The Subquantum World: What Lies Beneath Quantum Theory? Dr Maria Violaris 2026-05-11 | Quantum theory appears to allow some kind of connection between entangled particles, but not enough to send messages. Prof Antony Valentini argues this is a conspiracy: there must be something deeper than quantum, where nonlocality can actually be used to send messages, but it is hidden from view in standard quantum experiments. In this episode of the Quantum Foundations Podcast, Valentini uses Pilot-wave theory to explain the physics of the nonlocal subquantum world. He discusses various ways that the theory could be experimentally tested, by looking for signatures of violations of the Born rule in extreme environments, such as the early universe. He also discusses the radical technological implications of subquantum physics, if we were able to harness it. Valentini recently released a book for a general audience explaining these ideas, "Beyond the Quantum: A Quest for the Origin and Hidden Meaning of Quantum Mechanics", have a read to find out more! Amazon link: amazon.co.uk/dp/0198853742/?bestFormat=true&k=beyond%20the%20quantum&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ww_k0_1_18_de&crid=130VQOLCLUIRD&sprefix=beyond%20the%20quantum*Timestamps* 00:00 Coming Up00:40 Why nonlocality matters11:42 The subquantum demon21:37 Where the Born rule comes from31:41 Could quantum theory allow faster-than-light signals?43:11 Testing the Born rule in the early universe56:24 Dark matter, relic particles, and space experiments01:05:12 Primordial black holes and subquantum measurement01:17:37 Hacking quantum cryptography?01:23:39 Computing beyond quantum limits01:30:25 Does superluminal signalling break relativity?01:45:24 Pilot-wave quantum gravity01:59:45 Key takeaways02:02:38 The measurement problem*Listen on...* Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/70ZHC5RTybCwiuUu2DjKf2Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/quantum-foundations-podcast/id1781537455Podbean & more: mariaviolaris.podbean.com*If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can buy me a coffee here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. For larger donations, support via my Fellow profile on the Conjecture Institute website: Profile link - conjectureinstitute.org/#maria-violarisDonation link - every.org/conjecture-institute-inc?designation=Maria+Violaris&utm_campaign=donate-link#/donate/cardAll support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Podcast Background*I'm Maria, I'm a quantum physicist and science communicator. I completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford, and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits, alongside my personal quantum foundations research.I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. *Episode links and resources*- Valentini's book, "Beyond the Quantum: A Quest for the Origin and Hidden Meaning of Quantum Mechanics". Amazon link: amazon.co.uk/dp/0198853742/?bestFormat=true&k=beyond%20the%20quantum&ref_=nb_sb_ss_w_scx-ent-bk-ww_k0_1_18_de&crid=130VQOLCLUIRD&sprefix=beyond%20the%20quantum____________________*Antony Valentini's online profiles*- Wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antony_Valentini- Google Scholar: scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=antony+valentini&btnG=*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Entangling Two Ions in a Quantum Lab! Dr Maria Violaris 2026-07-27 | Let's entangle some ions! Oxford is home to record-breaking trapped-ion quantum labs, and in this video we get a tour of two linked trapped-ion devices ("Alice" and "Bob"), we entangle them in real-time, and find out about the latest research in quantum computing. We're joined by Dr Peter Drmota leading the tour and demo, followed by a blackboard discussion with DPhil researcher Lorenzo Versini. *Time-stamps* 00:00 Intro 01:06 Lab tour05:56 Entangling ions demo08:51 Blackboard discussionThanks to Mia Stamatova for filming!
The Quantum Attack Google Wont Publish Dr Maria Violaris 2026-04-01 | Two new papers reduce the resources needed for quantum computers to hack cryptocurrencies. But the headlines don't quite tell the whole story... I break down Google's whitepaper on quantum security of crypto, which includes a secret algorithm that they only released a zero-knowledge proof to verify. I also discuss new start-up Oratomic's paper on implementing Shor's algorithm with 10,000 qubits on a neutral-atom quantum computer — revealing a real quantum researchers' perspective on what it takes to achieve this and what it would mean for crypto. 0:00 Intro3:28 Two New Papers5:39 Google Paper6:07 RSA vs Elliptic Curve10:53 Attack Types: On-Spend vs At-Rest12:28 Fast Clock vs Slow Clock Architectures15:38 Zero Knowledge Proof17:26 10,000 Qubit Claim19:50 Space- vs Time-Efficient Architectures22:29 Final commentsNew to quantum? Watch my "Intro to Quantum Computing" series: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLlzqzbe3LGN8LR0SylDCR6tJAZkDtVq_W
Rethinking quantum, gravity and spacetime with Prof. Gerard Milburn Dr Maria Violaris 2026-03-17 | What if quantum particles have no gravity? In this episode of the Quantum Foundations Podcast, Professor Gerard Milburn explains how this radical idea could solve open problems in quantum theory and lead towards a theory of quantum gravity. It comes with extreme consequences for quantum measurements; the formation of black holes; and even the beginning of the universe. From a new understanding of Bell experiments to a cosmological arrow of time, find out if dropping gravity from the equation could be the start of transforming the field of quantum science and technology. *Timestamps*00:00 Coming up 01:13 Intro01:59 Gerard's journey into quantumBackground:07:05 Gravity & quantum 09:20 Quantum gravity test12:47 Falling under gravity (geodesics)Changing view on gravity test:17:40 Bell experiment & spacetime coords 26:38 Detecting gravity superpositions28:34 Particles with no gravity 31:48 Measurement devices 35:33 Quantum computer experiments Effects on cosmology:36:33 Black hole formation — no singularity?43:30 Big bang chain reaction 47:21 Irreversibility & gravitational entropyQuantum reality & tech:49:17 Interpretations & measurement 53:54 Limits on quantum computers?01:01 Outro & final comments*Listen on...* Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/70ZHC5RTybCwiuUu2DjKf2Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/quantum-foundations-podcast/id1781537455Podbean & more: mariaviolaris.podbean.com*If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can buy me a coffee here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. For larger donations, support via my Fellow profile on the Conjecture Institute website: Profile link - conjectureinstitute.org/#maria-violarisDonation link - every.org/conjecture-institute-inc?designation=Maria+Violaris&utm_campaign=donate-link#/donate/cardAll support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Podcast Background*I'm Maria, I'm a quantum physicist and science communicator. I completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford, and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits, alongside my personal quantum foundations research.I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. *Episode links and resources*- Short's paper, "Probability in many-worlds theories", arxiv.org/abs/2106.16145____________________*Gerard Milburn's online profiles*- Wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_J._Milburn- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=i8Ss478AAAAJ&hl=en- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gerard-m-7b5031334- Blog: femtometeronik.wordpress.com*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
How to program a quantum computer just using pi! Dr Maria Violaris 2026-03-14 | Can you program a quantum computer only using pi? To celebrate pi day 2026, in this video I go through the paper "All You Need is pi: Quantum Computing with Hermitian Gates" by Ben Zindorf and Sougato Bose at UCL, published in November 2025. In this paper they show that you can construct any quantum computing operations out of quantum operations that have the special property of undoing themselves ("Hermitian gates") — and for single-qubit gates, these are entirely made of rotations of an angle of pi! Watch the video to find out how it works, and you can also read the paper here: arxiv.org/abs/2402.12356*Timestamps*0:00 Intro 1:03 Single qubits & gates3:11 Gates on many qubits3:58 Quantum circuit diagrams4:44 Universal gate set5:54 Self-reverse gates (Hermitian)8:08 All you need is pi?10:14 Decomposing gates13:14 Hardware pi pulses14:28 Clocked quantum computers
Shors algorithm with just 100,000 qubits? Quantum Physicist Reacts! Dr Maria Violaris 2026-03-03 | Can Shor's algorithm be run with 100,000 qubits to break encryption? A new proposal for a quantum computing architecture suggests that the resources required are 10x smaller than the previous best estimate of a million qubits, proposed just last year from Google. In this video I explain why it's more complicated than it seems to directly compare these estimates, and break down how exactly we've been getting closer and closer to breaking encryption with quantum computers over the years. Watch to make your own mind up about whether the "Q-Day" of quantum computers breaking encryption is decades away or just around the corner!*Timestamps*00:00 Intro 01:20 Quantum computing background03:28 Quantum error correction background 04:47 Billion-qubit estimate (2012)05:33 20 million qubit estimate (2019)06:56 1 million qubit estimate (2025) 10:46 100,000 qubit estimate?!16:23 Table of trade-offs 18:34 Alternative architectures19:44 Industry roadmaps to Q-Day
If Every Quantum Event Happens… Why Probability? Dr Maria Violaris 2026-02-19 | If there really is a quantum reality for every possible outcome of a measurement, then where do measurement probabilities come from? Dr Tony Short at the University of Bristol has used a set of intuitive assumptions to derive probability in a quantum multiverse. In this episode of the Quantum Foundations Podcast, we discuss his motivations for exploring the many-worlds interpretation; what his assumptions are and how they lead to the Born rule for measurement probabilities; and how these ideas fit within the broader landscape of research in quantum foundations, probability and the many-worlds interpretation. *Time-stamps*00:00 Coming up 00:38 Intro01:49 Why Many-Worlds?03:18 The measurement problem06:58 Branching08:51 The probability problem12:22 Preferred basis & decoherence20:47 How to derive probability31:07 Assumptions 40:48 From axioms to the Born Rule49:41 How satisfying Is the derivation?50:19 Probability in classical many-worlds56:18 The derivation in context01:10:42 Summary & Wrap up*Listen on...* Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/70ZHC5RTybCwiuUu2DjKf2Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/quantum-foundations-podcast/id1781537455Podbean & more: mariaviolaris.podbean.com*If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can buy me a coffee here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. For larger donations, support via my Fellow profile on the Conjecture Institute website: Profile link - conjectureinstitute.org/#maria-violarisDonation link - every.org/conjecture-institute-inc?designation=Maria+Violaris&utm_campaign=donate-link#/donate/cardAll support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Podcast Background*I'm Maria, I'm a quantum physicist and science communicator. I completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford, and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits, alongside my personal quantum foundations research.I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. *Episode links and resources*- Short's paper, "Probability in many-worlds theories", arxiv.org/abs/2106.16145____________________*Tony Short's online profiles*- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=nYVwOQ0AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra- University of Bristol webpage: bristol.ac.uk/people/person/Tony-Short-2df6a2c6-2d96-4197-9be9-99867e52aada*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Inside Harvards Quantum Computing Lab Dr Maria Violaris 2026-02-12 | Ever seen a world-leading neutral-atom quantum computing lab? I visited Timothy Guo, a research scientist in Professor Mikhail Lukin's group at Harvard University, to take a look around his lab. They recently made a breakthrough in achieving an essential step towards building neutral atom quantum computers — enabling continuous operation of a 3000-qubit system. In this video, Tim explains how neutral-atom quantum computers work, the latest developments in his research group, and the challenges to solve going forward. We also take a look around the Harvard campus and have a tour of Tim's lab to see where the quantum magic happens (look out for the "optical conveyer belt"!).*Time-stamps* 0:00 Intro 1:00 Neutral-atom quantum computing 7:13 Atom reloading breakthrough 9:27 Lab tour Thank you to Tim's lab-mates for guest appearances: Simon Hollerith, Elias Trapp, Luke Stewart and Mohamed Abobeih. Thanks also to Mia Stamatova and Giuseppe Di Pietra for help recording the video (including lots of fun frisbee around the Harvard campus...!)Link to the Nature paper "Continuous operation of a coherent 3000-qubit system": nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09596-6
Is Quantum Reality Fractal? (Prof. Tim Palmer on Chaos & Nonlocality) Dr Maria Violaris 2026-02-05 | The notion of true quantum nonlocality is absurd. Prof Tim Palmer from the University of Oxford suggests that there is a hidden assumption in standard quantum mechanics, and dropping it will save us from this absurdity. Namely, the reality of counterfactuals: the physics of what could have happened but did not. Inspired by chaos theory and the fractal structure widespread in atmospheric physics, Palmer has developed a new underlying structure for quantum theory, with radical implications for our fundamental principles of quantum physics; the limits of quantum computation; and perhaps even the search for quantum gravity.*Time-stamps*00:00 Coming up 01:05 Intro 01:35 Tim's journey into quantum (& climate)06:40 Intuition that quantum needs modifying 08:29 Measurement problem & non-locality17:06 Chaos theory & fractals23:56 Cantor dust 31:12 Universe as Lorenz attractor39:00 Counterfactuals in physics 44:27 Making quantum fractal & chaotic 56:54 Can we discretise Hilbert space? 1:05:10 Holistic nature of quantum reality1:10:30 Quantum gravity & quantum computer experiment1:23:30 Outro*Listen on...* Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/70ZHC5RTybCwiuUu2DjKf2Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/quantum-foundations-podcast/id1781537455Podbean & more: mariaviolaris.podbean.com*If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can buy me a coffee here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. For larger donations, support via my Fellow profile on the Conjecture Institute website: Profile link - conjectureinstitute.org/#maria-violarisDonation link - every.org/conjecture-institute-inc?designation=Maria+Violaris&utm_campaign=donate-link#/donate/cardAll support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Podcast Background*I'm Maria, I'm a quantum physicist and science communicator. I completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford, and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits, alongside my personal quantum foundations research.I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. *Episode links and resources*- arXiv paper "Impossible Counterfactuals, Discrete Hilbert Space and Bell’s Theorem", arxiv.org/abs/2601.14941- arXiv paper "Testing Quantum Mechanics with Quantum Computers: Qubit Information Capacity", arxiv.org/pdf/2510.02877____________________*Tim Palmer's online profiles*- Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Palmer_(physicist)- Oxford Physics: ox.ac.uk/news-and-events/find-an-expert/professor-tim-palmer- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=tim+palmer&btnG=*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Is entropy subjective? (The Gibbs Paradox Explained) Dr Maria Violaris 2026-01-29 | Entropy is core to the laws of thermodynamics and the arrow of time. And yet, some physicists argue that entropy actually depends on who is measuring it. Could it really be the case that such a fundamental aspect of the laws of physics is subjective?!In this talk, I use some controversial coffee cups to give a satisfying explanation for how observers can measure entropy differently. I also explain how to resolve the "Gibbs paradox" using purely classical reasoning, even though it was once thought to require quantum mechanics to resolve it. These insights into entropy ultimately demonstrate how the seemingly abstract act of discovering new knowledge, and new technologies, has a physical impact on the laws that govern what's around us. I recommend watching while sipping a cup of coffee..._________________I gave this talk at the Rationalist Festival (Rat Fest) 2025, organised by the Conjecture Institute. Thanks to the Conjecture Institute for the invite to the conference and for supporting my content!(Thank you also to my physicist friends and colleagues, Giuseppe Di Pietra and Simone Rijavec, for letting me use their nice Italian names for the Rat Fest "rats" making coffee!)Find out more about the Conjecture Institute: conjectureinstitute.orgIf you like my content, you can donate to support my work directly via my Fellow page on the Conjecture Institute website:Profile link - conjectureinstitute.org/#maria-violarisDonation link - every.org/conjecture-institute-inc?designation=Maria+Violaris&utm_campaign=donate-link#/donate/card
Testing if Wigners friend breaks quantum theory | Dr Will Zeng Dr Maria Violaris 2026-01-22 | What if you could put an observer in superposition on a quantum computer? Dr Will Zeng suggests that this experiment could stretch standard quantum theory so far that it might break — and radically update our understanding of physical reality. However, today's proof-of-principle experiments on quantum computers use single qubits to model observers. Zeng explains how a new programme of research aims to quantify "observer-ness" and conduct experiments with increasingly realistic observers, pushing quantum computers to the limits until they can run actual quantum Artificial General Intelligence experiments. Zeng has a background in quantum foundations and quantum computing research. He is Founder and President of Unitary Foundation and a Partner at the venture capital fund Quantonation. *Timestamps:*0:00 Coming Up0:29 Introduction1:40 What led you to quantum foundations?2:35 The problem with the measurement postulate 7:46 Wigner's friend 11:33 Testing quantum reality14:03 Local friendliness inequalities22:20 Whiteboard explanation 29:40 Interpreting the protocol 32:02 Single-photon observer experiments 34:17 Measuring observer-ness 42:49 New quantum observer experiments 46:02 Complexity measure of observers 52:05 Loopholes 53:13 Science & tech interplay 58:26 Next steps in quantum observer tests 59:35 Has physics slowed down?1:02:52 Recap 1:11:12 Information in quantum theory1:13:23 Will's opinion on the results 1:15:37 Open-source & final comments*Listen on...* Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/70ZHC5RTybCwiuUu2DjKf2Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/quantum-foundations-podcast/id1781537455Podbean & more: mariaviolaris.podbean.com*If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can buy me a coffee here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. For larger donations, support via my Fellow profile on the Conjecture Institute website: Profile link - conjectureinstitute.org/#maria-violarisDonation link - every.org/conjecture-institute-inc?designation=Maria+Violaris&utm_campaign=donate-link#/donate/cardAll support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Podcast Background*I'm Maria, I'm a quantum physicist and science communicator. I completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford, and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits, alongside my personal quantum foundations research.I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. *Episode links and resources*- Publication on the work discussed in this podcast, "Towards violations of Local Friendliness with Quantum Computers" (2025): quantum-journal.org/papers/q-2025-09-05-1851- Zeng's blog post on why we should run Wigner's friend thought experiments (2022): wignersfriends.com ____________________*Will Zeng's online profiles*- Website: willzeng.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=ctec7t4AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/zengwill- Twitter / X: https://x.com/wjzeng*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Erasure Qubits Explained (and Why They’re Powerful) Dr Maria Violaris 2026-01-15 | To build a useful quantum computer, we need quantum error correction. This works by encoding noisy physical qubits into larger logical qubits, composed of many physical ones, in such a way that you can detect and correct their errors.This process presents a huge scaling challenge for quantum computing, because we need many, many physical qubits for each logical qubit. But what if we could vastly reduce the overheads of our logical qubits by re-designing the noise on our hardware?Watch this recording of my 7-minute talk at Bristol Quantum Carousel 2025 to find out about the approach to quantum error correction that I work on at Oxford Quantum Circuits! I use LEGO to explain how superconducting qubits with built-in error detection makes quantum error correction much more powerful.Bristol Quantum Carousel 2025 was the 2nd edition of the event, a quantum variety night which was started in 2024 by Zulekha Samiullah, and was run by Zulekha together with Hugh Barrett. Useful links —Event page: bristol.ac.uk/quantum-engineering/events/quantum-carousel-2025Physics World coverage: physicsworld.com/a/learning-through-laughter-at-quantum-carouselMy performance for the 2024 event, a quantum-themed poem about Alice and Bob, The Scientists That Don't Exist: youtu.be/HAZSnYjsNBA?si=ES69ME36fyF3LsrDIntro to Quantum Error Correction video: youtu.be/c5-HhsS1orw?si=pZugpP6zL3W_NAHYErasure qubits seminar recording: youtu.be/bQFCljPt9ms?si=5Ht6gWxvLvSvRtg4Perspective article on superconducting erasure qubits: arxiv.org/abs/2601.02183OQC technology webpage: https://oqc.tech/tech/devices/
Conservation Laws & the Future of Physics | Dr Chiara Marletto Dr Maria Violaris 2026-01-08 | Our most far-reaching principles of physics are not about what changes, but what stays the same: conservation laws. In this episode of the Quantum Foundations Podcast, Dr Chiara Marletto from the University of Oxford explains how such principles enable discovery of new physical phenomena; their central role in thermodynamics; controversies about how they hold up in quantum mechanics; and how they can be used to formulate results about future theories of physics beyond quantum. 00:00 Coming Up 00:23 Intro 00:44 Historical use of conservation laws in physics 06:22 Gravitational redshift, particles and violations 10:18 Constructor theory & thermodynamics19:42 Semi-classical & post-quantum dynamics 26:36 Work extraction & information 36:03 Quantum Turing machines to programmable heat engines 49:10 Do conservation laws hold precisely in quantum mechanics? 1:08:33 Does a beam-splitter violate momentum conservation?1:16:39 Outro & final comments Watch the previous episode with Chiara Marletto about the Constructor Theory of Information here: youtu.be/SlKNdeOCJek?si=84rBR_r4e_i5Eixm*Listen on...* Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/70ZHC5RTybCwiuUu2DjKf2Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/quantum-foundations-podcast/id1781537455Podbean & more: mariaviolaris.podbean.com*If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can buy me a coffee here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. For larger donations, support via my Fellow profile on the Conjecture Institute website: Profile link - conjectureinstitute.org/#maria-violarisDonation link - every.org/conjecture-institute-inc?designation=Maria+Violaris&utm_campaign=donate-link#/donate/cardAll support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Podcast Background*I'm Maria, I'm a quantum physicist and science communicator. I recently completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford, and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits.I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. *Episode links and resources*- Marletto's book, "The Science of Can and Can't", gives a popular science account of constructor theory: amazon.co.uk/Science-Can-Cant-Physicists-Counterfactuals/dp/0241310946- Research papers and links to more information and content available on the Constructor Theory website: constructortheory.org____________________*Chiara Marletto's online profiles*- Website: chiaramarletto.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=mQfUdwwAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
How to hack reality with quantum computers (if complexity theory lets you) Dr Maria Violaris 2025-12-10 | You’ve heard of cryptography. Perhaps quantum cryptography too. Maybe even post-quantum cryptography. But what about *quantum post-quantum cryptography*?! When this came up in conversation with Oxford computer scientist Matthew Gray recently, I’d never heard of it. I wanted to know more, so I invited him for a podcast. Turns out, there’s a whole world of layers to unravel linking quantum and cryptography — or even multiple worlds… In this discussion, we dip into those, and how this all relates to “metacomplexity” problems: the hardness of figuring out the hardness of a problem. This episode will change how you think about quantum computing and cryptography, pushing both to their limits through the lens of fundamental assumptions about computation, quantum physics and reality. *Background* 00:00 Coming Up01:35 Intro02:07 Matthew's journey into quantum07:40 Quantum computers breaking RSA11:59 Proving secure cryptography 17:07 Post-quantum cryptography23:24 Breaking crypto means solving new math*The five worlds of complexity vs crypto*26:22 A world with no crypto29:22 Metacomplexity problems 32:24 (Meta) complexity theory intro 41:14 Worst case vs average difficulty 45:15 Quantum post-quantum crypto54:20 Quantum cryptography 1:05:37 Quantum post-quantum crypto vs quantum crypto*The practicalities of quantum post-quantum crypto*1:09:47 Hardware for quantum post-quantum crypto1:12:56 Is "learning with errors" secure? *Current research & future*1:18:58 How is the field evolving? 1:23:07 Matthew's research 1:28:36 Could post-quantum physics affect crypto?1:34:34 Should we switch to post-quantum crypto?1:45:22 Recap 1:49:00 Wrap up & final words 1:51:13 Behind the Scenes *If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can *buy me a coffee* here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. For larger donations, support via my Fellow profile on the Conjecture Institute website: Profile link - conjectureinstitute.org/#maria-violarisDonation link - every.org/conjecture-institute-inc?designation=Maria+Violaris&utm_campaign=donate-link#/donate/cardAll support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Podcast Background*I'm Maria, I'm a quantum physicist and science communicator. I recently completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford, and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits.I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. ____________________*Matthew Gray's online profiles*- Personal website: graytmatter.com- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/graytmatter- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=MO847GEAAAAJ&hl=en*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
I asked 10 quantum physicists the biggest questions about reality Dr Maria Violaris 2025-11-25 | What does the new generation of quantum physicists think of the oldest quantum mysteries? Last September I attended a "Quantum Foundations Conference" in Vienna, celebrating 60 years of Bell's theorem — a result that many think is the strangest theorem in physics, and the subject of the 2022 Nobel Prize. I asked 10 physicists at the conference a series of quick-fire questions, and cut down an hour of footage into less than 10 minutes of insights into the latest developments in understanding reality. Timestamps:0:00 Intro0:22 What do you work on? 1:52 Most exciting project?3:33 Take on Bell's theorem?5:40 Best idea for quantum gravity?7:34 What would you do if not physics? Thank you to all the guests who did the spontaneous interviews! In order of video appearance: - Andrea Di Biagio - Tom Rivlin - Thomas Galley- Bruna Sahdo - Hannah Seabrook - Lorenzo Catani - Anne-Catherine de la Hamette- Adrian Solymos - Mariami Gachechiladze- Prabhav Jain *About Me*I'm Maria, I'm a quantum physicist and science communicator. I recently completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford, and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits.I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. My YouTube channel aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. *Online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Physicist explains how to solve quantum time (in 60 minutes) Dr Maria Violaris 2025-11-19 | What if time isn’t fundamental — but emerges from quantum mechanics itself?In this conversation, Dr Simone Rijavec explains how a timeless quantum universe can still give rise to the illusion of time flowing. We unpack the Wheeler–DeWitt equation, the Page–Wootters model of relational time, and how these ideas connect to the multiverse and quantum gravity.Dr Rijavec is a postdoctoral researcher at Tel Aviv University and former PhD researcher at the University of Oxford. 00:00 Coming Up00:59 Intro01:37 Simone's journey into quantum 05:04 The problem of time in quantum theory07:07 Relational approach to time11:12 Quantum measurement and time17:53 Stationary universe and the Wheeler-DeWitt equation30:18 Multiverse & block universe31:11 How is time flowing?34:20 Problems with wave-function collapse36:11 What are clocks?37:48 Resolution of time-steps 41:47 Debates on the timeless approach45:08 Interactions with clocks51:05 Recap57:39 Making time fully quantum 1:00:43 Behind the Scenes *If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can *buy me a coffee* here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. For larger donations, support via my Fellow profile on the Conjecture Institute website: Profile link - conjectureinstitute.org/#maria-violarisDonation link - every.org/conjecture-institute-inc?designation=Maria+Violaris&utm_campaign=donate-link#/donate/cardAll support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Podcast Background*I'm Maria, I'm a quantum physicist and science communicator. I recently completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford, and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits.I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. ____________________*Simone Rijavec's online profiles*- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/simone-rijavec-3b0a16243- Twitter / X: https://x.com/s_rijavec- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=-dsDr10AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
I Tried to Understand Reality – and Became a Quantum Physicist Dr Maria Violaris 2025-10-25 | I used to find physics boring, now I do research in quantum physics & quantum computing. This is my journey into quantum! From the books I read at 15 to my undergrad & PhD in Oxford to working in 3 different quantum companies.If you want to see more videos about life in quantum, let me know in the comments! *Timestamps:*00:00 Intro 00:14 Early Days (physics is boring?)03:37 Undergrad & Constructor Theory 06:40 How I got into Quantum Computing10:29 Raspberry Pi Quantum Computer 11:35 PhD & Quantum Paradoxes videos (IBM Quantum)15:00 Quantum YouTube & Podcast16:22 Joining Industry (OQC) & Creating Content*My online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Quantum Physicist Reacts to Physics Nobel 2025! Dr Maria Violaris 2025-10-08 | Another quantum Nobel! Let's break it down. I'm Maria, I'm a quantum physicist working on quantum foundations and quantum computing. In this video I summarise the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics backstory and the result's radical implications for both fundamental quantum science and today's quantum computers. 00:00 Intro01:42 Superconducting tech background06:20 Tunnelling & Quantization09:30 Schrödinger's cat 13:18 Quantum computing15:04 Superconducting qubit history16:29 My reactionFind out more about these topics: - Nobel Prize popular summary: nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2025/popular-information/#:~:text=The%20Nobel%20Prize%20laureates%20in,be%20held%20in%20the%20hand.- My Oxford Quantum Circuits blog about the flexibility of superconducting qubits: https://oqc.tech/resources/beyond-the-bit/flexibility-of-superconducting-qubits- Steven Girvin's history of superconducting qubits on the Qiskit YouTube channel (11:43): youtu.be/xjlGL4Mvq7A?si=IMZHJ72PC9RwxuIV&t=703 About me:I have a PhD in the foundations of quantum information science from the University of Oxford. I now work in quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits, working towards building fault-tolerant superconducting quantum computers. I also continue my foundational quantum research as an Academic Visitor to the University of Oxford.
The Frontier of Quantum Cosmology (Explained in 100 Minutes) Dr Maria Violaris 2025-09-25 | Could cosmological-scale experiments hold the key to understanding quantum gravity? Physicist Dr Aditya Iyer, from the University of Oxford, takes us on a deep dive of experimental proposals to find signatures of quantum gravity from the earliest moments of the universe. He explains how trying to solve one cosmological problem led to solving another; what cosmologists today are stuck on; and promising approaches to make future breakthroughs. This is how to turn beautiful theoretical paradigms into experimental reality. 00:00 Coming Up01:54 Intro03:00 Quantum Gravity Experiments03:57 BMV Proposal Explained16:41 Single Mass Experiments & BEC28:34 Quantum Fields32:22 Classical Cosmology & Inflation57:07 Quantum Mechanics & Field Theory 01:05:21 Vacuum Energy01:12:08 Expanding Universe01:27:47 Temporal Bell Inequality & Quantum Gravity01:39:44 Summary & Future 1:47:18 Behind the Scenes*************************************If you'd like to support my content, you can *buy me a coffee* here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. For larger donations, support via my Fellow profile on the Conjecture Institute website: Profile link - conjectureinstitute.org/#maria-violarisDonation link - every.org/conjecture-institute-inc?designation=Maria+Violaris&utm_campaign=donate-link#/donate/cardAll support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. ****************************************Podcast Background*I'm Maria, I'm a quantum physicist and science communicator. I recently completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford, and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits.I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. Each episode has two parts:Part 1: Detailed, accessible conceptual discussion without specialist terminology.Part 2: Technical, mathematical explanation for those with a basic understanding of quantum mechanics and its formalism.This is Part 2 of the episode with Aditya, with Part 1 available here: youtu.be/H3tmXzSWE0Q____________________*Aditya Iyer's online profiles*- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aditya-varna-iyer- Twitter / X: https://x.com/IyerAditya- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=OJeWC4YAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Can Quantum Information Solve These Cosmology Paradoxes? (Yes!) Dr Maria Violaris 2025-07-21 | From the Big Bang puzzles to testing if the early universe was quantum entangled — physicist Dr Aditya Iyer, from the University of Oxford, explains how quantum phenomena are key to understanding cosmology, gravity and even how it's possible we exist at all. 00:00 Coming up01:39 Intro03:03 How did you get interested in quantum x cosmology?05:38 Why gravity should be quantum14:46 Quantum gravity interference experiment 18:01 The early universe 24:34 Cosmological paradoxes32:50 Inflation38:30 Quantum fields in curved spacetime46:44 Table-top quantum gravity experiments 53:04 Bell-tests with the universe 01:00:51 Challenges of the test01:24:52 Impact of finding signatures of quantum gravity 01:32:54 Summary and final thoughts01:39:55 Behind the scenes*If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can *buy me a coffee* here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. For larger donations, support via my Fellow profile on the Conjecture Institute website: Profile link - conjectureinstitute.org/#maria-violarisDonation link - every.org/conjecture-institute-inc?designation=Maria+Violaris&utm_campaign=donate-link#/donate/cardAll support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Podcast Background*I'm Maria, I'm a quantum physicist and science communicator. I recently completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford, and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits.I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. Each episode has two parts:Part 1: Detailed, accessible conceptual discussion without specialist terminology.Part 2: Technical, mathematical explanation for those with a basic understanding of quantum mechanics and its formalism.____________________*Aditya Iyer's online profiles*- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/aditya-varna-iyer- Twitter / X: https://x.com/IyerAditya- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=OJeWC4YAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Can time, quantum & cosmology be overturned with geometry? This physicist thinks so. Dr Maria Violaris 2025-07-08 | Nothing but ratios: that's the key message of physicist Julian Barbour's take on time, quantum mechanics and cosmology. In this live event moderated by Maria Violaris, Barbour presents his ideas, and they are challenged by questions and comments from the host and audience to create a thought-provoking debate and discussion on how to solve the biggest open problems in physics. It includes Barbour's ambitious and controversial views that we've been applying thermodynamics to the universe all wrong, and quantum theory may not be fundamental.00:00 Coming Up01:41 Welcome and Introductions03:31 The Principle of Creation and Consciousness05:05 Challenging Traditional Physics17:46 Continuum vs. Discreet19:07 The Newtonian N-Body Problem25:32 Exploring Scale Invariant Functions29:33 Debating Cosmological Theories39:33 General Relativity and Ratios48:07 Shape Changes in Gravitational Systems50:00 Relative Equilibrium and Cosmological Principle53:44 Saturn's Rings and Atomic Structure55:18 Absolute Minimum and Newtonian Big Bang01:05:57 Theory of Creation and Growth of Structure01:11:43 Implications for Quantum Mechanics01:25:11 Arrow of Time & Heat Death01:33:00 Wrapping Up & Group Pic This event took place at the University of Oxford on Tuesday 17th June, organised by Mia Stamatova through Oxford Quantum Information Society.____________________*Julian Barbour's online profiles*- Website: http://www.platonia.com- Book, The Janus Point: penguin.co.uk/books/435887/the-janus-point-by-julian-barbour/9781784706678- Book, The End of Time: amazon.co.uk/End-Time-Revolution-Understanding-Universe/dp/0753810204- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=Julian+barbour&btnG=*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
This Quantum Gravity Experiment Will Rewrite Physics Dr Maria Violaris 2025-07-01 | Prof. Vlatko Vedral claims we can test quantum gravity within the next 5 years. Vlatko Vedral is a professor of quantum information science at the University of Oxford. In this episode, he discusses the potential for quantum gravity experiments to challenge Einstein's classical theory of gravity, doing a deep dive into technical detail of how the experiments actually work. He covers Feynman's proposal based on putting a single mass into superposition, and recent proposals based on entangling masses. He also discusses how our current quantum technology can be developed to implement these experiments in the near future. Watch the previous episode, a non-technical deep-dive with Vlatko, here: youtu.be/mqKVmst8Wwo?si=5JUvG8cTZPMZ3SuYIf you enjoy finding out about these topics, look out for Vlatko's upcoming popular science book, Portals to a New Reality! (link in resources below). 00:00 Coming Up 02:03 Intro02:56 Feynman's Single Mass Superposition12:20 Fake Decoherence23:07 Interfering Neutrons & Conservation Laws 35:10 Two Masses Thought Experiment49:23 Coupling gravity and Quantum Field57:05 Quantumness as Non-Commuting Operators01:10:47 Experimental Proposals 01:26:46 Challenges and Future Directions 01:35:32 Final Thoughts*If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can *buy me a coffee* here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. For larger donations, support via my Fellow profile on the Conjecture Institute website: Profile link - conjectureinstitute.org/#maria-violarisDonation link - every.org/conjecture-institute-inc?designation=Maria+Violaris&utm_campaign=donate-link#/donate/cardAll support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Podcast Background*I'm Maria, I'm a quantum physicist and science communicator. I recently completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford, and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits.I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. Each episode has two parts:Part 1: Detailed, accessible conceptual discussion without specialist terminology.Part 2: Technical, mathematical explanation for those with a basic understanding of quantum mechanics and its formalism.*Want to learn the maths behind quantum information?*If you'd like to understand the mathematical parts of this series, I recommend these free courses:- John Watrous' "Understanding Quantum Information and Computation": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOFEBzvs-VvqKKMXX4vbi4EB1uaErFMSO- Artur Ekert's "Introduction to Quantum Information Science": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkespgaZN4gmu0nWNmfMflVRqw0VPkCGHThese courses assume some background in linear algebra.*Episode links and resources*- Vlatko's upcoming book, "Portals to a New Reality": amazon.co.uk/Portals-New-Reality-Pathways-Physics-ebook/dp/B0DSFSHBT4/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.TEvv7p2qVYyF07_2F2V8yQ.O-wooEQDul3eciRQIQaLolWfAXRh2WGy9t_eO23JPuU&qid=1738017707&sr=8-1- Recent review paper of experimental proposals for testing quantum gravity, "Quantum-information methods for quantum gravity laboratory-based tests" (Vlatko Vedral & Chiara Marletto) arxiv.org/pdf/2410.07262____________________*Vlatko Vedral's online profiles*- Website: vlatkovedral.com- Substack: vlatkovedral.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=d0ruO6gAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
3 Reasons EVERYONE Should Care About Quantum! #quantumcomputing #quantummechanics Dr Maria Violaris 2025-05-01 | Watch until the end to see a real OQC quantum computer...! I made this video with the Institute of Physics, as part of their social media Shorts project, celebrating the International Year of Quantum.
Quantum Physicist Reacts to Oxford Quantum Teleportation Breakthrough! Dr Maria Violaris 2025-03-04 | Researchers at Oxford physics recently performed a quantum teleportation protocol not just with quantum states, but actual quantum operations. In this video I explain what quantum teleportation is, what the new experiment is doing, and how it relates to quantum computing. 00:00 Intro01:05 What is quantum teleportation? 03:42 Quantum gate teleportation07:56 Distributed quantum computing11:04 Implications for quantum computing13:44 Outro_____________*If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can *buy me a coffee* here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. All support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Life outside YouTube - my other profiles!*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Quantum Physicist Reacts to Amazons Ocelot Quantum Chip! Dr Maria Violaris 2025-03-02 | There's a new chip on the block — let's break down how it works, what Amazon's strategy is to building a quantum computer and how it compares to other recent announcements.00:00 Intro01:17 What is Quantum Error Correction?03:21 Amazon's Ocelot Chip and Cat Qubits05:48 Technical Deep Dive: Error Correction with Cat Qubits08:12 Amazon's Ocelot Chip Design and Implementation12:34 Long term strategy & comparison to surface code18:09 Recap & Reflections (comparing Microsoft's Majorana 1 chip & Google’s Willow chip)_____________*If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can *buy me a coffee* here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. All support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Life outside YouTube - my other profiles!*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Quantum Physicist Reacts to Microsoft Majorana 1 Quantum Chip! Dr Maria Violaris 2025-02-24 | Microsoft announced their new quantum chip, Majorana 1, based on the elusive "topological qubits", along with a published Nature paper. I take a closer look at the announcement and paper to understand the breakthrough — is it a game-changer, or too good to be true?00:00 Intro01:11 Topological Quantum Computing03:19 Comparison with Google's Willow Chip04:57 Decoding Microsoft's Announcements08:36 Closer look at Microsoft's Paper & Peer-Review Reports11:50 Past Skepticism & Retractions 13:55 Potential Impact on Quantum Computing15:49 Conclusion and Recap__________*If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can *buy me a coffee* here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. All support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Life outside YouTube - my other profiles!*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Future Outlook & Overview | Intro to Quantum Computing Part 4 Dr Maria Violaris 2025-02-20 | What's next for quantum computing? I outline the milestones and current expectations ahead, and recap what we've covered throughout this Intro to Quantum Computing mini-series. 00:00 Intro00:16 First applications1:05 Roadmaps01:48 Workforce02:46 Co-Design03:32 Surprises03:56 Series Summary & Key Milestones07:05 Outro*Previously, we had...* Part 1 - Origins & BasicsPart 2 - Building Qubits & Quantum Error CorrectionPart 3 - Applications & Landscape __________*If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can *buy me a coffee* here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. All support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Life outside YouTube - my other profiles!*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Quantum Computing Applications & Landscape | Intro to Quantum Computing Part 3 Dr Maria Violaris 2025-02-14 | What could quantum computers do, and where are we now? In this episode of my intro to quantum computing mini-series, I cover the potential applications of quantum computers, and give an overview of the current state of quantum computing; recent advances; and progress needed to move forwards. 00:00 Intro00:14 Applications of Quantum Computers01:30 Quantum Hype and Realistic Expectations02:43 Long-term Applications04:17 Current Quantum Landscape08:21 Quantum Computing Eras10:29 Quantum Computing Stack11:58 Types of Work14:48 Outro *Coming up, we have...*Part 4 - Future Outlook & Overview *Previously, we had...* Part 1 - Basics & OriginsPart 2 - Noisy Qubits & Quantum Error CorrectionPart 3 - Applications & Landscape __________*If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can *buy me a coffee* here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. All support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Life outside YouTube - my other profiles!*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Building Qubits and Quantum Error Correction | Intro to Quantum Computing Part 2 Dr Maria Violaris 2025-02-06 | There was a time where people thought we couldn't build large-scale quantum computers because of "noise". The theory of "quantum error correction" proved that wrong. In this video you'll find out the challenges of building quantum computers, how qubits are physically created, and why building a large-scale quantum computer is a realistic possibility. I'll also give an overview of how the whole process of quantum error correction works.00:00 Intro00:15 Qubits recap00:57 Popular approaches to building qubits03:49 Errors, noise, & decoherence explained05:48 The solution: quantum error correction09:56 Achieving fault tolerance11:38 Conclusion and next time*Coming up, we have...*Part 3 - Applications & Landscape Part 4 - Future Outlook & Overview *Previously, we had...* Part 1 - Basics & Origins__________*If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can *buy me a coffee* here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. All support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Life outside YouTube - my other profiles!*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Constructor Theory of Information with Dr Chiara Marletto | Quantum Foundations Podcast Ep6 Dr Maria Violaris 2025-02-05 | What if we don't need quantum mechanics to express the key properties of quantum information? Join me for a deep-dive into the Constructor Theory of information with Dr Chiara Marletto, Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. Constructor Theory is a research programme proposed by Prof. David Deutsch in 2012, and further developed by Deutsch and Marletto, and collaborators, since then. The theory aims to unify various strands of physics, and solve open problems — and the key motivation and starting point is a new conception of the laws of physics surrounding information. In this podcast, we discuss what constructor theory is; how it expresses laws about classical and quantum information; applications to tests of quantum gravity, quantum field theory, and more areas; the role of locality and subsystems in the testability of physics; and taking fundamental physics back to the roots of the early days of quantum information theory. 0:00 Coming up1:36 Intro2:28 How did you get interested in constructor theory?5:51 What is constructor theory & the universal constructor9:54 How does constructor theory apply to information?16:33 Qubits vs Bits using principles20:22 Deriving probability in a deterministic universe24:25 Constructor theory of probability27:48 Interoperability of information principle31:52 Testing quantum gravity33:46 Interoperability principle with dynamics35:21 Bringing back the early spirit of quantum info39:37 Testability of theories & role of locality49:13 Solving the circularity in classical information theory57:31 Future applications - hybrid systems1:01:02 Further applications - thermodynamics, modelling superinformation theories, quantum field theory1:06:45 Wrap up*Listen on...* Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/70ZHC5RTybCwiuUu2DjKf2Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/quantum-foundations-podcast/id1781537455Podbean & more: mariaviolaris.podbean.com*If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can *buy me a coffee* here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. All support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Podcast Background*I'm Maria, I'm a quantum physicist and science communicator. I recently completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford, and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits.I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. *Episode links and resources*- Marletto's book, "The Science of Can and Can't", gives a popular science account of constructor theory: amazon.co.uk/Science-Can-Cant-Physicists-Counterfactuals/dp/0241310946- Research papers and links to more information and content available on the Constructor Theory website: constructortheory.orgCredit to Philip Ammon, Quanta Magazine, for the photo of Marletto used in the thumbnail. See the Quanta article about Marletto and constructor theory here: quantamagazine.org/with-constructor-theory-chiara-marletto-invokes-the-impossible-20210429____________________*Chiara Marletto's online profiles*- Website: chiaramarletto.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=mQfUdwwAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Origins, Basics, & First Algorithms! | Intro to Quantum Computing Part 1 Dr Maria Violaris 2025-01-30 | What is quantum computing? What's a qubit? Where did the idea of quantum computing come from? Why does anyone care about building them? Welcome to Part 1 of my mini-series introducing quantum computing! In this episode, we cover: superposition; entanglement; Feynman and Deutsch's contributions to the origins of quantum computing; qubits and the basic quantum gates; the Deutsch-Jozsa algorithm; and Shor's algorithm, including its implications for cybersecurity. *Timestamps*00:00 Introduction to Quantum Computing00:07 Quantum Mechanics: Superposition and Entanglement01:22 Origins of Quantum Computing04:52 Building Blocks: Qubits and Quantum Gates09:42 Quantum Algorithms: Deutsch-Jozsa and Shor's Algorithm13:01 Security Implications and Future of Quantum Computing14:40 Conclusion and Next Steps*Coming up, we have...*Part 2 - Building Qubits & Quantum Error Correction Part 3 - Applications & Landscape Part 4 - Future Outlook & Overview __________*If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can *buy me a coffee* here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. All support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Life outside YouTube - my other profiles!*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Testing Quantum Gravity & Reality with Prof. Vlatko Vedral | Quantum Foundations Podcast Ep5 Dr Maria Violaris 2025-01-28 | In this episode of the Quantum Foundations Podcast, I'm joined by Professor Vlatko Vedral from the University of Oxford. We discuss modern and historic experimental proposals for testing quantum gravity. Get ready to dive deep into understanding what different proposals would *really* tell us about the nature of quantum gravity, and what problems we're up against to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity. All from the modern perspective of quantum information theory.If you enjoy finding out about these topics, look out for Vlatko's upcoming popular science book, Portals to a New Reality! (link in resources below). *Timestamps*00:00 Coming Up 02:05 Intro03:15 How did Vlatko enter this field?06:40 What's the problem with quantum gravity?17:03 First tests: black holes 24:31 Quantum tech & quantum computers 27:31 Putting objects in superposition 30:15 Single-mass vs two-mass proposals34:19 Single-mass interference & fields38:21 Two-mass proposal, Faraday, locality assumption48:42 Witnessing entanglement50:29 Outcomes for theories of classical gravity 54:03 Uncertainty principle of gravity 59:17 Implications for different quantum gravity theories1:05:03 Imagining future tests to distinguish more quantum gravity theories1:06:34 Milestones for quantum gravity experiment research programme 1:09:53 Nanodiamond experiment 1:15:41 Relation to quantum tech 1:17:50 Imagining graviton tech 01:21:41 Theory work left to do01:27:19 How much would the experiment cost?01:33:02 Summary & final thoughts01:41:22 Behind the Scenes*Listen on...* Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/70ZHC5RTybCwiuUu2DjKf2Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/quantum-foundations-podcast/id1781537455Podbean & more: mariaviolaris.podbean.com*If you enjoyed this...*...like, subscribe, comment & share with your friends!If you'd like to support my content, you can *buy me a coffee* here: buymeacoffee.com/mariaviolaris. All support much appreciated & will help keep my content going and push it to new levels. *Podcast Background*I'm Maria, I'm a quantum physicist and science communicator. I recently completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford, and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits.I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. Each episode has two parts:Part 1: Detailed, accessible conceptual discussion without specialist terminology.Part 2: Technical, mathematical explanation for those with a basic understanding of quantum mechanics and its formalism.*Want to learn the maths behind quantum information?*If you'd like to understand the mathematical parts of this series, I recommend these free courses:- John Watrous' "Understanding Quantum Information and Computation": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOFEBzvs-VvqKKMXX4vbi4EB1uaErFMSO- Artur Ekert's "Introduction to Quantum Information Science": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkespgaZN4gmu0nWNmfMflVRqw0VPkCGHThese courses assume some background in linear algebra.*Episode links and resources*- Vlatko's upcoming book, "Portals to a New Reality": amazon.co.uk/Portals-New-Reality-Pathways-Physics-ebook/dp/B0DSFSHBT4/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&dib_tag=se&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.TEvv7p2qVYyF07_2F2V8yQ.O-wooEQDul3eciRQIQaLolWfAXRh2WGy9t_eO23JPuU&qid=1738017707&sr=8-1- Recent review paper of experimental proposals for testing quantum gravity, "Quantum-information methods for quantum gravity laboratory-based tests" (Vlatko Vedral & Chiara Marletto) arxiv.org/pdf/2410.07262____________________*Vlatko Vedral's online profiles*- Website: vlatkovedral.com- Substack: vlatkovedral.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=d0ruO6gAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- Bluesky: https://app.bsky.cz/profile/mariaviolaris.bsky.social- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Quantum Computing Mini-Series Trailer! Dr Maria Violaris 2025-01-23 | The trailer for my video series introducing quantum computing! Find out what's coming up. The series will be in four parts, with new episodes Thursdays.
Build a Bloch sphere bauble! Dr Maria Violaris 2024-12-20 | A Bloch sphere is an abstract model for a qubit, and quantum gates are rotations. Watch the full video explanation in my QuBites video on the OQC YouTube channel! youtu.be/eo10e6zTb2M
Quantum Physicist Reacts to Googles Willow Quantum Chip! Dr Maria Violaris 2024-12-13 | What do quantum physicists think about Google's new quantum computing chip Willow?! Here are some of my reflections, breaking down their blog. It includes thinking back to Google's quantum supremacy results of 2019; explaining what quantum error correction is, and the response from the quantum community on recent milestones; and comments on what this all has to do with evidence of a quantum multiverse...Resources mentioned (on Qiskit YouTube channel, note these assume intro background to quantum computing):- Quantum Paradoxes playlist - youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOFEBzvs-VvoQP-EVyd5Di3UrPPc2YKIc- Many-Worlds vs Collapse video - youtu.be/-YEmRhogaSQ?si=iouz4zJ3GL1ZK_Os00:00 Intro01:10 Quantum supremacy 201904:06 Speed-up announcement05:20 Quantum error correction announcement07:25 What the error correction experiment showed12:17 Multiverse comment in blog13:20 Everett's solution to the measurement problem14:53 Testing many-worlds vs collapse 16:20 Using the multiverse for quantum computation18:31 How do quantum computers give advantage over classical?19:28 Summary reflectionsGoogle's blog about the announcement is available here: https://blog.google/technology/research/google-willow-quantum-chip/
The Theorem That’s Dividing Quantum Physicists Dr Maria Violaris 2024-12-03 | Welcome to Episode 4 Part 2 of the Quantum Foundations Podcast! I interview Dr Andrea Di Biagio, who is a postdoctoral research fellow at IQOQI Vienna. We discuss the "local friendliness theorem", merging techniques from Bell's theorem with an extension of the "Wigner's friend" thought experiment to provide a new test for whether quantum theory violates fundamental metaphysical assumptions about reality. This has important ramifications for the meaning and validity of quantum interpretations such as QBism, relational quantum mechanics, Everettian quantum theory, neo-Copenhagen and "shut up and calculate" approaches, and more.Local Friendliness Theorem with Dr Andrea Di Biagio | Quantum Foundations Podcast Ep.4 Pt.2*Timestamps*0:00 - Coming Up1:18 - Intro2:16 - What is Wigner's friend?6:26 - What does Wigner's friend tell us about reality?9:45 - Bell inequalities - causal diagram19:33 - EPR paradox20:52 - CHSH inequalities22:24 - What does Bell tell us about reality 31:02 - Extended Wigner's friend 37:16 - Assumptions, e.g. Absoluteness of Observed Events43:51 - Performing the experiment & implications45:51 - How different interpretations respond to theorem49:43 - Everettian account 53:09 - Bohmian, superdeterminism, QBism, RQM, neo-Copenhagen54:51 - Ways out for relational views56:32 - Andrea's recent research on relational QM1:02:01 - Comments on Experimental Metaphysics & wrap up1:07:19 - Behind the Scenes______________________*Podcast background*I recently completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford (was completing during the time of recording!), and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits. I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. Each episode has two parts:Part 1: Detailed, accessible conceptual discussion without specialist terminology.Part 2: Technical, mathematical explanation for those with a basic understanding of quantum mechanics and its formalism.This is Part 2 of this instalment, Part 1 is a discussion of Andrea's research journey through interpretations of quantum theory (QBism, relational quantum mechanics and Everettian quantum theory) in light of Wigner's friend: youtu.be/2bMEnYm2ORQ?si=80F0eFaWwiuSygCM. *Want to learn the maths behind quantum information?*If you'd like to understand the mathematical parts of this series, I recommend these free courses:- John Watrous' "Understanding Quantum Information and Computation": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOFEBzvs-VvqKKMXX4vbi4EB1uaErFMSO- Artur Ekert's "Introduction to Quantum Information Science": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkespgaZN4gmu0nWNmfMflVRqw0VPkCGHThese courses assume some background in linear algebra.*Episode links and resources*- Reference for Bell's theorems: arxiv.org/abs/1503.06413- Extended Wigner's Friend Setup (EWFS) paper: arxiv.org/abs/1907.05607- Discussion about the assumptions of EWFS and implications: mdpi.com/1099-4300/23/8/925- Andrea's paper on causal analysis of EWFS: quantum-journal.org/papers/q-2024-09-26-1485 (similar to the discussion about Bell in the podcast)- Andrea's explainer of the paper: https://www.patternsthatabide.xyz/causal-models-cannot-explain-quantum-predictions-in-extended-wigners-friend-scenarios- Quanta articles about Extended Wigner’s Friend: - quantamagazine.org/a-new-theorem-maps-out-the-limits-of-quantum-physics-20201203 - quantamagazine.org/metaphysical-experiments-test-hidden-assumptions-about-reality-20240730- Recent review of similar no-go theorems: arxiv.org/abs/2308.16220- Paper on relational quantum mechanics and iteration principle: arxiv.org/abs/2403.04069- Towards violating local friendliness on quantum computers: arxiv.org/abs/2409.15302____________________*Andrea Di Biagio's online profiles*- Website: https://www.patternsthatabide.xyz- Blog: https://www.patternsthatabide.xyz/page/1- Twitter / X: https://x.com/dibiagioandrea- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=Z_3TpsQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Quantum observers have just got crazier — and its dividing physicists Dr Maria Violaris 2024-11-23 | Welcome to Episode 4 of the Quantum Foundations Podcast! I interview Dr Andrea Di Biagio, who is a postdoctoral research fellow at IQOQI Vienna. We discuss Andrea's journey through interpretations of quantum theory, including QBism, Relational Quantum Mechanics, Everettian Quantum Theory and Wigner's friend. These topics have been subjects of Andrea's past and active research, including work with Prof. Carlo Rovelli. QBism, Relational QM & Wigner's Friend with Dr Andrea Di Biagio | Quantum Foundations Podcast Ep.4*Timestamps*0:00 - Coming Up2:08 - Intro 3:03 - How did you get into quantum physics4:42 - Double slit 9:19 - How did you get into QBism13:24 - QBism, probabilities & reality20:59 - How did you get into relational QM24:40 - Relational QM & democratising observers 29:06 - Wigner's friend35:18 - Relational QM x Wigner's friend 39:11 - Active problems with Wigner's friend 43:51 - How did you get into Everettian QM54:30 - Probability in Everett56:52 - The future of interpretations1:00:31 - Using interpretations to do physics 1:01:24 - Interpretations in Andrea's research 1:03:19 - Summary 1:06:08 - Final words 1:09:05 - Behind the Scenes ______________________*Podcast background*I recently completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford (was completing during the time of recording!), and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits. I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. Each episode has two parts:Part 1: Detailed, accessible conceptual discussion without specialist terminology.Part 2: Technical, mathematical explanation for those with a basic understanding of quantum mechanics and its formalism.*Part 2: Show me the maths!!*Part 2 will be out soon! It will include a mathematical explanation of the "local friendliness inequalities", which extend the Wigner's friends thought experiment discussed in this video. Subscribe for updates.*Want to learn the maths behind quantum information?*If you'd like to understand the mathematical parts of this series, I recommend these free courses:- John Watrous' "Understanding Quantum Information and Computation": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOFEBzvs-VvqKKMXX4vbi4EB1uaErFMSO- Artur Ekert's "Introduction to Quantum Information Science": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkespgaZN4gmu0nWNmfMflVRqw0VPkCGHThese courses assume some background in linear algebra.*Episode links and resources*- QBism: arxiv.org/abs/1612.07308- Relational QM: http://arxiv.org/abs/2109.09170- Classical worlds as patterns in the wavefunction: http://arxiv.org/abs/1111.2189- Weirdness of probabilities (Andrea's blog): https://www.patternsthatabide.xyz/does-everett-have-a-probability-problem-or-do-you- Andrea's lecture explaining the double slit and Bell’s inequalities: youtube.com/watch?v=mQ0h8aqsiEU- Quanta magazine article about experimental metaphysics: quantamagazine.org/metaphysical-experiments-test-hidden-assumptions-about-reality-20240730____________________*Andrea Di Biagio's online profiles*- Website: https://www.patternsthatabide.xyz- Blog: https://www.patternsthatabide.xyz/page/1- Twitter / X: https://x.com/dibiagioandrea- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=Z_3TpsQAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
The quantum multiverse: explained mathematically Dr Maria Violaris 2024-11-16 | Welcome to Episode 3, Part 2 of the Quantum Foundations Podcast! I interview Dr Sam Kuypers, who is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Université de Montréal. We discuss the mathematics behind the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, also known as Everettian quantum theory, which has been the subject of Sam's research including work together with Prof. David Deutsch. The Maths Behind Many-Worlds with Dr Sam Kuypers | Quantum Foundations Podcast Ep. 3 Pt. 2*Timestamps*0:00 - Coming Up1:24 - Intro *Background*2:47 - QM interpretations7:00 - The measurement problem 10:09 - Unitary evolution 15:46 - What is a measurement?*Maths of measurement*20:12 - Measurement using CNOTs29:41 - Measuring superpositions34:19 - Entanglement in measurement*Preferred basis problem*43:56 - Ambiguity of measurement basis47:39 - Dynamics and the environment 54:58 - Decoherence & density matrix 1:03:45 - Preferred basis in a quantum computer 1:05:31 - Comparison to classical physics *Outro*1:07:18 - Recap 1:09:54 - Wrap up 1:11:17 - Behind the Scenes ______________________*Podcast background*I recently completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford (was completing during the time of recording!), and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits. I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. Each episode has two parts:Part 1: Detailed, accessible conceptual discussion without specialist terminology.Part 2: Technical, mathematical explanation for those with a basic understanding of quantum mechanics and its formalism. This is Part 2! You can watch Part 1 here: youtu.be/kdd-tAvFdOI*Want to learn the maths behind quantum information?*If you'd like to understand the mathematical parts of this series, I recommend these free courses:- John Watrous' "Understanding Quantum Information and Computation": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOFEBzvs-VvqKKMXX4vbi4EB1uaErFMSO- Artur Ekert's "Introduction to Quantum Information Science": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkespgaZN4gmu0nWNmfMflVRqw0VPkCGHThese courses assume some background in linear algebra.*Episode links and resources*- Everettian relative states in the Heisenberg picture, Sam Kuypers and David Deutsch, arxiv.org/abs/2008.02328- Book: The Emergent Multiverse by David Wallace ____________________*Sam Kuypers' online profiles*- Twitter / X: https://x.com/Sam_kuyp- Substack: substack.com/@samuelkuypers- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=sam+kuypers&btnG=- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/samuel-kuypers-9502a855*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
The Physicist Convinced Theres a Quantum Multiverse Dr Maria Violaris 2024-11-11 | (Note: this is the Enhanced Audio version of this video!)Welcome to Episode 3 of the Quantum Foundations Podcast! I interview Dr Sam Kuypers, who is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Université de Montréal. We discuss the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics, also known as Everettian quantum theory, which has been the subject of Sam's research including work together with Prof. David Deutsch. Everettian Quantum Theory with Dr Sam Kuypers | Quantum Foundations Podcast Ep. 3 *Timestamps*0:00 - Coming Up0:58 - Intro2:12 - Sam's journey to quantum5:01 - What is the many-worlds theory?10:10 - Superposition & observing single outcomes17:52 - Many-worlds interpretation & reversibility26:44 - Do you really believe in many worlds?33:14 - Occam’s Razor36:33 - Identity & life events41:03 - Philosophical implications42:17 - Probability in QM & Born Rule56:14 - Decision theory for deriving Born Rule1:07:00 - Probability challenge1:10:01 - Preferred Basis Problem1:13:58 - Decoherence as solution to preferred basis1:31:27 - Conservation of energy in many worlds1:42:53 - Locality during branching1:54:13 - Open research problems2:06:17 - Quantum computing & many worlds2:12:51 - Wrap up2:17:52 - Behind the Scenes______________________*Podcast background*I recently completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford (was completing during the time of recording!), and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits. I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. Each episode has two parts:Part 1: Detailed, accessible conceptual discussion without specialist terminology.Part 2: Technical, mathematical explanation for those with a basic understanding of quantum mechanics and its formalism.*Part 2: Show me the maths!!*Part 2 will be out soon! It will include a mathematical explanation of Everettian quantum theory. Subscribe for updates.*Want to learn the maths behind quantum information?*If you'd like to understand the mathematical parts of this series, I recommend these free courses:- John Watrous' "Understanding Quantum Information and Computation": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOFEBzvs-VvqKKMXX4vbi4EB1uaErFMSO- Artur Ekert's "Introduction to Quantum Information Science": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkespgaZN4gmu0nWNmfMflVRqw0VPkCGHThese courses assume some background in linear algebra.*Episode links and resources*- Everettian relative states in the Heisenberg picture, Sam Kuypers and David Deutsch, arxiv.org/abs/2008.02328- Book: The Emergent Multiverse by David Wallace - Maria's Quantum Paradoxes video series, including "many-worlds vs collapse" and "Wigner's friend" videos mentioned in the podcast: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOFEBzvs-VvoQP-EVyd5Di3UrPPc2YKIc&si=bDI5IPrjbL244INQ____________________*Sam Kuypers' online profiles*- Twitter / X: https://x.com/Sam_kuyp- Substack: substack.com/@samuelkuypers- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=sam+kuypers&btnG=- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/samuel-kuypers-9502a855*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Deriving quantum reality from causation — heres how the math works. Dr Maria Violaris 2024-11-01 | The Theory of Causal Balance: The Maths Welcome back to the Quantum Foundations Podcast! In the first part of this instalment, Dr Nick Ormrod explained his new interpretation of quantum theory whereby reality emerges from causal structure, aiming to provide a precise solution to the measurement problem. While Episode 2 (Part 1) was explained in general terms, here Nick explains the key aspects of the "Theory of Causal Balance" on a technical level. You can watch Episode 2 (Part 1) here: youtu.be/XBHpa3ypUGY. Our guest is Dr Nick Ormrod, who was a PhD student at the University of Oxford at the time of recording, where he developed the theory of causal balance with Prof. Jonathan Barrett during his DPhil. Nick is now a postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Perimeter Institute in Canada. *Time-stamps:**Introduction*0:00 - Coming up1:17 - Welcome 2:37 - The problem with quantum theory 6:30 - The big idea with causal structures*Preferred basis problem*8:08 - CNOT example17:20 - Info transfer in measurement18:45 - X-basis22:58 - Continuum of bases *Theory of causal balance*25:48 - Conditions for causal balance 39:55 - Example: not too much influence 1:10:52 - Example: enough influence1:16:31 - Solving preferred basis problem 1:29:26 - More general theorem*Circuits and bubbles*1:36:14 - Circuit with unitaries1:38:31 - Events and bubbles1:42:41 Probabilities & measurement outcomes*Using the theory*1:48:53 - Outline for using the theory 1:53:38 - Role of initial conditions?1:56:36 - Prepare, measure2:01:11 - Born rule & standard QM *Outro*2:03:20 - Summary2:06:11 - Final comments2:06:58 - Behind the Scenes______________________*Intro*How can we solve the famous "measurement problem" of quantum theory? The famous Copenhagen interpretation fails to solve the problem, and the "Big Three" interpretations of quantum theory (objective collapse, many-worlds and Bohmian) have all failed to command consensus in the scientific community. In this podcast, Dr. Nick Ormrod suggests that we need a radical shift in our understanding of reality. He explains his new interpretation of quantum theory, developed with Prof. Jonathan Barrett, called the "Theory of Causal Balance": whereby events emerge from a web of causation. This theory combines ideas about change from ancient philosophy with recent developments in quantum foundations research, to suggest that reality ultimately emerges from causal structures.*Podcast background*I recently completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford (was completing during the time of recording!), and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits. I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. Each episode has two parts:Part 1: Detailed, accessible conceptual discussion without specialist terminology.Part 2: Technical, mathematical explanation for those with a basic understanding of quantum mechanics and its formalism.*Want to learn the maths behind quantum information?*If you'd like to understand the mathematical parts of this series, I recommend these free courses:- John Watrous' "Understanding Quantum Information and Computation": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOFEBzvs-VvqKKMXX4vbi4EB1uaErFMSO- Artur Ekert's "Introduction to Quantum Information Science": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkespgaZN4gmu0nWNmfMflVRqw0VPkCGHThese courses assume some background in linear algebra.*Recommended lectures and videos* - Nick's talk "Quantum influences and event relativity" for the Oxford Philosophy of Physics seminar, February 2024: youtube.com/watch?v=lyWmLmbwlnY *Recommended academic papers*- "Quantum influences and event relativity" by Nick Ormrod and Jonathan Barrett: arxiv.org/abs/2401.18005- Nick Ormrod's PhD thesis (will post a link when it is available)______________________*Nick Ormrod's online profiles*- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=nick+ormrod&btnG=- Oxford Computer Science Quantum Group profile: cs.ox.ac.uk/people/nick.ormrod*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
A totally new way to solve quantum weirdness? Dr Maria Violaris 2024-10-25 | Does quantum reality emerge from causation?Welcome to Episode 2 of the Quantum Foundations Podcast! I interview Dr Nick Ormrod, who recently completed his DPhil at the University of Oxford (he was completing it at the time of recording!) and is now a post-doctoral research fellow at the Perimeter Institute in Canada. We discuss the new interpretation of quantum theory that Nick has been working on during his DPhil, with Prof. Jonathan Barrett. The key idea is that reality emerges from causal structures. *Time-stamps*0:00 - Coming Up0:50 - Welcome & podcast intro2:05 - How did you get into quantum? 4:23 - Summary of your main idea?9:24 - Causal influence and events12:54 - Events are not fundamental16:36 - Traditional ideas around causation 24:01 - Recovering other theories 26:45 - How does it solve the measurement problem?28:08 - Preferred basis problem 37:59 - Implications for observers?42:43 - A precise treatment of measurement47:20 - Schrödinger's cat56:46 - Emergence of 'collapse'58:16 - Ancient ideas about change 59:56 - Big Three interpretations of QM1:06:23 - Copenhagen interpretation1:08:55 - Quantum gravity & causal structure1:13:35 - Next steps? Q gravity & Q reference frames1:16:05 - Summary1:18:25 - Wrap up 1:20:03 - Behind the Scenes ______________________*Intro*How can we solve the famous "measurement problem" of quantum theory? The famous Copenhagen interpretation fails to solve the problem, and the "Big Three" interpretations of quantum theory (objective collapse, many-worlds and Bohmian) have all failed to command consensus in the scientific community. In this podcast, Dr. Nick Ormrod suggests that we need a radical shift in our understanding of reality. He explains his new interpretation of quantum theory, developed with Prof. Jonathan Barrett, called the "Theory of Causal Balance": whereby events emerge from a web of causation. This theory combines ideas about change from ancient philosophy with recent developments in quantum foundations research, to suggest that reality ultimately emerges from causal structures.*Podcast background*I recently completed my DPhil in the foundations of quantum information at Oxford (was completing during the time of recording!), and I now work on quantum computing at Oxford Quantum Circuits. I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely. Each episode has two parts:Part 1: Detailed, accessible conceptual discussion without specialist terminology.Part 2: Technical, mathematical explanation for those with a basic understanding of quantum mechanics and its formalism.*Part 2: Show me the maths!!*Part 2 will be out soon! It will include a mathematical explanation of Nick's "Theory of Causal Balance". Subscribe for updates.*Want to learn the maths behind quantum information?*If you'd like to understand the mathematical parts of this series, I recommend these free courses:- John Watrous' "Understanding Quantum Information and Computation": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOFEBzvs-VvqKKMXX4vbi4EB1uaErFMSO- Artur Ekert's "Introduction to Quantum Information Science": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkespgaZN4gmu0nWNmfMflVRqw0VPkCGHThese courses assume some background in linear algebra.*Episode links and resources*- Einstein's popular science book, "Relativity: The Special and General Theory", Wikipedia page: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Relativity:_The_Special_and_the_General_Theory*Recommended lectures and videos* - Nick's talk "Quantum influences and event relativity" for the Oxford Philosophy of Physics seminar, February 2024: youtube.com/watch?v=lyWmLmbwlnY *Recommended academic papers*- "Quantum influences and event relativity" by Nick Ormrod and Jonathan Barrett: arxiv.org/abs/2401.18005- Nick Ormrod's PhD thesis (will post a link when it is available)______________________*Nick Ormrod's online profiles*- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C5&q=nick+ormrod&btnG=- Oxford Computer Science Quantum Group profile: cs.ox.ac.uk/people/nick.ormrod*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Instagram: @maria.violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Alice and Bob: The Scientists that Don’t Exist (Quantum Poem!) Dr Maria Violaris 2024-09-09 | Alice and Bob: The Scientists that Don't Exist This poem is a conversation between Alice and Bob, the well-known characters from quantum thought experiments, in which they have an existential crisis as they contemplate their role in science. *Poem*“Not again!” cries Alice, as machines start to whir.Bob closes the heavy lab doors unperturbed.Another day, new experiments, for A and B to trial,“We’re advancing science!” says Bob with a smile.“But Bob – we don’t exist, we’re just words on a page,Placeholders when scientists can’t think of a name.”“But Alice – we bring to life their theories, so vague,With a body, a story, a play on a stage.”“Exactly, a play, a toy, a rhyme!Testing fantasies of secret codes or quantum time.”“Our experiments are models, and even so,Fantasies today make technology tomorrow.”“Am I simply A character? A, with lice deleted?A tool like A test-tube that’s cleaned and repeated?”“Alice, you’re a character of dimensions all kind,In paper after paper and mind after mind.”Alice gathers her coins, her phone, her watch.Things were so simple before she met Bob.But perhaps they are no more real than her,These scientific theories, great and small.“Bob – if fact was always fiction once,Then science is fiction after all!”*Background*I performed it at the inaugural "Quantum Carousel" event in Bristol, organised by Zulekha Samiullah, which brought together speakers for entertaining quantum-themed short talks and performances, Wednesday 31st July 2024. In 2020, I won the Lifeology science communication competition for the poem alongside an awesome artwork response by Maria Kostylew: lifeology.io/blog/2020/08/10/follow-alice-and-bob-in-their-quantum-adventures-in-this-illustrated-science-poemI originally wrote the poem a couple of years earlier.
Quantum theory is fully local — heres how. Dr Maria Violaris 2024-06-10 | Welcome back to the Quantum Foundations Podcast! In the first part of this instalment, we explained why entanglement does not imply that systems are influencing each other across space. We discussed how to save local realism in quantum theory by adjusting some of the assumptions behind the famous Bell's theorem. While Episode 1 (Part 1) was explained in general terms, here we give a precise, mathematical explanation of how standard quantum theory can be formulated to satisfy local realism. You can watch Episode 1 (Part 1) here: youtu.be/cDwvrP3Tvcw. Our guest is Dr Nicetu Tibau Vidal, who is a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Hong Kong, and previously did his PhD on locality at the University of Oxford. Time-stamps: Introduction0:00 - Coming Up 0:19 - Welcome & recap of Episode 1 (Part 1)1:56 - Standard explanation of Bell non-localityRealism8:02 - Subsystems, states, separability, observable properties14:31 - Properties that exist & Leibniz's law20:11 - Realism and joint statesLocality22:25 - What is locality?25:07 - Separability27:20 - Statevector not separable example30:37 - Leibniz's law, no-action-at-a-distance, no-signalling 39:18 - "Real" measurement outcomes violates no-action-at-a-distanceSaving local realism 41:00 - The third option! & Schrödinger picture example43:28 - Introducing Heisenberg picture 50:45 - Local properties give global properties1:02:03 - From infinite observables to 31:06:27 - From 3 observables to 21:08:49 - Tracking quantum info with 2 objects1:10:49 - From 2 observables to 1 1:14:03 - Checking local realism1:18:36 - Example with entangled state1:26:16 - More info from measuring global than local1:31:46 - Density matrices from observables1:33:42 - Applications of local formulation 1:36:29 - Wrap up 1:37:45 - Behind the scenes ______________________*Intro*It is often stated that "if two particles are quantum entangled, doing something to one instantly influences a distant entangled particle." This statement is backed by Bell's Theorem, said to require sacrificing locality (distant particles can't instantly influence each other) or realism (our theories describe real aspects of the universe).In this podcast, Dr. Nicetu Tibau Vidal explains a third option: we can keep both locality and realism within standard quantum mechanics. However, we need to update our understanding of the physical properties of a particle that really exist — with important implications for the nature of reality. *Podcast background*I'm a PhD student in quantum information at Oxford, and I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely.Each episode has two parts:Part 1: Detailed, accessible conceptual discussion without specialist terminology.Part 2: Technical, mathematical explanation for those with a basic understanding of quantum mechanics and its formalism.*Want to learn the maths behind quantum information?*If you'd like to understand the mathematical parts of this series, I recommend these free courses:- John Watrous' "Understanding Quantum Information and Computation": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOFEBzvs-VvqKKMXX4vbi4EB1uaErFMSO- Artur Ekert's "Introduction to Quantum Information Science": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkespgaZN4gmu0nWNmfMflVRqw0VPkCGHThese courses assume some background in linear algebra.*Recommended videos on quantum locality*- "Was Einstein Right? EPR Paradox Resolved with Quantum Computing | Paradoxes Ep. 07" youtu.be/eoPX4WJlOM8- "Quantum Teleportation Demystified with a Quantum Computer | Paradoxes Ep. 08" youtu.be/KsvNsY4cVvE*Recommended academic papers on locality*- Information flow in entangled systems, arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/9906007- The ABC of Deutsch-Hayden descriptors, arxiv.org/pdf/2012.11189- Intro of Nicetu's PhD thesis: ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:47cb66f1-5b8b-4c40-a91b-a44342638182______________________*Nicetu Tibau Vidal's online profiles*- Twitter / X: twitter.com/NicetuTV- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nicetu-tibau-vidal- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=9GyO5LIAAAAJ&hl=en*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Can a quantum demon reverse time’s arrow? Dr Maria Violaris 2024-06-06 | This is my performance for the Grand Final of the Institute of Physics 3-Minute-Wonder competition, which invites early career physicists to present their work in 3 minutes. I was representing the London and South East region, after winning the regional heat. The event took place in the Royal Institution's historic lecture theatre, on Wednesday 29th May 2024. I am a PhD student researching the foundations of quantum information at the University of Oxford. In this talk, I presented about one of my PhD research projects on irreversibility in quantum mechanics in collaboration with Dr Chiara Marletto, which was published in this paper: iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1367-2630/ac9e13/.
Quantum Non-Locality Debunked — Heres What Einstein Missed. Dr Maria Violaris 2024-06-03 | Welcome to Episode 1 of my new Quantum Foundations podcast! I interview Dr Nicetu Tibau Vidal, a Research Fellow at the University of Hong Kong. We discuss locality in quantum physics, informed by Nicetu's PhD research at the University of Oxford and his ongoing work.*Time-stamps*0:00 - Coming Up1:03 - Welcome1:14 - Introducing Nicetu7:02 - Podcast structure8:15 - Locality in physics14:00 - Nonlocality in quantum mechanics15:59 - Hooke, Newton & Einstein21:27 - Maxwell and fields25:00 - Bell's inequality, Bell experimental tests, and entanglement35:13 - Nonlocal influences vs. signalling39:24 - Einstein and hidden variables43:49 - Hidden variables and Bell’s theorem52:13 - Realism in quantum mechanics and the assumptions of Bell's theorem58:18 - Can we save local realism?1:00:05 - Many-worlds and Copenhagen interpretations of quantum mechanics1:08:35 - Restoring local realism1:21:31 - Objections to locality in quantum mechanics1:31:13 - Locality in different areas of physics1:41:32 - Locality in quantum gravity1:46:24 - Nicetu’s PhD research and implications1:54:34 - Summary and final thoughts1:58:41 - Wrap up1:59:49 - Behind the Scenes______________________*Intro*It is often stated that "if two particles are quantum entangled, doing something to one instantly influences a distant entangled particle." This statement is backed by Bell's Theorem, said to require sacrificing locality (distant particles can't instantly influence each other) or realism (our theories describe real aspects of the universe).In this podcast, Dr. Nicetu Tibau Vidal explains a third option: we can keep both locality and realism within standard quantum mechanics. However, we need to update our understanding of the physical properties of a particle that really exist — with important implications for the nature of reality. *Podcast background*I'm a PhD student in quantum information at Oxford, and I enjoy day-to-day conversations that change my perspective on what our best theories tell us about reality. This podcast aims to share these conversations and up-to-date research insights more widely.Each episode has two parts:Part 1: Detailed, accessible conceptual discussion without specialist terminology.Part 2: Technical, mathematical explanation for those with a basic understanding of quantum mechanics and its formalism.*Part 2: Show me the maths!!*Part 2 will be out soon! It will include a mathematical explanation of the local formulation of quantum theory. Subscribe for updates.*Want to learn the maths behind quantum information?*If you'd like to understand the mathematical parts of this series, I recommend these free courses:- John Watrous' "Understanding Quantum Information and Computation": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOFEBzvs-VvqKKMXX4vbi4EB1uaErFMSO- Artur Ekert's "Introduction to Quantum Information Science": youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkespgaZN4gmu0nWNmfMflVRqw0VPkCGHThese courses assume some background in linear algebra.*Episode links and resources*- minutephysics: youtube.com/@MinutePhysics*Recommended videos on quantum locality*- "Was Einstein Right? EPR Paradox Resolved with Quantum Computing | Paradoxes Ep. 07" youtu.be/eoPX4WJlOM8- "Quantum Teleportation Demystified with a Quantum Computer | Paradoxes Ep. 08" youtu.be/KsvNsY4cVvE*Recommended academic papers on locality*- Information flow in entangled systems, arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/9906007- The ABC of Deutsch-Hayden descriptors, arxiv.org/pdf/2012.11189- Intro of Nicetu's PhD thesis: ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:47cb66f1-5b8b-4c40-a91b-a44342638182______________________*Nicetu Tibau Vidal's online profiles*- Twitter / X: twitter.com/NicetuTV- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nicetu-tibau-vidal- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=9GyO5LIAAAAJ&hl=en*Maria Violaris' online profiles*- Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Maxwell’s Demon in 60 seconds! Dr Maria Violaris 2024-06-01 | This is a clip from my talk for the Institute of Physics 3-Minute-Wonder competition, I’ll post the full video on the channel soon!
Day in the Life of an Oxford Quantum Physicist & Quantum Computing Educator Dr Maria Violaris 2024-05-16 | What do theoretical physicists do all day? What's it like doing a PhD at Oxford? What does being a quantum computing educator look like? I'm in the final year of my PhD at the University of Oxford, where I research the foundations of quantum information science. Alongside my PhD, I am a quantum computing educator, and I've been working part-time making content with IBM Quantum. In this video, I recorded an ordinary day in my life. If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comments!Links to content I mentioned in the video:- Recent preprint arXiv paper on energy superpositions: arxiv.org/abs/2404.07786- Testing many-worlds against Copenhagen theory video: youtu.be/-YEmRhogaSQ?si=aHZTef3E9cfzhyve- Testing many-worlds again Copenhagen theory blog: Coming soon to the IBM Quantum Qiskit blog! ibm.com/quantum/blog?topic=qiskit- Playlist of Quantum Paradoxes videos: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLOFEBzvs-VvoQP-EVyd5Di3UrPPc2YKIcOnline profiles: - Personal website: mariaviolaris.com- Twitter / X: twitter.com/maria__violaris- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/maria-violaris- Substack: mariaviolaris.substack.com- Google Scholar: scholar.google.com/citations?user=wD2Yk8kAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=sra
Newcombs Paradox: A Glitch in the Admissions Process | David Deutsch 70th Birthday Dr Maria Violaris 2023-05-18 | A short video story for David Deutsch's 70th birthday, inspired by the Short Comment "Constructor-theoretic reflections on Newcomb's paradox" from the Constructor Theory website: constructortheory.org/portfolio/newcomb-p/.See all the contributions to David's 70th birthday collection here: https://dd70th.weebly.com.
Is this video playing forwards or backwards? Dr Maria Violaris 2022-06-17 | I gave a three-minute talk about the direction of time, entropy, and Boltzmann brains for Cheltenham Science Festival 2022, which I first presented for the FameLab 2020 Oxford final. Can you tell if this part of the presentation is playing forwards or backwards? How do you know? Watch the full talk here! youtu.be/-Icf-pOe1dM
Times arrow, entropy and Boltzmann Brains (Cheltenham Science Festival - FameLab 2022) Dr Maria Violaris 2022-06-17 | If you watch this three-minute talk:1. Time is going to move forwards. 2. You will find out why! I performed this talk at Cheltenham Science Festival 2022, after winning the Oxford final of FameLab 2020.
