Dipartimento di Fisica, via Bassi 6, 27100 Pavia, Italy
tel. +39 0382 987484 – mobile: +39 347 0329998 – fax.+39 0382 987793
Born 11 May 1955, Italian. Married, with one daughter
Full professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Pavia
Founder and leader of the group QUit
Teaches Quantum Mechanics and Foundations of Quantum Theory.
Giacomo Mauro D’Ariano has transformed the field of quantum information in a powerful paradigm for a re-foundation of quantum theory and physics in general. This has made quantum foundations mainstream in physics, with impact on the community at large, ranging from theoretical physics, quantum labs, computer science, and history and philosophy of physics. The work [1], proposing information-theoretic postulates to re-derive Quantum Theory, has ultimately led to the well known thorough derivation of the theory [2] coauthored with his disciples G. Chiribella and P. Perinotti. This originated a new way of working with quantum theory, which is now taught in the new textbook [3]. More recently Giacomo Mauro D’Ariano has opened the way to extend the information-theoretic paradigm to the derivation of Quantum Field Theory, leading him and his team to derive the complete free theory [4][5]. All the above foundational works have been subject of popular journals and media coverage, along with fully devoted conference sessions, and books of eminent historians, such as A. Plotnitsky and O. Darrigol.
Giacomo Mauro D’Ariano has derived the above bold ideas from a long experience in quantum information, where he has made seminal contributions to the theory of quantum measurements, proposing ground-breaking procedures that made feasible the dream of actually measuring states and processes in the labs. Such methods currently very popular to all physicists, were originally applied to quantum optics, where D’Ariano designed himself experimental schemes, and collaborated with leading labs worldwide. Very popular is his pioneering work on quantum tomography, for which D’Ariano with his team found the first exact algorithm for homodyne tomography [A]. He later generalised the technique to a universal measurement method, and conceived and developed the first experimental schemes-now called ancilla-assisted tomography-that made the characterisation of transformations and measuring apparatuses feasible, by using a single entangled input [B]. Giacomo Mauro D’Ariano is also well known for proposing entanglement as a tool for improving the precision of quantum measurements [C]-an idea that ultimately lead to the new field of quantum interferometry. He also has proposed many new types of measurements, and with his team he solved long-standing quantum information problems, including the optimal broadcasting of mixed states, the optimal phase-estimation for mixed states, along with optimal protocols for phase cloning [D], and quantum cloning and learning of transformations. He proposed new optical devices and experimental schemes for high sensitivity measurements, and optimisation methods for quantum information processing. With his disciples he introduced the powerful notions of quantum comb [E], which generalises the notions of quantum channel and POVM, and has a wide range of applications in optimisation of quantum measurements, communications, algorithms and protocol in general. The quantum comb framework opened the way for a new understanding of causality in quantum mechanics, with an impact on diverse research directions ranging from quantum causal inference and causal discovery algorithms to the reconciliation of quantum theory with general relativity, where the causal structure itself is dynamical.
G. M. D’Ariano started the field of quantum information in Italy, where he created QUit, a worldwide leading theoretical research group that spread outstanding scholars around the world. In his scientific journey he has coordinated his team of students as a single brain, extracting new teaching from research, and producing new research from the teaching, in a relentless progress of the conceptual apparatus of quantum information, which ultimately lead him and his team to a new foundation of quantum theory and quantum field theory.
Main references
[1] G. M. D’Ariano, Probabilistic theories: what is special about quantum mechanics, in A Bokulich and G Jaeger Eds. Philosophy of quantum information and entanglement (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2010) 85
[2] G. Chiribella, G.M. D’Ariano, P. Perinotti, Informational derivation of quantum theory, Phys. Rev. A 84 012311 (2011)
[3] G.M. D’Ariano, G. Chiribella, P. Perinotti, Quantum Theory from First Principles, (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge 2017)
[4] G. M. D’Ariano, P. Perinotti, Derivation of the Dirac Equation from Principles of Information processing, Phys. Rev. A 90 062106 (2014)
[5] A. Bisio, G. M. D’Ariano, P. Perinotti, Quantum Cellular Automaton Theory of Light, Ann. Phys. 368 177 (2016)
Additional references to previous relevant work
[A] G. M. D’Ariano, C. Macchiavello and M. G. A. Paris, Detection of the Density Matrix through Optical Homodyne Tomography without Filtered Back Projection, Phys. Rev. A 50 4298 (1994)
[B] G. M. D’Ariano, and P. Lo Presti, Quantum tomography for measuring experimentally the matrix elements of an arbitrary quantum operation, Phys. Rev. Lett. 86 4195 (2001)
[C] G. M. D’Ariano, and P. Lo Presti, M. G. A. Paris, Using entanglement improves precision of quantum measurements, Phys. Rev. Lett. 87 270404 (2001)
[D] G. M. D’Ariano and C. Macchiavello, Optimal phase covariant cloning for qubits and qutrits, Phys. Rev. A 67 042306 (2003)
[E] G. Chiribella, G.M. D’Ariano, P. Perinotti, Quantum circuit architecture, Phys. Rev. Lett. 101 060401 (2008)
G. M. D’Ariano collaborated and co-published with more than sixty different scientists in dozens of different institutions worldwide. Some relevant names of co-authors: R. Werner, A. Ekert, S. L. Braunstein, G. J. Milburn, M. Mosca, W. van Dam, D. Bruß, M. Lewenstein, C. M. Caves, M. B. Plenio, H. P. Yuen, Y. Shih, P. Kumar, P. Mataloni, F. Sciarrino, M. Keyl, F. De Martini, V. P. Belavkin, R. Gill, N. Cerf, M. Roetteler, P. Tombesi, S. Mancini, K. Banaszek, U. Leonhardt, H. Paul, R. Schack, M. Rasetti, L. Michel, A. Sen(De), U. Sen. Other: B. Valiron, M. Raginski, Past: G. Cassinelli, E. De Vito, B. Kummerer, D. Bruß, M. Lewenstein, J. Kahn, A. Andreoni, M. Bondani, A. Levrero, A. Porzio, S. Solimeno. M. Fortunato, M. Rubin, A. Garuccio, M. Vasilyev, V. I. Man’ko, S. Moroni, L. R. Evangelista, M. Saraceno, B. DeFacio, R. Bonifacio, A. Montorsi, M. Vadacchino, J. Katriel, A. Solomon, L. Michel, G. A. Barbosa, C. Agnes, C. Buzano, L. Benini, C. Marchetti, S. Aldovrandi, S.-K. Choi, S. Bose, D. Jonathan, M. De Laurentis, H. Maassen, E. Corndorf, G. Di Giuseppe, A. Mazzei, M. Ricci, T.-G. Noh, P. Voss, A. P. Bonoldi, E. Castellaro, R. Ciapparelli, E. Cima, D. Colombo, M. Maffezzini, R. Dionigi.
EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
1974 Maturità Classica, Liceo Plana, Alessandria, Italy
1974-80 Alumnus Almo Collegio Borromeo of Pavia (1974-80)
1978 Laurea in Physics, summa cum Laude, University of Pavia, Italy
1979 Scuola di Perfezionamento in Polymer Science, Politecnico di Milano
1978-79 Research fellowship in Polymer Science Politecnico di Milano
1979-80 Research fellowship at Pavia University
1984-1992 Research Assistant, University of Pavia
1992-2000 Associate professor, University of Pavia
2000- Full professor, University of Pavia
2000- Group leader, QUIT (Quantum Information Theory Group)
2000- Member of Center for Photonic Communication and Computing, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
TEACHING
Quantum Mechanics (2011-, B.Sc.), Foundations of Quantum Mechanics (2006-, M.Sc.), Quantum and Classical Information (2004-2013, M.Sc.), Quantum Optics (1992-2004, Laurea and M.Sc.), Quantum Systems and Information (2000-2003, Laurea), Structure of Matter (1997-98, Laurea), Solid State Theory (1991-92, Laurea). Member of the School Board and teacher at the Pavia PhD school since its birth in 1992 (Open Quantum System, currently Quantum Information Science and Selected Topics in Quantum Mechanics).
G. M. D’Ariano has supervised 32 among laurea, undergraduate and master thesis, 16 PhD thesis, 14 postdocs. Laurea Thesis: L. Bertolini (1981/82), A. Cavalli (1984/85), G. Onida (1986-87), N. Sterpi (1986/87), R. Paoletti (1987/88 ), R. Simonelli (1991/92), R. Seno (1991/92), A. Zucchetti (1993/94), G. Orfino (1993/94), M. Sacchi (1994/95), L. Maccone (1995/96), M. Paini (1997/98), M. Cinchetti (1998/99), P. Perinotti (1998/99), P. Scudo (1999/00), P. Lo Presti (1999/00), B. Falabretti (2001/02), R. Mecozzi (2001/02), F. Buscemi (2001/02), G. Chiribella (2002/2003), P. Albini (2003), S. De Zordo (2006/07), S. Facchini (2006/07), A. Bisio (2006/07), S. Bronzin (2004-), A. Tosini (2008/9), T. Colnaghi (2010/11), F. Manessi (2010/11), Alessio Belenchia, (2011/12), N. Mosco (2013/14), M. Erba (2012/13 laurea triennale), M. Erba (2013/14) PhD Thesis: C. Macchiavello (1992-94), M. Paris (1992-94), R. Seno (1994-96), M. Sacchi (1996-98), L. Maccone (1997-99), P. Lo Presti (2001-2003), F. Buscemi (2003-2005), G. Chiribella (2004-2006), D. Magnani (2006-2008), A. Bisio (2007-2009), M. Dall’Arno (2009-2011), A. Tosini (2010-2012), M. Zaopo (2010-2011), Colnaghi (2011), N. Mosco (2014-2016), M. Erba (2014-2016) Postdoctoral Fellows: N. Sterpi (1994-95,97-98), M. Paris (1996-01), C. Macchiavello (1997-98), M. Sacchi (1998-01), L. Maccone (2000-01), P. Perinotti (2002-2006), G.Chiribella (2006-2010), A. Bisio (2010-), S. Facchini (2010-2013), M. Sedlak (2009-2011). Long-term contract Sponsor: M. Sacchi (2001-2009), O. Rudolph (2001-2004), M. Keyl (2004-2005), L. Maccone (2004). Short contracts : K. Banaszek (1999), Th. Richter (2000), D. Schlingemann (2005/06).
INSTITUTIONAL AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE
Committee Member: Steering Committee of Quantum Information Theory and Quantum Computation of the European Science Foundation (1999-2002); Network of Excellence QUIPROCONE (Quantum Information Processing and Communication) (2000-); President of the Steering Committee of the International Conference on Quantum Communication, Measurement and Computing (QCMC) (2013-14); QCMC Award Committee: President (2014), Member (2012,2016). Co-Chair of the 2nd International ICST Conference on Quantum Communication and Quantum Networking (2010-); Principal Organizer: Working Conference on Quantum Measurements and Open Quantum Systems, Torino, Institute of Scientific Interchanges, 1997; II Working Party on Quantum Optics and Quantum Computation, Scuola Normale di Pisa 1997; Workshop on: Quantum Information Processing and Quantum Communications, Pavia 2004. Member of the Organizing Committee: 6th International Conference QCMC, MIT, Cambridge, MA, 2002; 5th International Conference QCMC, Chicago, 1998. Advisory Committee Member: Foundations of Probability and Physics, Vaxjo 2011, Quantum Theory: from Problems to Advances – QTPA, Vaxjo 2014; Quantum Probability, Information and Control Symposium, Nottingham 2006; 9th ICSSUR, Besanson France 2005; Wigner Centennial Conference, Pecs Hungary 2002; 7th International Conference on Squeezed States and Uncertainty Relations, Boston, MA, 2001; 6-th International Conference on ?Squeezed States and Uncertainty Relations? Naples 1999; 5th International Conference QCMC, Capri, Italy, 2000. 7th International Conference on QCMC, Glasgow, UK, 2004. Quantum Optics II, Cozumel in the Mexican Caribbean, 6-9 December 2004. ICSSUR Besancon, France, May 2 to 6, 2005. Program Committee Member: subcommittee ?Quantum Optics?, EQEC Munich, 2003; Topical meeting on: Quantum Information and Communication, Laser Munich 2001; Topic area: Quantum Optics, CLEO/EUROPE-IQEC Nice 2000. Editorial Board Member: Open Systems & Information Dynamics, Journal of Quantum and Semiclassical Optics, (2000-06). Referee: Nature, PRL, PRA-B-D, PLA, JPA-B-D, JQI, JQP, JMP, JOB, JOSAB, OL, and many others. National Project Coordinator: (1997-98) PRIN Amplification and Detection of Quantum Information, (1999-00) PRIN Quantum Information Transmission and Processing: Quantum Teleportation and Error Correction, PRIN (2002-03) Entanglement Assisted High Precision Measurements, (2005-06) PRIN Broadcasting of Quantum Information and Cryptography. (2008-11) PRIN Quantum Circuits Architecture. National Project local PI: (2001) FIRB Novel quantum measurements by parametric processes, (2003-05) FIRB Realizzazione degli effetti di Teletrasporto e Cloning quantistico mediante processi ottici parametrici (2003-04) PRIN New Generation of Quantum Measuring Devices for Photon Quantum Information technology, (1997-00) INFM Advanced Research Projects (PRA) Generation and detection of quantum mesoscopic surpositions in parametric media (CAT); (2002-05) Quantum Teleportation and Quantum Cloning by the Optical Parametric Squeezing Process (CLON); (1999-00) INFM PAIS Project Study of correlations and state reduction in cw and pulsed parametric devices by self homodyne techniques (TWIN); European Project local PI: (2002-05) FP5 Active Teleportation and Entangled State Information Technology (ATESIT), (2009-12) FP7 Collective quantum operations for information technologies (COQUIT). For the last 10 years see the following.
Most relevant organised international conferences in the field
2013-2014 Chair of the Steering Committee of International Conference on Quantum Communication, Measurement, and Computing (QCMC), Organising Committee QCMC 2002, MIT, Cambridge, MA; QCMC1998 Chicago. Member of the Network of Excellence QUIPROCONE (Quantum Information Processing and Communication)
Grants as Principal Investigator that G. M. D’Ariano has led in the last 10 years (local funding in parenthesis)
2016-2018 Templeton ID# 60609, Quantum Causal Structures, Caslav Brukner, Vienna, (500000 E to QUit, co-PI with Paolo Perinotti)
2014-2016 Templeton ID 43796, A Quantum-Digital Universe (327.276 $)
2014 Fondazione Banca del Monte, A Quantum-Digital Universe (15.235 E)
2012 FQXi, Qu the Bit (funding 4000$)
2011 FQXi, Informational principles for Quantum Theory (3000$)
2009-2011 STREP Collective quantum operations for information technologies (COQUIT), PI of Pavia (370.400 E)
2008-2009 PRIN Quantum Circuits Architecture, National Coordinator (110.776 E)
2005-2006 PRIN Broadcasting of Quantum Information and Cryptography, National Coordinator (155.714 E)
G. M. D’Ariano has been national coordinator of 5 Italian projects PRIN, and PI of two Templeton projects and of numerous other Italian and European FP7 projects.
For the complete list of grants see ORCID iD 0000-0003-0602-5519
Prizes/Awards/Academy memberships
Member of the Academy Istituto Lombardo di Scienze e Lettere
Fellow of the American Physical Society
Fellow of the American Optical Society
INFM (Istituto Nazionale Fisica della Materia): Two Excellences 1998 and one highlight 2000
APS viewpoint for work for the work on informational derivation of quantum theory
FQXi 3rd Essay Award (Awarded three times: 2011, 2012, 2013)
Major contributions to the early careers of excellent researchers (Laurea, Master, and Phd Thesis students)
Full Professors: Roberto Paoletti (Milano), Matteo Paris (Milano) [Borgia Award], Giovanni Onida (Milano), Chiara Macchiavello (Pavia), Associate Professors Lorenzo Maccone (Pavia). Assistant Professors: Paolo Perinotti (Pavia) [Von Neumann Prize]. Associate professors abroad: Giulio Chiribella (Hong Kong) [Hermann Weyl Prize] Francesco Buscemi (Nagoya).