Now that I have started my summer research fellowship, I know what I am going to work on and with whom. My topic of research for the summer is Quantum to classical transition using weak continuous measurements. Yep, big boy stuff. I have only had a first interaction with my advisor till now, who seems like a really cool guy. He gave me a set of problems to solve with the intention that while solving those problems I will get some insight into what the work entails. We’ll see how that goes.
What I did realize is that with the amount of tasks I took upon myself to do this summer, I really need an action plan, a schedule to follow, some daily/weekly targets to chase. Only then can I ensure that I will be able to achieve exactly what I had planned, for once in my life. Yes, I know that making a schedule rarely works given the plethora of unexpected things that can happen, but I’ll try my best to devise one that is somewhat foolproof.
Okay, so let’s get this straight (a tl;dr version of the last post), the things I need to do-
- All that my advisor asks me to do
- Functional Analysis from Kreyszig
- Quantum Information and Computing
- Quantum Mechanics from JJ Sakurai
- GRE Preparation
- GNS Construction
Wow, isn’t that a handful. So, let’s go step by step.
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What my advisor asks me to do is of prime importance, as that is what I am here to do. So, obviously, I will spend a major chunk of my time doing that, everyday.
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Doing functional analysis, on the other hand, is also important for me as that will be the stepping stone to starting GNS construction. My aim will be to do atleast 2 hours of functional analysis everyday, from Kreyszig, with hopes that I will be able to finish a large chunk of it by the time I am done with my fellowship.
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QIC isn’t really what I am worried about. Every week we get a set of readings to do which is pretty easily manageable given the amount of time we have on our hands. I will probably dedicate the weekend to this one.
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If you did read my topic of research you would understand that quantum mechanics will play a major role in it. Hence, studying quantum mechanics from JJ Sakurai is necessary. 2 hours a day should be a good starting point.
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I am planning on giving my GRE in January, 2019. Yes, I know that is a long way away, but given my semester is going to be hectic anyway, I need to start now so that I am able to complete my GRE preparation before the winter-break in December. That will give me a good fortnight to do practice papers and mock tests in order to ensure best possible results. I took a diagnostic test recently and without any preparation I was able to score 303. All I need to do is to work on my Verbal section and make sure that I don’t take the Quantitave section lightly. 1 hour everyday should do the trick.
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GNS construction can only be done once I have a thorough understanding of functional analysis. So, I think it is best to leave GNS construction until the end of my fellowship and start working on it once I am back home. 15 days should be more than enough to get it done (fingers crossed).
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I also need to revise everything I do in a week, so as to make sure I don’t forget much of it by the time my fellowship ends. I will keep this task for the weekend.
Okay, so, the tl:dr version:
2 hours of functional analysis + 2 hours of quantum mechanics + 1 hour of GRE preparation + project work = weekday
QIC + project work + revision of the week’s work = weekend
I think I can manage it. Why bother you with this? So that there is someone to keep me in check. ;)