XFEL: Hamburg Prize for Theoretical Physics awarded to Matthias Troyer
Hamburg Prize for Theoretical Physics awarded to Matthias Troyer
Quantum researcher Matthias Troyer. Copyright: Microsoft
This year’s Hamburg Prize for Theoretical Physics from the Joachim Herz Stiftung will be presented to Matthias Troyer, a professor at ETH Zürich and quantum computing researcher at Microsoft. He receives the prize for his contributions to the development of so-called quantum Monte Carlo algorithms. These algorithms can predict how tiny particles will interact within quantum mechanical many-body systems such as atoms and molecules. Troyer is an internationally renowned researcher, playing a key role in the ongoing development of quantum computers and superconductive materials.
The Joachim Herz Stiftung awards the annual prize in conjunction with the Wolfgang Pauli Centre (WPC) at the University of Hamburg, DESY, and the Cluster of Excellence “CUI: Advanced Imaging of Matter” at the University of Hamburg.
Troyer was nominated for the award by Prof. Dr. Alexander Lichtenstein from the institute of theoretical physics at the University of Hamburg and head of the Theory Group at European XFEL, and European XFEL managing director Prof. Dr. Robert Feidenhans’l. The prize is worth a total of €137,036 in total – a figure that plays on Sommerfeld’s fine-structure constant, - and is thereby one of the most valuable German prizes for physics. Troyer will be presented with the prize on 13 November 2019 at a symposium at the Planetarium Hamburg.
“In Professor Troyer, we are honoring a scientist whose work connects myriad areas of physics and computer science. On account of his current research in the field of quantum computing, he partners with universities and companies in the US and around the world. He has also set up an open-source platform in order to share his knowledge. By awarding the prize to Professor Troyer, we also wish to recognize this contribution to collaborative research,” explained Dr. Nina Lemmens, Member of the Executive Board of the Joachim Herz Stiftung.
The prize not only comes with a grant, but also entails extended research placements in Hamburg that will see Troyer give talks and work closely with doctoral candidates, postdocs, and other colleagues. Troyer will also supervise a PhD thesis within the Theory Group at European XFEL together with Prof. Lichtenstein.
European XFEL managing director Robert Feidenhans’l said: “Matthias Troyer has made significant contributions to the field of quantum theoretical physics. We are very pleased that he has been awarded this esteemed prize, and we are very much looking forward to collaborating with him here at European XFEL and with our colleagues in Hamburg. I am sure that the interaction will inspire the development of new scientific avenues at the facility.”
“I feel honored that the judges have decided to recognize my work with the Hamburg Prize for Theoretical Physics. I can’t wait to start sharing ideas with my colleagues at DESY and the University of Hamburg, both in the physics faculty and related institutes such as computer science,” remarked Troyer. “Combining quantum physics and machine learning offers exciting opportunities for scientific advances, both in theoretical physics and for the interpretation of experimental data, such as generated by European XFEL.”
