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The Kitaev quantum double models are a family of topologically ordered spin models originally proposed to exploit the novel condensed matter phenomenology of topological phases for fault-tolerant quantum computation. Their physics is inherited from topological quantum field theories, while their underlying mathematical structure is based on a class of Hopf algebras. This structure is also seen across diverse fields of physics, and so allows connections to be made between the Kitaev models and topics as varied as quantum gauge theory and modified strong complementarity. This workshop will explore this shared mathematical structure and in so doing develop the connections between the fields of mathematical physics, quantum gravity, quantum information, condensed matter and quantum foundations.

2017 marks 50 years since the seminal 1967 article of Kochen and Specker proving that quantum theory fails to admit of a noncontextual model.  Despite the fact that the Kochen-Specker theorem is one of the seminal results concerning the foundations of quantum theory, there has never been a large conference dedicated to the subject.  The 50-year anniversary of the theorem seems an opportune time to remedy this oversight.  Furthermore, in the last decade, there have been tremendous advances in the field.  New life has been breathed into the subject as old conceptual issues have been re-examined from a new information-theoretic perspective. Importantly, there has been great progress in making the notion of noncontextuality robust to noise and therefore experimentally testable.  Finally, there is mounting evidence that the resource that powers many quantum advantages for information processing is contextuality.  In particular, it has been shown to underlie the possibility of universal quantum computation.  Many groups worldwide are actively engaged in advancing our knowledge on each of these fronts and in deepening our understanding of the distinction between quantum and classical theories through the lens of contextuality.  Through this conference, we aim to bring together leading researchers in the field in order to develop a broader perspective on the issues, draw connections between different approaches, foster a more cohesive community, and set objectives for future research.

The sixth annual Women is Physics Canada (WIPC) conference is hosted by the University of Waterloo, Faculty of Science, Department of Physics & Astronomy and the Institute for Quantum Computing. The conference will run July 26-28, 2017. WIPC 2017 will bring together early career scientists to present their research and hear plenary talks from leaders in physics.

For more information please visit the WIPC 2017 website.

Continuing investment in fundamental weakly-coupled science, primarily through neutrino experiments and dark matter searches, prompts the question: is the maximum possible scientific information going to be extracted from these experiments? Are there new creative uses of the existing and planned facilities that would advance our knowledge of fundamental physics? Are there physics targets that have been overlooked by the current approach? This workshop will attempt to advance discussion of these topics, and concentrate on non-traditional ideas and alternative methods of probing new physics, both at underground laboratories and at high-intensity accelerators. The workshop aims to complement the large international conference, Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics 2017, to be held in Sudbury ON July 24-28, by directly preceding that meeting.