NSF Award
2212755
This project supports U.S. participants to attend the workshop "Graph Theory, Algebraic Combinatorics, and Mathematical Physics" from July 25 to August 19, 2022 at Centre de Recherches Mathematiques (CRM) in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. This travel grant is aimed at providing support for U.S. based mathematical scientists who are early-career faculty, graduate students, and post-doctoral scholars, allowing them to build connections with the international scientific community. This will help in the training of the next generation of mathematicians in algebraic combinatorics and graph theory working on fundamental problems in quantum computing (a highly critical area whose growing importance has far-reaching consequences).An important intellectual scientific challenge of the past several decades is the quest to understand and harness the power of quantum information and computation. It is known that a quantum-assisted computation can perform sensitive tasks that are difficult for classical computers. To achieve this scientific challenge, quantum information science requires a broad participation ranging from physicists studying exotic quantum systems to mathematicians exploring abstract structures which lead to unexpected applications. The supported activity will foster and encourage the scientific participation and interaction of researchers from interdisciplinary mathematical areas to advance knowledge in quantum information science.<br/><br/>The existence of a quantum computer is a well-known threat to cryptographic systems widely used in protecting sensitive information for financial, medical, and national security applications. On the other hand, the use of quantum technology for secure communication has also been demonstrated to be effective. It is important that the U.S. maintains and expands its current edge in this expanding and fast-moving scientific field. This grant will support early-career and junior U.S. scientists working in mathematics, physics, and computer science, to participate in an international research meeting on quantum information science. The participation of these scientists will build and strengthen the U.S. science personnel base in this highly critical area. A special effort will be made to attract participation from women, minorities and underrepresented groups, and from academics working in primarily undergraduate institutions. Workshop webpage: http://www.crm.umontreal.ca/2022/Graph22/index_e.php<br/><br/>This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
