Events

Chad Orzel, Union College
The invention of quantum physics in the early 20th century forced scientists to reconsider many cherished ideas from classical physics, leading to revolutionary changes in our scientific and philosophical understanding of the universe. Quantum phenomena have also proven to be a rich source of metaphors and inspiration for fiction. 
 

Speaker: Jacqueline Armstrong Gates

Speaker: Tom Hunter and Neil Henderson

Abstract: A lot of different concepts and possibilities have been discussed. The final session will recap those and put them in perspective, with emphasis on the relevance to a "typical" university start up and the people involved.

Canadian Graduate Quantum Conference (CGQC) Practice Talk Session

Bowen Yang, Masters Student

Rahul Deshpande, PhD Student

Charles W. Thiel​, Montana State University

Colloquium

Big Ideas for Little Minds

Chris Ferrie will take you through a historical journey of his own coming of age with digital software and what that experience has granted him. The lesson to be learned is that children will take advantage of the opportunities they are given, but only if their parents and teachers show genuine interest in the activities giving rise to those opportunities. 20 years from now, there will be a Quantum Technology equivalent of Bill Gates. That future leader is only a young child today.

 Cooling close to absolute zero temperature: a recipe for discoveries

Wolfgang Ketterle, 2001 Nobel Laureate

Quantum + Beer

Thursday, November 1
7:30 pm
Patent Social - 17 Erb Street East, Waterloo

Experience the unique combination of quantum physics and craft beer and learn how they are anecdotally intertwined.

Raymond Laflamme, Department of Physics and Astronomy; Institute for Quantum Computing

Stephen Hawking passed away leaving behind a transformed view of the cosmos. He proved that time had a beginning if Einstein's general relativity is correct, that black ain't so black after all and he proposed that the Universe can be described by a quantum mechanical wave function with no edge or boundaries. From 1984 to 1988 I was one of Stephen's graduate students and worked on quantum cosmology and the arrow of time which earned me a quote in the book: "A Brief History of Time".

QUANTUM + Pop Culture

“Quantum physics” has taken its position with “rocket science” in pop culture as a shorthand for frighteningly complicated science. Quantum physics has also taken on a sort of magical connotation in fiction, with features like entanglement, superposition, and tunneling spurring imagination. But where does the science draw the line? How much is joyful speculation, and how much is disregard for reality? And if it’s always seen as either magical or scary, how does that affect the perception of quantum science?