GENERAL INFORMATION
The workshop takes place from 17 to 21 August 2026 at the Institute for Theoretical Physics (THP) in Cologne and is organized by Jonas Haferkamp (RU Bochum), Markus Heinrich (U Cologne), Jonas Helsen (QuSoft & CWI Amsterdam), and Xhek Turkeshi (U Cologne).
This workshop aims at bringing together a small group of people with different backgrounds and a common interest in random circuits. The workshop will feature a small number of talks and a poster session, but will otherwise leave plenty of time for discussions and spontaneous sessions. We want to create a vivid atmosphere which will ideally spark many new ideas and collaborations.
The main topics are:
- approximate unitary designs, pseudo-randomness, and other properties of random quantum circuits
- connections to many-body physics
- noise in random circuits
- applications: random circuit sampling, algorithms, quantum characterization and learning, classical simulation
Participation in the workshop is by invitation only.
PROGRAM
| Time | Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| 9:30 |
Registration |
Discussions |
Discussions |
Discussions |
Discussions |
| 10:45 |
Welcome |
Morning session |
Morning session |
Morning session |
Morning session |
| 11:00 |
Bruno Bertini |
Matteo Ippoliti |
Natalie Parham |
Nick Hunter-Jones |
John Bostanci |
| 12:00 |
Lunch break |
Lunch break |
Lunch break |
Lunch break |
Lunch break |
| 14:00 |
Jonathan Conrad |
Nicholas LaRacuente |
Francisca Vasconcelos |
Laura Cui |
Dmitry Grinko |
| 15:00 |
Discussions |
Discussions |
Discussions |
Discussions |
Discussions
& departure |
| 17:00 |
Poster session |
Free afternoon |
| 19:00 |
|
|
|
This program may be subject to slight changes.
morning session: announcements, self-organization of sessions and discussions; (evening) activities
poster session: presentation of posters with drinks and snacks
free afternoon: continuation of discussions and/or exploration of Cologne (recommendations will be on website)
INVITED SPEAKERS
- Bruno Bertini (U Birmingham)
- John Bostanci (Columbia U)
- Jonathan Conrad (EPFL)
- Laura Cui (Caltech)
- Dmitry Grinko (QuSoft & U Amsterdam)
- Nicholas Hunter-Jones (UT Austin)
- Matteo Ippoliti (UT Austin)
- Nicholas LaRacuente (IU Bloomington)
- Natalie Parham (Columbia U)
- Francisca Vasconcelos (UC Berkeley)
VENUE AND ACCOMMODATION
The workshop takes place at the Institute for Theoretical Physics (THP), located south of Cologne's inner city. The institute is located in a new and separate building (see image), where several seminar and discussion rooms, as well as the rooftop terrace, are available for talks, discussions, and spontaneous sessions. THP is located directly at the green belt, a series of parks that can be used for relaxed discussions, extended strolls, or sports activitities.
THP can be readily reached by public transport, following the instructions of, e.g., Google Maps (address: Zülpicher Straße 77a). For detailed directions, see below or consult the THP website.
Accommodation: We recommend the following hotels: Motel One Köln-Neumarkt (as well as Köln-Mediapark, Köln-Altstadt), Steigenberger Hotel Köln, and Best Western Plus Hotel Köln City.
GETTING AROUND
Getting to Cologne by
- ... Plane: The nearest airports are Cologne, Düsseldorf, and Frankfurt. Together, Cologne and Düsseldorf Airport offer direct connections to many European destinations and are about 20 min and 40 min away from Cologne central station by regional train, respectively. Frankfurt airport is the largest airport in Germany with numerous intercontinental connections and only 50min away by direct high-speed train connection (ICE). This makes it the first choice for non-European participants. Other international airports like Amsterdam or Copenhagen may offer more flexible and cheapter options and are only a short (1h) connecting flight away from Cologne or Düsseldorf.
- ... Train: Cologne offers many direct high-speed train connections (ICE, Eurostar) to major cities in Europe, such as Paris, Amsterdam, Brussels, Hamburg, Berlin, Frankfurt, Munich, Basel, Zürich, and Vienna. There are also night train connections to Vienna and Bern/Milan (via Nightjet and European Sleeper).
- ... Car: Cologne is located next to the German highways A1, A3, and A4. Parking licence for the university parking lot next to THP can be requested from the organizers (limited).
How to get to the venue:
THP is located next to the station "Universität" (line 9, bus 142) and a 5 min walk away from "Eifelwall" (line 18). From the latter station, Cologne main station can be reached directly in 12-15 min.
The recommended hotels can be easily reached by public transport or by taking a short walk.
Public transport in Cologne works reasonably well and can be navigated using Google Maps or Deutsche Bahn's journey planner. There are several tram lines and a dense network of bus lines throughout the city. Most tram lines operate underground in the inner city and above ground elsewhere. Underground stations are marked with an "U" on maps and signs. Tickets can be purchased at vending machines in every tram and bus, or via the Deutsche Bahn or KVB app. Single tickets are 3.80 EUR (zone 1b). Within the inner city, the cheaper "Kurzstrecke" ticket for 2.80 EUR is often enough (zone K, up to 4 stops). Alternatively, a week/7-day ticket is available (zone 1b, 37.60 EUR).
Individual transport in Cologne is facilitated by the Uber and Bolt services. These are typically 10-50% cheaper than taxis.
