Undergrad thesis on quantum computation (or LQG)

[hattori]

Hello,

I'm a 4th year physics undergrad, so I'm about to decide what to do in my undergrad thesis. I'll do pure theoretical work, but I'd like to avoid copy-paste stuff and come up wityh something quite original, however I'm not sure what topic are available, maybe someone here will help.

I'm planning to work on (loop) quantum gravity in the future -when I grow up a bit-, so I wonder if there's a small room for an undergrad in this field --I know it's well beyond an undergrad's reach who hasn't studied QFT or any relativistic quantum theory. I just wonder if there's some relatively simple stuff for me. Besides, starting to study in this field bit by bit, I may be better prepared for grad and ph.d.

One other option I've been considering is the field of quantum computations. As far I see, I already know the physical background required to start working in this field, so it'd be relatively easier than LQG. But again, I don't know what kind problems (for an undergrad) exists in this field...

So, in short, I need to know what kind of problems are available for me to work on.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ozymandias]

Isn't that the sort of thing an advisor should supply? I doubt an undergraduate could be equipped with the proper background to discern between solvable/unsolvable and interesting/noninteresting problems on his/her own.

--------
Assaf
http://www.physicallyincorrect.com/"

 

[fasterthanjoao]

Isn't that the sort of thing an advisor should supply? I doubt an undergraduate could be equipped with the proper background to discern between solvable/unsolvable and interesting/noninteresting problems on his/her own.

To an extent, i agree. I would have thought that there will be seminars or just casual meetings on the different topics- since at this level subject area is dependent on the supervisors that are available (which will change from year to year). You will first of all need to find out what kind of research groups are in your department (would imagine you're already aware of this, just find out specifically what each available supervisor studies).

Whilst you will need to have a supervisor around when you're deciding your subject matter, there is room for you to add your own suggestions. I would meet with those who are available to work with and let them know about your interests and intentions - you might find that subjects that seem unrelated to LQG (or anything else you're interested in, for that matter) will be useful. The project at this stage is more about learning skills in project management and studying in a research capacity than the actual physics knowledge you will come away with, so i would say if you're interested in some theoretical work, you should start by finding those in theory and narrow the choices by both relevant learned skills and interest.

 

[hattori]

I doubt an undergraduate could be equipped with the proper background to discern between solvable/unsolvable and interesting/noninteresting problems on his/her own.

And this's exactly why I raised the question...

I'd like to discuss such matter with my advisor -or various groups at deparment- however, no one here is working on these topics. Most of the research going in my university is experimental so discussion groups and seminars don't help me. (I have no interest in experimental physics. I know, this university was an unfortunate choice, but I can't do anything about it now).
There are few theorist though, but they all are working on different, advanced topics. However, once I get a problem to work, I got the word that I'll be helped through.

In short, I hope someone here will help me in finding a problem.

 

[fasterthanjoao]

In short, I hope someone here will help me in finding a problem.

I'm afraid the topics I know about are quite far removed, so won't be able to offer anything sensible. However, the point of my previous post remains valid - you can only work on a subject which has a comfortable supervisor. Asking someone on these forums that knows about LQG might help you find something worthy of investigation, but expecting a researcher at your University to learn an entirely new field (which is what might be required so that he/she can make sense of your results, and act as a supervisor does - providing guidance and making corrections).

Hopefully someone else on here can give some more insight into the subject matter, but if it were me, I would still say the best people to speak to are your potential supervisors - if it is not contained within their subject area, they would need to be willing to put a considerable amount of extra work into your project too. If they are willing then excellent, I wish you good luck with the invesitgation when you do find a suitable problem.