HSE Professor Awarded Shannon Prize

Professor Alexander Holevo at the Department of Applied Mathematics MIEM HSE has been awarded the international Shannon Prize for achievements in quantum information theory.

Professor Holevo has earnt the prize by his outstanding contribution in creating the mathematical foundations of quantum information science. It is an acknowledgement of his achievements in theory which have facilitated the development of one of the most important and cutting edge areas of technology in modern science today. In accordance with the Shannon prize rules, Alexander Holevo will give an honorary lecture at the International Symposium on Information Theory in 2016. 

Claude Shannon, an American mathematician was the founder of information theory. The Shannon prize is considered the most prestigious in the field. Alexander Holevo is author of more than 170 scientific publications and one the founders of the quantum information theory. In 1973 he was the first to find an upper bound to the amount of information which can be known about a quantum state. This is now known as Holevo’s Theorum. Much of Holevo’s work is devoted to the theory of quantum channels - structures for the transmission of quantum information between two systems. In particular, Holevo and his colleagues have identified many correlations which determine the informational capacity of a quantum channel.  

At HSE Alexander Holevo reads a course of lectures on mathematical models for quantum information for the Master’s programme Mathematical Modelling Methods and Computer Technologies. One on the subjects Holeva asks his applied mathematics students  at MIEM to write about for coursework is quantum methods for the allocation of a secret key.