Jul 12, 2022
Theoretical physicist Dr. Nicole Yunger Halpern visits Google to
discuss her book "Quantum Steampunk: The Physics of Yesterday's
Tomorrow." Victorian era steam engines and particle physics may
seem worlds apart, yet a new branch of science, quantum
thermodynamics, re-envisions the scientific underpinnings of the
Industrial Revolution through the lens of today's quantum
information revolution.
Classical thermodynamics, understood as the study of engines,
energy, and efficiency, needs reimagining to take advantage of
quantum mechanics, the basic framework that explores the nature of
reality by peering at minute matter, down to the momentum of a
single particle. In her new book, intrepid Harvard-trained
physicist Dr. Nicole Yunger Halpern introduces these concepts to
the uninitiated with what she calls "quantum steampunk," after the
fantastical genre that pairs futuristic technologies with Victorian
sensibilities. While readers follow the adventures of a rag-tag
steampunk crew on trains, dirigibles, and automobiles, they explore
questions such as, "Can quantum physics revolutionize engines?" and
"What deeper secrets can quantum information reveal about the
trajectory of time?"
Yunger Halpern also describes her own adventures in the quantum
universe and provides an insider's look at the work of the
scientists obsessed with its technological promise. Moving from
fundamental physics to cutting-edge experimental applications,
"Quantum Steampunk" explores the field's aesthetic, shares its
whimsy, and gazes into the potential of a quantum
future.
Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to
watch the video.