Quantum interference and cryptographic keys: novel physics and advancing technologies (QUICK)

This special issue of The European Physical Journal - D was organised in conjunction with the conference “Quantum interference and cryptographic keys: novel physics and advancing technologies (QUICK)", that took place in the Institut d'études Scientifiques de Cargèse from April 7th to 13th, 2001. This conference was organised at the initiative of the European Quantum Communication and Cryptography projects QuComm, S4P, QuiCoV, EQUIS and EQCSPOT, in the framework of the European Union IST/FET/QIPC program. The conference successfully achieved its goal which was to provide a forum for scientific exchanges for one hundred researchers and students, from academia and industry, working world-wide on the physics, implementations, and applications of quantum communications. The papers in this special issue give an account of some highlights of the conference. They were selected and refereed according to the high quality scientific standards of the European Physical Journal and include topics of the highest contemporary interest in the field, such as practical implementations and security proofs of Quantum Key Distribution, single photon sources, new schemes involving quantum continuous variables and the manipulation of non-classical light. We acknowledge the support given by the European Commission (High Level Scientific Conference), QUIPROCONE (Network of Excellence), the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, the Délégation Générale pour l'Armement (DGA), the U.S. Army Research Laboratory (European Research Office) and the USAF European Office of Aerospace Research and Development. We hope this issue will remind all participants of the special atmosphere of creative work and co-operation of the conference, and will give the general readership of EPJ D a feeling for the character of this attractive field of research. Finally, we warmly thank the Cargèse team and the EPJ D Editorial Office for their efficient and friendly help with all organisational issues. Philippe Grangier, John Rarity, Anders Karlsson     

Novel quantum phases and mesoscopic physics in quantum gases

Among many notable jubilees brought by the year 2012, the one of a special importance for the community of statistical physicists was the 140th birth anniversary of Marian Smoluchowski (Maryan Ritter von Smolan Smoluchowski, 28.05.1872 - 5.09.1917), who was one of the pioneers of statistical physics and, on a larger scale, one of those who shaped modern physical science as a whole. The present issue of EPJ ST entitled From Brownian motion to self-avoiding walks and Lévy flights aims to reflect the evolution of Smoluchowski’s ideas in the field of statistics of interacting random and self-avoiding walks, stochastic equations for many-particle systems, physics of glass-forming and noise driven systems. Majority of papers in this issue were presented at the international conference in statistical physics that took place in Lviv (Ukraine) on July 3-6, 2012.     

Call for papers Special issue on “Quantum interference and cryptographic keys: novel physics and advancing technologies"

The collective phenomena of quantum interference, including wave particle duality and apparent non-locality, have intrigued the physics community for many years. It is only recently that we have begun to turn these somewhat counter intuitive quantum phenomena to good use. A leading force in that direction is quantum cryptography - absolute secure key exchange encoding data on the polarisation or phase of individual photons, or using the quantum correlations between pairs of particles. Technologies are now implemented to bring the various forms of quantum cryptography to commercial application. At the same time the possibility of communications applications has stimulated the study of a variety of novel quantum interference phenomena. Quantum information experiments involving two, three and four photons are planned and a novel Field of continuous variable (many photon) quantum information has emerged. These various aspects of quantum cryptography are considered in the conference “QUICK: Quan- tum interference and cryptographic keys: novel physics and advancing technologies", taking place in Cargese from April 7 to 13, 2001. Following that conference, we invite submission of original papers to a special issue of the European Physical Journal D, on the following topics: - quantum cryptography technologies, - quantum cryptography systems, - free space quantum cryptography and satellites, - pair-photon sources and multiphoton interference, - single photon sources, - continuous variable quantum information, - security aspects, - cryptographic protocols, - entanglement purification in cryptographic schemes, - novel physics and quantum gates for photonic qubits. The submitted articles should be sent to the EPJ D Editorial Office in Orsay. The deadline is July 15, 2001. We look forward to a stimulating special issue.     

Call for papers

The collective phenomena of quantum interference, including wave particle duality and apparent non-locality, have intrigued the physics community for many years. It is only recently that we have begun to turn these somewhat counter intuitive quantum phenomena to good use. A leading force in that direction is quantum cryptography - absolute secure key exchange encoding data on the polarisation or phase of individual photons, or using the quantum correlations between pairs of particles. Technologies are now implemented to bring the various forms of quantum cryptography to commercial application. At the same time the possibility of communications applications has stimulated the study of a variety of novel quantum interference phenomena. Quantum information experiments involving two, three and four photons are planned and a novel Field of continuous variable (many photon) quantum information has emerged. These various aspects of quantum cryptography are considered in the conference “QUICK: Quan- tum interference and cryptographic keys: novel physics and advancing technologies", taking place in Cargese from April 7 to 13, 2001. Following that conference, we invite submission of original papers to a special issue of the European Physical Journal D, on the following topics: - quantum cryptography technologies, - quantum cryptography systems, - free space quantum cryptography and satellites, - pair-photon sources and multiphoton interference, - single photon sources, - continuous variable quantum information, - security aspects, - cryptographic protocols, - entanglement purification in cryptographic schemes, - novel physics and quantum gates for photonic qubits. The submitted articles should be sent to the EPJ D Editorial Office in Orsay. The deadline is July 15, 2001. We look forward to a stimulating special issue.     

Call for papers Special issue on “Quantum interference and cryptographic keys: novel physics and advancing technologies"

The collective phenomena of quantum interference, including wave particle duality and apparent non-locality, have intrigued the physics community for many years. It is only recently that we have begun to turn these somewhat counter intuitive quantum phenomena to good use. A leading force in that direction is quantum cryptography - absolute secure key exchange encoding data on the polarisation or phase of individual photons, or using the quantum correlations between pairs of particles. Technologies are now implemented to bring the various forms of quantum cryptography to commercial application. At the same time the possibility of communications applications has stimulated the study of a variety of novel quantum interference phenomena. Quantum information experiments involving two, three and four photons are planned and a novel Field of continuous variable (many photon) quantum information has emerged. These various aspects of quantum cryptography are considered in the conference “QUICK: Quan- tum interference and cryptographic keys: novel physics and advancing technologies", taking place in Cargese from April 7 to 13, 2001. Following that conference, we invite submission of original papers to a special issue of the European Physical Journal D, on the following topics: - quantum cryptography technologies, - quantum cryptography systems, - free space quantum cryptography and satellites, - pair-photon sources and multiphoton interference, - single photon sources, - continuous variable quantum information, - security aspects, - cryptographic protocols, - entanglement purification in cryptographic schemes, - novel physics and quantum gates for photonic qubits. The submitted articles should be sent to the EPJ D Editorial Office in Orsay. The deadline is July 15, 2001. We look forward to a stimulating special issue.     

Happy New Year

This is the first issue of EPJ D in 2001, the new century in the new millennium! This is therefore appropriate timing for introducing some modifications in the journal. However, there is no need for a revolution. EPJ D is a healthy journal, which receives an increasing flow of excellent papers, but it is our continuing concern to adapt the journal to the evolution of science and to publish a better journal. So what's new in 2001? By examining the list of topics covered by EPJ D, you will find changes. To emphasize a few active fields, new sections have been added so that physicists working on these subjects can find immediately the papers belonging to their domain. For example, there is presently a large community working on quantum gases and Bose-Einstein condensation. For this community and those working on laser cooling of atoms, molecules, ions, we have created a section Laser Cooling and Quantum Gas. In the same manner, to satisfy those interested in quantum information, entanglement, quantum cryptography, we have extended the Quantum Optics section to Quantum Optics and Quantum Information. A new section has also been created for Ultrafast Phenomena and for the processes occurring in High Intensity Fields. The introduction of this section is triggered by the rapid development of femtosecond lasers and their numerous applications ranging from time-resolved spectroscopy of biological molecules to X-ray generation. Another new and exciting field, bringing even more interdisciplinary into our journal is molecules of biological interest in the gas phase. Finally, the section Nonlinear Dynamics has been polished. It is now the natural place to publish results dealing the fundamental aspects of chaotic systems and the manifestation of these phenomena in Atoms, Molecules and Optics. However, these new sections do not mean that EPJ D is now only devoted to a few fashionable subjects. Papers dealing with more traditional topics are obviously highly welcomed and they should find their place in one of the other sections. We have also decided to have regular publication of topical issues. We plan to publish two topical issues each year. In 2001, the topics of these issues will be Clusters and Femtosecond Spectroscopy. Another evolution concerns the Rapid Notes. Although they have existed since the start of the journal and they correspond to a regular demand of our community (fast publication of short papers, less than 4 pages, describing important advances), the EPJ D Rapid Notes were not very popular. We wish to make them more attractive. First, by increasing the rapidity of publication: our aim is to publish a Rapid Note 3 months at most after its reception by the editorial office. For this purpose the Editors, the Editorial Office and the Publisher will give the highest priority to these Rapid Notes. Second, by using a different lay-out to separate and distinguish them from the other papers of the same issue. Furthermore, if you wish to communicate with an editor it will be no longer necessary to look for his email address. To achieve better connections between authors and editors, every editor can now be reached through the electronic address first name.last name@epjd.org. The mail will be directly forwarded towards his personal address. Finally, we expect that 2001 will be the real beginning of a new type of publication that combines the possibilities of the printed journal and of the on-line edition. First as soon as a paper is accepted and proofread, it will appear on the on-line version by using the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) system, and can therefore be quoted. There are however additional advantages. For example, it is now possible to have a short paper published in the printed journal and an extended version on-line, with supplementary material (tables, figures, complements) and possibly various multimedia documents. Obviously, if there are additional materials in the on-line version, this will be mentioned on the printed version. Technical information is available hereafter. We hope that all these small advances will make the journal more attractive. However, what makes a journal alive are really the authors. Therefore, we wish you many results, many discoveries and we hope that you will provide us with lots of excellent papers. Happy New Year! The publisher informs the authors of the possibility to published “electronic-only" materials. Electronic-only material is designed to provide supplementary information which is either too voluminous to be printed or is designed specifically for the Web, such as illustration in colour. Electronic-only material may include but is not restricted to: •(Large) tables • Appendices • Programmes • Images, videos For more information on the submission of this material, (file requirements, etc.), please contact the production office at: articles@edpsciences.org     

Preface

This special volume of The European Physical Journal D contains papers presented at the 10th International Symposium on Small Particles and Inorganic Clusters, ISSPIC 10, which was held from October 11th to 15th, 2000, in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. The meeting was attended by over 300 scientists from all over the world, and in it 45 invited and hot-topic lectures were given, and 330 posters were presented. In keeping with the tradition of the ISSPIC meetings, the 10th anniversary symposium was devoted to a broad and balanced overview of new results, emerging trends and perspectives pertaining to the physics and chemistry of clusters. The meeting covered experimental and theoretical investigations of gas-phase and supported clusters, nanoscale cluster-based materials, and nanometer. The sessions at ISSPIC 10 were organized as mini-symposia, and topics included: electronic and structural properties of clusters, charged clusters and photoelectron spectroscopy, fast laser spectroscopy and dynamics, cluster-surface interactions and cluster deposition, helium clusters and spectroscopy, structural evolution and thermodynamics of clusters, cluster reactivity and nano-catalysis, two-dimensional quantum dots, nano-crystals and self-assembly, mechanical, electronic and transport properties of carbon nanotubes, structure and conductance properties of nanowires, formation and stability of droplets and jets, and medical applications of colloidal clusters. Most importantly, the symposium provided an interdisciplinary forum for presentation and discussion of fundamental and methodological aspects as well as technologically oriented developments. The opening session of ISSPIC 10 was dedicated to the memory of Professor Walter D. Knight, a pioneer in the field of clusters. The work of Walter and his research group at Berkeley on electronic shells in metal clusters opened new avenues in cluster science and contributed significantly to the rapid growth of this field. We would like to take this opportunity to gratefully acknowledge the financial assistance extended to the symposium by the Georgia Institute of Technology and by the United States Air Force Office of Scientific Research. We also thank the participants for contributing to the success of ISSPIC 10 through communicating their latest scientific results during the meeting and via the papers appearing in these proceedings.     

This issue is dedicated to our friend and colleague Gilbert Grynberg

The Editors of this special issue and the partners of the QSTRUCT European Network are deeply saddened by the news of Gilbert Grynberg's departure. It was Gilbert's vision which first brought together specialists in optical and atomic physics to form the research field of quantum structures and to found the QSTRUCT Network. Within the Network, Gilbert worked tirelessly to promote collaboration and the exchange of new ideas. He was particularly popular with young researchers, who appreciated his eagerness to share ideas and who were inspired by his clarity of thought. It was Gilbert who first proposed a special issue of EPJ D dedicated to quantum structures. Sadly he will not see its publication. We remember a special scientist and educator, a colleague who was passionate about physics but brought his infectious sense of fun to all who worked with him. Even in the face of great hardships he remained a vibrant and enthusiastic member of our scientific family. We will all miss him.     

Editorial

The two Editors-in-Chief of EPJ D are now Tito Arecchi and Jean-Michel Raimond. Ingolf Hertel's term came to its end and he will be now acting as an External Advisor. He should be warmly thanked for the work he accomplished during the hard times of the journal's creation. The present success of EPJ D owes a lot to his dedication and to the continued efforts of Gilbert Grynberg, whose untimely death has been a loss for physics as well as for this journal. Jean-Michel Raimond is at the Université Pierre et Marie Curie and the Institut Universitaire de France, in Paris. His research is performed at the Laboratoire Kastler Brossel of the Ecole Normale Supérieure, on cavity quantum electrodynamics, at the fulcrum between fundamental quantum mechanics studies and the development of quantum information techniques. Published online 5 May 2003     

Obituary

We mourn the death of Professor Dr. Gilbert Grynberg, April 17, 1948 - January 27, 2003. We have lost an excellent and highly esteemed scientist, an outstanding character and a good friend. He has been a very active colleague in the merger of Zeitschrift für Physik and Journal de Physique in the early days. As one of the Co-Editors-in-Chief of The European Physical Journal D, from its start, he has formed the scienti.c standards of EPJ. Untiringly he has served our Journal with greatest dedication. We are grateful that he has been with us. The editorial board and o.ce of EPJ B Siegfried Grossmann, Denis Jérome, Antonio Paoletti     

Obituary Gilbert Grynberg (1948-2003)

We mourn the death of Professor Dr. Gilbert Grynberg, April 17, 1948 - January 27, 2003. We have lost an excellent and highly esteemed scientist, an outstanding character and a good friend. He has been a very active colleague in the merger of Zeitschrift für Physik and Journal de Physique in the early days. As one of the Co-Editors-in-Chief of The European Physical Journal D, from its start, he has formed the scienti.c standards of EPJ. Untiringly he has served our Journal with greatest dedication. We are grateful that he has been with us. The editorial board and o.ce of EPJ B Siegfried Grossmann, Denis Jérome, Antonio Paoletti     

Tails and Ties

The study of behavioural and social phenomena has experienced a surge of interest over the last decade. One reason for this great attention is the huge amount of high quality data made available by the internet technologies. The many studies spanning concepts and problems belonging to economics, biology, ecology, physics and computer science, clearly indicates increasing interdisciplinary cross-fertilization, commonalities in the different approaches and communication across these disciplines. This issue of The European Physical Journal B is devoted to the interdisciplinary field of Sociophysics. The papers have been selected from the contributions presented at the 5th International Conference on “Applications of Physics in Financial Analysis" (APFA5) held in Torino from June 29th to July 1st 2006 (http://www.polito.it/apfa5). The synergy and richness of results obtained from the investigation of problems belonging to the area of complexity science from different perspectives clearly indicates future directions and research methodologies in this field.     

Insight into 3D micro‐CT data: exploring segmentation algorithms through performance metrics

Three‐dimensional (3D) micro‐tomography (µ‐CT) has proven to be an important imaging modality in industry and scientific domains. Understanding the properties of material structure and behavior has produced many scientific advances. An important component of the 3D µ‐CT pipeline is image partitioning (or image segmentation), a step that is used to separate various phases or components in an image. Image partitioning schemes require specific rules for different scientific fields, but a common strategy consists of devising metrics to quantify performance and accuracy. The present article proposes a set of protocols to systematically analyze and compare the results of unsupervised classification methods used for segmentation of synchrotron‐based data. The proposed dataflow for Materials Segmentation and Metrics (MSM) provides 3D micro‐tomography image segmentation algorithms, such as statistical region merging (SRM), k‐means algorithm and parallel Markov random field (PMRF), while offering different metrics to evaluate segmentation quality, confidence and conformity with standards. Both experimental and synthetic data are assessed, illustrating quantitative results through the MSM dashboard, which can return sample information such as media porosity and permeability. The main contributions of this work are: (i) to deliver tools to improve material design and quality control; (ii) to provide datasets for benchmarking and reproducibility; (iii) to yield good practices in the absence of standards or ground‐truth for ceramic composite analysis.