IOP Quantum and Nanotechnology Undergraduate Day 2024
LOCATION
Institute of Physics, London
WHEN
Wed, 20 Nov 2024
Maria Violaris
DEVELOPER ADVOCATE
Maria has a hybrid role at OQC of quantum error correction research towards building a fault-tolerant quantum computer, and technical science communication. She has a PhD in theoretical quantum information from the University of Oxford, alongside which she interned with IBM Quantum making the “Quantum Paradoxes” YouTube series. She has spearheaded multiple new initiatives in the quantum community, including the “Quantum on the Clock” Schools Video Competition; Oxford Quantum Information Society; and quantum computing workshops. She has also written for Physics World magazine; published quantum education research; and hosts a Quantum Foundations Podcast on her YouTube channel, amongst other quantum content.
EVENT DETAILS
OQC Developer Advocate, Maria Violaris, will be speaking at the IOP Quantum and Nanotechnology Undergraduate Day 2024 on Wednesday 20th November!
Maria will be kicking off the event by speaking about “Demystifying Quantum: Testing Time, Tech and Too Many Cats Inside your Head”, explaining key aspects of applying quantum theory on large scales, informed by her PhD research. These ideas are key for understanding the fundamentals of quantum physics and important properties of quantum computing.
The event is for physics undergraduates to experience “a day of talks from leading young researchers on their research, PhD life, and career perspectives in industry and academia”.
SESSION DETAILS
Demystifying Quantum: Testing Time, Tech and Too Many Cats Inside your Head
Quantum theory has a reputation for being counterintuitive, confusing and even paradoxical. From Schrödinger’s cat to entanglement to the multiverse, the strange consequences of quantum science have long been a staple of popular science. Today, these phenomena form a core part of the rapidly growing field of quantum computing and other quantum technologies. In this talk, I will use thought experiments to explain how quantum theory actually makes sense, even when applied to large scales like cats, computers and observers. This is based on my PhD research about resolving apparent paradoxes with the arrow of time, measurement, and locality. I will also explain how these fundamental insights into quantum theory reveal the nature of decoherence and noise in quantum computing.
