular Alpine scenery. Majestic summits, pristine forests... Les Diablerets has done such a good job of meeting the needs of tourism that visitors feel right at home!

In winter, the mountain offers you all the pleasures of skiing, snow and meeting family or friends: Alpine skiing and snowboarding, but also cross-country skiing, snowshoes or hikes, day or night sledge runs, ice-skating or curling, swimming-pool and other sports or fun activities.

History
In the latter half of the 19th century, the development of means of communication, roads, post, railway had two immediate consequences...
Increased contacts with towns in the plain and the rapid expansion of tourism, due to the construction of various hotels and guesthouses. By 1867 horse-drawn coaches and carts could reach le Plan des Isles. This meant that timber could be exported and increasing numbers of tourists could come to enjoy the fresh, pure air and magnificent peaks. This led to a tourist board being set up in 1888 (now called Diablerets Tourisme).