The purpose of this workshop is to bring together leading researchers in the fields of quantum information and quantum optics & materials science, and to educate and update the participating scientific community on the recent developments-both theoretical and experimental-in the fields of `Quantum computation and simulation', `Topological quantum codes', and `Integrated quantum systems'. The speakers will address, among others, the following questions:

What are today's quantum computers and quantum simulators capable of? What are the implications for physics and computer science? What makes a quantum computer quantum?-Can quantum annealing devices, such as Dwave's systems, exhibit entanglement and does it matter? Can quantum simulators aid the search for high-Tc-superconductors? It has recently been established that if a certain class of quantum processes (which are in experimental reach) can be efficiently classically simulated, then the polynomial hierarchy of complexity classes collapses at the third level.-Is this likely?

Decoherence - How big an obstacle for quantum computation is it? The interplay between decoherence and entanglement, two intrinsically quantum phenomena, affect the workings of a large-scale quantum computer. In theory, if the decoherence strength is below a critical level, the error threshold, arbitrarily long and accurate quantum computations are possible. To which extent has this claim of theory been corroborated by experiment? What do efficient quantum codes? How do realistic physical constraints such as short-range interaction and planar architecture (chip) affect the choice of quantum codes?

Audience: The workshop is addressed to graduate students and postdocs in the fields of quantum information, condensed matter physics and quantum optics who want to broaden their view and knowledge in quantum information and its physical realizations, and to researchers who would like to exchange and test their ideas on the above questions.

General information about Vancouver and UBC will appear closer to the workshop date.

The Quantum Materials Intitute at UBC, The Max-Planck Society

Organizing committee: Ilja Gerhardt (MPI Stuttgart), Joshua Folk, Takamasa Momose, Robert Raussendorf, George Sawatzky, Jeff Young (All UBC).