Loop Calculus in Statistical Physics and Information Theory

SPEAKER: Dr. Michael Chertkov, Los Alamos National LaboratoryABSTRACT: In this talk I describe loop calculus. This recently developed theoretical tool allows to express partition function of a statistical inference physics problem on a graph in terms of a series, where each term is associated with a loop on the graph. Utility of the loop calculus for analysis of modern (Low-Density-Parity-Check) error-correction codes, and also for improving decoding, is demonstrated.Bio: Chertkov's areas of interest include theoretical physics and non-equilibrium statistical physics applied to error-correction (information) theory, turbulence (statistical hydrodynamics) and statistical and nonlinear optics.Chertkov received his Ph.D. in physics from the Weizmann Institute of Science in 1996, and his M.Sc. from Novosibirsk State University in 1990. After his Ph.D., Chertkov spent three years at Princeton University as the R.H. Dicke Fellow in the Department of Physics. He joined Los Alamos National Lab in 1999, initially as the J.R. Oppenheimer Fellow in the Theoretical Division. In 2002, he became a full-term technical staff member in the same division at LANL.Host: Prof. Keith Chugg, chugg@usc.edu

Location: Hughes Aircraft Electrical Engineering Center (EEB) - 248

Audiences: Everyone Is Invited

Contact: Mayumi Thrasher