The goal of the Workshop on Quantum Simulations 2013 is to gather the leading and interested scientists in theory and experiments on quantum simulations with an open interdisciplinary scope. Quantum simulations consist in the intentional and artificial reproduction of a quantum dynamics, difficult to access and study, onto an unnatural quantum system that is more controllable theoretically and experimentally. The objectives are diverse, ranging from purely aesthetic, to communicating independent fields, to the more mediatic ones, as is the case of calculating and predicting physics that cannot be done with existing computational power. Quantum simulations are not restricted to a specific field. It is intrinsically eclectic, from fundamentals in physics and quantum information, to quantum optics (photonics, cavity QED, trapped ions, optical lattices, BEC), to condensed-matter (strongly-correlated systems, quantum dots, superconducting qubits, circuit QED), to quantum chemistry, to relativistic quantum mechanics, to general relativity, to quantum field theory inside or beyond the standard model, and even to quantum biomimetics.
From a certain point of view, arts were created because we humans are not happy with reality. Even though this may appear to be a contradiction for a scientist, quantum simulations represent our quantum theater. Here, we may create not only existing physics that is difficult to reproduce, but also physics that may not exist in nature, with the only condition that it is possible and does not violate the physical laws. We will organize dayly sessions of talks and posters, and also round tables for discussions around present and upcoming generations of quantum simulations. The main goal is to enjoy together the physics of quantum simulations with a creative approach, to boost interdisciplinary collaborations, and interest the young scientists in a passionating and burgeoning field.
