Objective

Information theory and statistical mechanics have numerous fundamental similarities, one of which is the concept of entropy, which is shared by both fields. However, despite this connection, they have developed almost independently of each other and in the absence of extensive collaboration.

However, in recent years we have seen an increase in the number of breakthroughs in research activities that have employed the standard knowledge or techniques from one discipline and applied them to another. This implies an importance, as a methodology for conducting research, in the appropriate utilization of the underlying structural similarities between the two fields. Consequently, researchers have demonstrated a rapidly increasing interest in cross-disciplinary research initiatives. However, as a consequence of the relatively independent development histories of these fields, there are still barriers between them that hinder the exchange of information and efficient collaborative activities.

In response to this situation, the present workshop provides leading researchers with strong interdisciplinary interests in informatics and statistical mechanics with the opportunity to engage in intensive discussions. The aim of the workshop is to form a solid basis for overcoming the barriers that exist between the two fields by sharing the well-established expertise in each field, to discuss possible future directions, and to offer researchers the opportunity to exchange ideas that may lead to joint research initiatives.

Date

September 16-19, 2007

Venue

Paruru Plaza Kyoto
Shimogyo-ku, Kyoto-shi
Kyoto, Japan

(Location: Google map)

Registration

• Name
• Affiliation
  
• E-mail address
• Whether or not to attend the Banquet on September 18 (Fee: 7,000 Japanese yen, to be paid on-site)
  

Program

List of Invited Speakers

To speakers: Information about paper submission
Organized sessions only: We do not accept submissions from non-invited speakers.

• Dongning Guo (Webpage) (Northwestern University, USA): Linear systems via noisy channels: Generic estimation, belief propagation and mutual information
  
• Alexander K. Hartmann (Webpage) (University of Göttingen, Germany): Solution-space structure of (some)  optimization problems
  
• Koji Hukushima (Webpage) (University of Tokyo, Japan): Monte Carlo studies of rare events and spin glasses 
  
• Shin Ishii (Webpage) (Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Japan):  Combining multiple decisions: applications to bioinformatics
  
• Yoshiyuki Kabashima (Webpage) (Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan): Inference from correlated patterns: a unified theory for perceptron learning and linear vector channels
• Helmut G. Katzgraber (Webpage) (Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, Switzerland): Spin glasses and algorithm benchmarks: A one-dimensional view
• Masato Koashi (Webpage) (Osaka University, Japan): Quantum cryptography and quantification of quantum correlations
  
• Florent Krzakala (Webpage) (Ecole Supérieure de Physique et de Chimie Industrielles, France): Coloring random graphs and beyond...
  
• Enzo Marinari (Webpage) (Università di Roma "La Sapienza", Italy): Circuits in random graphs
  
• Marc Mézard (Webpage) (Université de Paris Sud, France): Group testing
  
• Andréa Montanari (Webpage) (Stanford University, USA): Online counting with sparse circuits
  
• Tatsuto Murayama (Webpage) (NTT, Japan): Statistical mechanics of sensing and communications
  
• Ralf R. Müller (Webpage) (Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet, Norway): Analysis of vector precoding in many dimensions
  
• Hidetoshi Nishimori (Webpage) (Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan): Mathematical aspects of quantum annealing
  
• Masato Okada (University of Tokyo, Japan): Deterministic annealing variant of variational Bayes method
  
• Gerardo Ortiz (Webpage) (Indiana University, USA): A quantum approach to classical statistical mechanics
• Andrea Pagnani (Webpage) (Institute for Scientific Interchange, Italy): Estimating the solution space of metabolic networks
• Kazuyuki Tanaka (Webpage) (Tohoku University, Japan): Path probability method and belief propagation for statistical inference
  
• Toshiyuki Tanaka (Webpage) (Kyoto University, Japan): General introduction to statistical-mechanical informatics
  
• Tadashi Wadayama (Webpage) (Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan): Interior point decoding for linear vector channels
• Martin Weigt (Webpage) (Institute for Scientific Interchange, Italy): Inference of regulatory networks: A statistical-physics approach
  
• Allan Peter Young (Webpage) (University of California, Santa Cruz, USA): Some recent results concerning phase transitions in spin glasses
• Francesco Zamponi (Webpage) (Ecole Normale Supérieure, France): Can rare SAT formulas be easily recognized? On the efficiency of message passing algorithms for K-SAT at large clause-to-variable ratios

Organizing Committee

 Koji Hukushima (University of Tokyo) (Program Chair)
 Yoshiyuki Kabashima (Tokyo Institute of Technology) (Vice-General Chair, DEX-SMI Head Investigator)
 Hidetoshi Nishimori (Tokyo Institute of Technology)
 Masato Okada (University of Tokyo)
 Kazuyuki Tanaka (Tohoku University)
 Toshiyuki Tanaka (Kyoto University) (General Chair)
 Tadashi Wadayama (Nagoya Institute of Technology)

Sponsor

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Area "Deepening and Expansion of Statistical Mechanical Informatics" (DEX-SMI)

The Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (IEICE)
The Physical Society of Japan (JPS)
The JSPS Global COE Program "Computationism as Foundations of Sciences," Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan