William Wootters
Encyclopedia
William Kent Wootters is an American physicist
, and a leading contributor to the field of quantum information theory. He proved the no cloning theorem
in a joint paper with Wojciech H. Zurek
. It was also independently discovered by Dennis Dieks
. He has also worked on the quantification of entanglement
.
He earned a B.S. from Stanford University
in 1973, and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin
in 1980. He has been a member of the physics department at Williams College
since 1982, and is currently the Barclay Jermain Professor of Natural Philosophy. He was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society
in 1999, for "contributions on the foundations of quantum mechanics and groundbreaking work in quantum information and communications theory." (Citation Listing)
Wootters also jointly coined the term Qubit
with Benjamin Schumacher
in 1995.
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
, and a leading contributor to the field of quantum information theory. He proved the no cloning theorem
No cloning theorem
The no-cloning theorem is a result of quantum mechanics that forbids the creation of identical copies of an arbitrary unknown quantum state. It was stated by Wootters, Zurek, and Dieks in 1982, and has profound implications in quantum computing and related fields.The state of one system can be...
in a joint paper with Wojciech H. Zurek
Wojciech H. Zurek
Wojciech Hubert Zurek is a well-known physicist and a Laboratory Fellow at Los Alamos National Laboratory. He is a leading authority on quantum theory, especially decoherence. His work also has a lot of potential benefit to the emerging field of quantum computing.Zurek earned his M.Sc. in Kraków,...
. It was also independently discovered by Dennis Dieks
Dennis Dieks
Dennis Dieks is a Dutch physicist and philosopher of physics. In 1982 he proved the no-cloning theorem . In 1989 he proposed a new interpretation of quantum mechanics, later known as a version of the modal interpretation of quantum mechanics...
. He has also worked on the quantification of entanglement
Quantum entanglement
Quantum entanglement occurs when electrons, molecules even as large as "buckyballs", photons, etc., interact physically and then become separated; the type of interaction is such that each resulting member of a pair is properly described by the same quantum mechanical description , which is...
.
He earned a B.S. from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
in 1973, and his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin
University of Texas at Austin
The University of Texas at Austin is a state research university located in Austin, Texas, USA, and is the flagship institution of the The University of Texas System. Founded in 1883, its campus is located approximately from the Texas State Capitol in Austin...
in 1980. He has been a member of the physics department at Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
since 1982, and is currently the Barclay Jermain Professor of Natural Philosophy. He was elected a fellow of the American Physical Society
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is the world's second largest organization of physicists, behind the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. The Society publishes more than a dozen scientific journals, including the world renowned Physical Review and Physical Review Letters, and organizes more than 20...
in 1999, for "contributions on the foundations of quantum mechanics and groundbreaking work in quantum information and communications theory." (Citation Listing)
Wootters also jointly coined the term Qubit
Qubit
In quantum computing, a qubit or quantum bit is a unit of quantum information—the quantum analogue of the classical bit—with additional dimensions associated to the quantum properties of a physical atom....
with Benjamin Schumacher
Benjamin Schumacher
Benjamin Schumacher is a U.S. theoretical physicist, working mostly in the field of quantum information theory.He discovered a way of interpreting quantum states as information. He came up with a way of compressing the information in a state, and storing the information in a smaller number of...
in 1995.