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Quantum effects are usually thought to be too delicate to manifest in the macroscopic world. However, recent physics breakthroughs have revealed that, in carefully engineered materials, such as metals, insulators, or magnets, quantum effects not only show up but also fundamentally change the way these materials behave. In this lecture, Professor Xie Chen will cover superconductivity, topological order, and a range of phenomena in quantum matters that may hold unprecedented power for quantum computers and even for our fundamental understanding of the universe.
Quantum effects are usually thought to be too delicate to manifest in the macroscopic world. However, recent physics breakthroughs have revealed that, in carefully engineered materials, such as metals, insulators, or magnets, quantum effects not only show up but also fundamentally change the way these materials behave. In this lecture, Chen will cover superconductivity, topological order, and a range of phenomena in quantum matters that may hold unprecedented power for quantum computers and even for our fundamental understanding of the universe.
Xie Chen is Professor of Theoretical Physics in Caltech's Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy.
Established in 1922, the Earnest C. Watson Lectures bring Caltech’s most innovative scientific research to the public. Named for Earnest C. Watson, a professor of physics at Caltech from 1919 to 1959, the Watson Lectures spotlight a small selection of the pioneering research Caltech’s faculty is currently conducting.
The 2021-2022 Watson Lectures will be presented virtually on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. at caltech.edu/watson. Register online to add this event to your calendar and to receive an email reminder.
Caltech is a world-renowned science and engineering institute that marshals some of the world's brightest minds and most innovative tools to address fundamental scientific questions and pressing societal challenges. Caltech manages JPL for NASA, sending probes to explore the planets of our solar system and quantify changes on our home planet.
Caltech is an independent, privately supported institution with a 124-acre campus in Pasadena, CA. To learn more, visit caltech.edu.
