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PUBLIC LECTURES

Physics for the future 2007–2008

From Einstein intuitions to quantum bits: a new quantum age
27 November 2007

Professor Alain Aspect Director of Research CNRS, Institut d'Optique, Paris Member of the French Academy of Science The laser, the transistor, and the computer chip have revolutionised the world and our daily lives. They are the most striking applications of quantum physics to date. In 1935, with co-authors Podolsky and Rosen, Einstein discovered an amazing quantum situation, where pairs of particles are so strongly correlated that they were described as 'entangled'. This led to a debate on the completeness of the quantum theory. In 1964, Bell produced his famous 'inequalities' that would allow experimentalists to settle the debate. Physicists are now using entanglement between 'qubits' to develop new methods to process and transmit information, with applications in computing and cryptography. The Academy's Nova: Science in the news topic Quantum computers – why would you want one? provides further information about quantum computing, cryptography and entanglement. Presentation (external site)

The (not so secret) lives of galaxies
23 August 2007

Professor Mike Dopita ARC Federation Fellow Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics Australian National University Mike Dopita is a fellow of the Australian Academy of Science, and was an inaugural Federation Fellow in 2002. He has published over 250 papers and a major text book in his speciality field, the physics of the gas between the stars. This talk traced the often violent life cycle of galaxies to answer the following questions: How are galaxies formed? How is the gas transformed into stars? How do the massive Black Holes that lurk at their centres grow? What happens when galaxies collide? This was the second talk in the Physics for the Future series of lectures. Presentation (external site)

Photons – quantum ideas that could influence your life
6 June 2007

Professor Hans Bachor Director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Quantum-Atom Optics ARC Federation Fellow, Department of Physics, Australian National University About 100 years ago the new idea of photons and quantisation of energy revolutionised physics and throughout the 20th century led to a remarkable expansion of our technology. All of us are now using results of optics and lasers every day in communication, entertainment and manufacturing. Soon we will be able to put the original concept of the quantum particle to practical use – optical quantum technologies will be part of our future. This talk traced the history of the photon and some of the people behind this scientific adventure and showed some of the new ideas that are currently explored in research labs in Australia and around the world. Presentation (external site)

This lecture series was sponsored by:

Australian Institute of Physics