Rainer Blatt
Encyclopedia
Rainer Blatt is a German-Austrian experimental physicist. His research centres on the areas of quantum optics
and quantum information
. He and his team were the first to teleport
atom
s.
(DFG) to go to the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics
(JILA), Boulder, and work with John L. Hall
(Nobel Prize winner 2005) for a year. In 1983 he went on to the Freie Universität Berlin, and in the following year joined the working group of Peter E. Toschek at the University of Hamburg
. After another stay in the US, Rainer Blatt applied to qualify as a professor by receiving the “venia docendi” in experimental physics
in 1988. In the period from 1989 until 1994 he worked as a Heisenberg research fellow at the University of Hamburg
and returned several times to JILA in Boulder. In 1994 he was appointed to a chair in physics at the University of Göttingen and in the following year he was offered a chair in experimental physics at the University of Innsbruck. Blatt has headed the Institute for Experimental Physics ever since and is a member of the academic senate. Since 2003 Blatt has also held the position of Scientific Director at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information
(IQOQI) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
(ÖAW). Rainer Blatt is married, with three children.
, quantum metrology
and quantum information processing. He works with atoms caught in ion
traps which he manipulates using laser
beams. This work is based on suggestions made in the mid-1990s by theorists Ignacio Cirac and Peter Zoller
. In 2004, using their suggested set-up, Blatt’s working group succeeded for the first time in transferring the quantum information
of one atom
in a totally controlled manner onto another atom (teleportation
). The science journal Nature
reported the experiment and gave it pride of place on the cover. In that experiment three particles had been positioned in an ion trap. Two years later, Rainer Blatt’s working group already managed to entangle
up to eight atoms in a controlled manner. Creating such a first “quantum byte” (qubyte) is a further step on the way towards a quantum computer
. Blatt is also known for his support of young scientists. Six of his former assistants (Christoph Becher, Jürgen Eschner, Hartmut Häffner, Dietrich Leibfried, Piet O. Schmidt, Ferdinand Schmidt-Kaler) have since been appointed to chairs at universities abroad.
. He also received the Kardinal-Innitzer-Prize. In 2007 Blatt and his European project partners were nominated by the European Commission for the Descartes Prize
. In 2006 he received the Schrödinger Prize of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
. In 1997 he won the Innovations Award of the Tiroler Sparkasse for new ideas on quantum information processing. Since 2008 Rainer Blatt is full member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
Quantum optics
Quantum optics is a field of research in physics, dealing with the application of quantum mechanics to phenomena involving light and its interactions with matter.- History of quantum optics :...
and quantum information
Quantum information
In quantum mechanics, quantum information is physical information that is held in the "state" of a quantum system. The most popular unit of quantum information is the qubit, a two-level quantum system...
. He and his team were the first to teleport
Quantum teleportation
Quantum teleportation, or entanglement-assisted teleportation, is a process by which a qubit can be transmitted exactly from one location to another, without the qubit being transmitted through the intervening space...
atom
Atom
The atom is a basic unit of matter that consists of a dense central nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. The atomic nucleus contains a mix of positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons...
s.
Biography
Rainer Blatt graduated in physics from the University of Mainz in 1979. He finished his doctorate in 1981 and worked as research assistant in the team of Günter Werth. In 1982 Blatt received a research grant of the Deutsche ForschungsgemeinschaftDeutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft is an important German research funding organization and the largest such organization in Europe.-Function:...
(DFG) to go to the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics
Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics
JILA, formerly known as the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics, is one of the leading physical science research institutes in the United States. Its faculty, graduate students, and postdoctoral research associates explore some of today's most challenging and fundamental scientific questions...
(JILA), Boulder, and work with John L. Hall
John L. Hall
John Lewis "Jan" Hall is an American physicist, and Nobel laureate in physics. He shared one half of the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics with Theodor W. Hänsch for his work in precision spectroscopy.-Biography:...
(Nobel Prize winner 2005) for a year. In 1983 he went on to the Freie Universität Berlin, and in the following year joined the working group of Peter E. Toschek at the University of Hamburg
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
. After another stay in the US, Rainer Blatt applied to qualify as a professor by receiving the “venia docendi” in experimental physics
Experimental physics
Within the field of physics, experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines concerned with the observation of physical phenomena in order to gather data about the universe...
in 1988. In the period from 1989 until 1994 he worked as a Heisenberg research fellow at the University of Hamburg
University of Hamburg
The University of Hamburg is a university in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded on 28 March 1919 by Wilhelm Stern and others. It grew out of the previous Allgemeines Vorlesungswesen and the Kolonialinstitut as well as the Akademisches Gymnasium. There are around 38,000 students as of the start of...
and returned several times to JILA in Boulder. In 1994 he was appointed to a chair in physics at the University of Göttingen and in the following year he was offered a chair in experimental physics at the University of Innsbruck. Blatt has headed the Institute for Experimental Physics ever since and is a member of the academic senate. Since 2003 Blatt has also held the position of Scientific Director at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information
Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information
The Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information is an child institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and was founded in November 2003...
(IQOQI) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Austrian Academy of Sciences
The Austrian Academy of Sciences is a legal entity under the special protection of the Federal Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every field, particularly in fundamental research...
(ÖAW). Rainer Blatt is married, with three children.
Research
Experimental physicist Rainer Blatt has carried out trail-blazing experiments in the fields of precision spectroscopySpectroscopy
Spectroscopy is the study of the interaction between matter and radiated energy. Historically, spectroscopy originated through the study of visible light dispersed according to its wavelength, e.g., by a prism. Later the concept was expanded greatly to comprise any interaction with radiative...
, quantum metrology
Quantum metrology
Quantum metrology is the study of making high-resolution and highly sensitive measurements of physical parameters using quantum theory to describe the physical systems, particularly exploiting quantum entanglement...
and quantum information processing. He works with atoms caught in ion
Ion
An ion is an atom or molecule in which the total number of electrons is not equal to the total number of protons, giving it a net positive or negative electrical charge. The name was given by physicist Michael Faraday for the substances that allow a current to pass between electrodes in a...
traps which he manipulates using laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
beams. This work is based on suggestions made in the mid-1990s by theorists Ignacio Cirac and Peter Zoller
Peter Zoller
Peter Zoller is a theoretical physicist from Austria. He is Professor at the University of Innsbruck and works on quantum optics and quantum information and is best known for his pioneering research on quantum computing and quantum communication and for bridging quantum optics and solid state...
. In 2004, using their suggested set-up, Blatt’s working group succeeded for the first time in transferring the quantum information
Quantum information
In quantum mechanics, quantum information is physical information that is held in the "state" of a quantum system. The most popular unit of quantum information is the qubit, a two-level quantum system...
of one atom
Atom
The atom is a basic unit of matter that consists of a dense central nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. The atomic nucleus contains a mix of positively charged protons and electrically neutral neutrons...
in a totally controlled manner onto another atom (teleportation
Quantum teleportation
Quantum teleportation, or entanglement-assisted teleportation, is a process by which a qubit can be transmitted exactly from one location to another, without the qubit being transmitted through the intervening space...
). The science journal Nature
Nature (journal)
Nature, first published on 4 November 1869, is ranked the world's most cited interdisciplinary scientific journal by the Science Edition of the 2010 Journal Citation Reports...
reported the experiment and gave it pride of place on the cover. In that experiment three particles had been positioned in an ion trap. Two years later, Rainer Blatt’s working group already managed to entangle
Quantum entanglement
Quantum entanglement occurs when electrons, molecules even as large as "buckyballs", photons, etc., interact physically and then become separated; the type of interaction is such that each resulting member of a pair is properly described by the same quantum mechanical description , which is...
up to eight atoms in a controlled manner. Creating such a first “quantum byte” (qubyte) is a further step on the way towards a quantum computer
Quantum computer
A quantum computer is a device for computation that makes direct use of quantum mechanical phenomena, such as superposition and entanglement, to perform operations on data. Quantum computers are different from traditional computers based on transistors...
. Blatt is also known for his support of young scientists. Six of his former assistants (Christoph Becher, Jürgen Eschner, Hartmut Häffner, Dietrich Leibfried, Piet O. Schmidt, Ferdinand Schmidt-Kaler) have since been appointed to chairs at universities abroad.
Awards
In 2012 Rainer Blatt will receive the Stern-Gerlach Medal. In 2009 he was awarded the Carl-Zeiss-Research Award and 2008 an ERC Advanced Grant by the European Research CouncilEuropean Research Council
The European Research Council is the independent body that funds investigator-driven frontier research in the European Union . It is part of the Seventh Research Framework Programme ....
. He also received the Kardinal-Innitzer-Prize. In 2007 Blatt and his European project partners were nominated by the European Commission for the Descartes Prize
Descartes Prize
The Descartes Prize is an annual award in science given by the European Union, named in honour of the French mathematician and philosopher, René Descartes....
. In 2006 he received the Schrödinger Prize of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Austrian Academy of Sciences
The Austrian Academy of Sciences is a legal entity under the special protection of the Federal Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every field, particularly in fundamental research...
. In 1997 he won the Innovations Award of the Tiroler Sparkasse for new ideas on quantum information processing. Since 2008 Rainer Blatt is full member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
Works
- Rainer Blatt: Quantum information processing: Dream and Realization, in: Jürgen Audretsch (Ed.): Entangled World: The Fascination of Quantum Information and Computation. Wiley 2006 ISBN 978-3-527-40470-4