Past seminars
Catch up on the seminars we've held by watching our video recordings.
Watch our seminars
Classical analogues of quantum systems
This talk run by Giovanni Manfredi, held on 17 February 2022, outlined a novel method to emulate quantum evolutions using analogue systems that are purely classical. The classical analogue is made out of a collection of Brownian micro-particles optically trapped by a laser beam and immersed in a thermal bath.
The seminar was jointly organised with the Advanced Technology Institute and the Department of Mathematics.
Quantum Brownian motion for magnets
Theoretical physicist and world expert in the exciting new fields of quantum information theory and quantum thermodynamics, Janet Anders, was the speaker for the quantum Brownian motion for magnets talk on 24 November 2021.
It was discussed how a system-bath Hamiltonian, similar to the Caldeira-Leggett and spin-boson models, can be used to derive a general spin dynamics equation.
Strong determinism
The strong determinism talk on 20 October 2021 outlined ideas about the nature of determinism in science. Lead by philosopher of physics, Eddy Chen from UC San Diego, who is a named collaborator on our new Templeton grant on the arrow of time.
In praise of natural philosophy – a synthesis of physics and metaphysics
This in praise of natural philosophy talk, held by Nicholas Maxwell on Wednesday 15 September 2021, discussed the overwhelming case for conceiving, and doing, physics within the framework of aim-oriented empiricism – and its implications for discovery, for quantum theory, for the role of metaphysics and philosophy of physics within physics.
The physics of can and can’t
The physics of can and can’t talk on 14 July 2021 was run by Chiara Marletto, where they described the foundations of a programme to extend the quantum theory of computation beyond quantum theory itself, based on the recently proposed constructor theory.
The relational interpretation of quantum mechanics
We held an intuitive and compelling interpretation of quantum mechanics talk from one of the world’s best-known figures in theoretical physics, Carlo Rovelli, on Wednesday 16 December 2020.
Quantum reality: The interpretations of quantum mechanics and the purpose of science
A non-technical introductory overview of the meaning of quantum mechanics from the perspective of the philosophy of science talk took place on Wednesday 9 December 2020 lead by freelance science writer Jim Baggott.
Quantum geometry and space-time
On Wednesday 18 November 2020, we held a seminar with an overview of geometric quantum mechanics plus a more recent discovery on certain quantum-like structures in classical relativity, held by Professor Dorje Brody.
Is there a physical meaning for the complex harmonic oscillator? Circles theory and quantum mechanics
A seminar on a project that goes back 30 years trying to find a deeper interpretation of the quantum mechanical wave function was held on Wednesday 4 November with speaker Dr Muhammed Sanduk.
The de Broglie-Bohm approach to quantum theory: Particles and fields
The seminar on the Bohmian interpretation of quantum mechanics was given by Portsmouth University theoretical physicist and David Bohm’s old PhD student, Chris Dewdney on Wednesday 21 October.
Mad-dog everettianism
On Wednesday 7 October we held a seminar that discussed the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. It was led by Caltech physicist, Sean Carroll, whose latest book Something Deeply Hidden, is about this very subject.