Hebrew University scientist profiled for Einstein centenary
Dr. Dorit Aharonov, of the Benin School of Engineering and Computer Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has been chosen by the science journal Nature as one of four young theorists being profiled in the magazine to mark the 100th anniversary of Albert Einstein’s publication of three of his landmark theories in 1905, when he was 26 years old.
Dr. Aharonov’s work focuses on a new computational model based on the law of quantum physics that has caused a revolution in the theory of computer science. Quantum computers, if ever built, will be able to solve certain computational problems dramatically faster than any standard computer.
Dr. Aharonov’s work concentrates on overcoming the main problem with quantum computers: large-scale quantum systems are very sensitive to errors whose effect might ruin the computation process. In her Ph.D. project, Dr. Aharonov, together with advisor Prof. Michael Ben-Or, showed how to protect the quantum computer from errors by theoretical means. Dr. Aharonov hopes to develop new techniques for solving difficult computational problems with the aid of the laws of quantum physics.
The profile on Dr. Aharonov appears today in the current issue of Nature, together with profiles of three other young theorists from Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Max Planck Institute in Germany.
Japanese Cultural Center dedicated at Hebrew University of Jerusalem
A Japanese Cultural Center was dedicated this week at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The center is being supported with grants from Japanese and American sources.
Participants in the center’s dedication included a large delegation of Japanese parliamentarians, the Japanese ambassador to Israel and the Israeli ambassador to Japan, as well as former Israeli President Yitzhak Navon, businessmen and organizational officials.
The center will serve to develop closer cultural ties between Israel and Japan and to heighten the awareness of Japanese culture in Israel through symposia, performances, workshops and other activities. Prof. Ben-Ami Shillony of the Hebrew University, an internationally-known scholar on Japanese culture, and Yitzhak Lior, a former Israeli ambassador to Japan, head the new center.
Establishment of the center at the Hebrew University is testimony to the growing interest in Japanese culture in Israel. The Department of East Asian Studies at the Hebrew University is one of the largest in the Faculty of Humanities and offers advanced degrees in this field.
The new cultural center will involve itself in activities not covered by the Department of East Asian Studies; for example, teaching the Japanese healing techniques of shiatsu to blind people in order to provide them with a livelihood. The center is also involved in initiating an Einstein exhibition in Japan to mark the centenary of the publication of Einstein’s landmark theory of relativity.
Technion researchers develop device that identifies improvised explosives
Technion researchers have developed a unique device that identifies improvised explosives, the kind commonly used by terrorist organizations - triacetone-triperoxide (TATP). The device, named Peroxide Explosive Tester (PET), resembles a three-color roller pen. It releases three chemical mixtures that change color upon interaction with the suspected material.
The PET inventor, Professor Ehud Keinan, Dean of the Technion’s Faculty of Chemistry, says: “To our great surprise, we discovered that TATP is very different from all other conventional explosives in that it does not release heat during the explosion. It explodes by rapid decomposition of every solid-state molecule to four gas-phase molecules. This rare phenomenon, scientifically known as ‘entropic explosion’, is reminiscent of the rapid reaction that produces gas in the safety air-bags of cars during accidents.”
These results, which were published today in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, arise from collaborative research that was carried out by Prof. Keinan of the Technion, Prof. Yehuda Zeiri of the Nuclear Research Center in the Negev, Professors Ronnie Kosloff and Joseph Almog of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and their co-workers.
“Since the invention of dynamite by Alfred Nobel and the development of other explosives, both for military and civilian purposes, it has been a commonly accepted principle that every explosive material is an energetic one, releasing a good deal of heat during explosion,” says Prof. Keinan. “Therefore, the results of our research were received with complete surprise by the scientific community. TATP and other explosives of the peroxide family, are used extensively by many terrorist organizations around the world for two reasons: they are easy to prepare and very difficult to detect. Many of the devastating suicide attacks by terrorists over the past few years involved TATP charges. These include: the attacks on the Dolphinarium disco in Tel Aviv and the Jerusalem pedestrian mall, and many of the bus explosions around the country. They are also very sensitive and therefore are dangerous to those who prepare them. This is the reason for the frequent 'work accidents' that have occurred in the pirate labs of Palestinian terrorists.”
Professor Keinan revealed these new results at the annual symposium of the Technion Center for Security Science and Technology. During that conference, he was awarded first prize in a competition for the development of counter-terror technologies.