Speaker
Description
2025 was declared by UNESCO to be the International Year of Quantum, in part to recognize the foundation of Quantum Mechanics that was established in the mid 1920’s by Einstein, Bohr, Schrodinger, and many other pioneers. Those scientific underpinning gave the world the foundation for the 1st Quantum Revolution that transformed our society in the 20th Century with the transistor, laser, MRI scanners and other technology and devices. Today, we are at the beginning of the 2nd Quantum Revolution, that exploits the part of quantum mechanics that caused Einstein to state “God does not play dice with the universe!” After setting the context for this presentation, I will introduce key concepts such as superposition and quantum entanglement. I then describe how our control and manipulation of these provide the foundation for paradigm shifting technology that will transform the 21st Century. The presentation will conclude by providing an overview of this emerging quantum 2.0 economy and capabilities from atomic clocks so precise that one can observe the curvature of space time at 100 microns to quantum computers that leverage superposition and entanglement to process vast amounts of information simultaneously, promising breakthroughs in drug discovery, materials science, and optimization problems. For physics educators, this revolution presents both challenges and opportunities. Students must grasp counterintuitive concepts like wave-particle duality, quantum superposition, and entanglement—ideas that defy classical intuition. For society, we are entering an era where quantum literacy becomes essential for the next generation of scientists and engineers. As quantum technologies mature from laboratory curiosities to commercial applications, preparing students to navigate this quantum-enabled future becomes a critical educational imperative.
