Clear as Quantum

Magnetic Resonance Imaging machines are excellent props in TV medical dramas, and Peter While joins us to explain the physics behind MRI. Yes it's quantum! Peter is an MR physicist working at a hospital in Trondheim (Norway) with a background spanning hardware design, clinical practice, and now AI-assisted image reconstruction. He walks us through what it's actually like to get an MRI scan, and how the whole process comes down to nudging the quantum spin of hydrogen atoms in your own body — meaning that anyone who's had an MRI has, in a strange sense, briefly been a sort of quantum computer. The technique involves no ionizing radiation at all, but the enormous magnetic fields do occasionally lead to other eye-watering safety incidents. Have you ever wondered about using medical equipment as a musical instrument? Subscribe and share with your friends!

Ting Rei Tan talks quantum clocks — and why atomic ones are so much more precise than the pendulums in a grandfather clock (or even the crystal in a quartz watch). Ting Rei is an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney working at the intersection of atomic physics and quantum computing. He explains how atomic clocks work, why GPS depends on them being extraordinarily precise, and how the whole global timekeeping system quietly outsources itself to a network of atomic clocks most of us never think about. Along the way: the case for lutetium over cesium, and what it would mean to measure quantum gravity itself. Ever wondered why your GPS watch sometimes loses you mid-run? Subscribe and share with your friends!

Dr Danni Holmes uses a special single-atom gun to implant “donor” atoms into silicon chips for quantum technology. Working at atomic scales has its challenges — even a sneeze in a cleanroom can derail weeks of effort! Danni is an excellent communicator, and her most unusual science outreach gig was doing live experiments over Antarctica. She will soon be touring Australia for the Marie Curie Lectures as part of an award from the Australian Institute of Physics. Danni shares a teaser: quantum science isn’t just about tiny particles, but about everything from why stars shine to how quantum computing might reshape our society in the decades ahead. Curious how quantum science shapes the universe, and your life? Subscribe now and spread the word!

Dr Sol H. Jacobsen explores the fascinating world of spintronics — a field where quantum science already meets real-world applications. Sol is about to tour Australia for the Marie Curie Lectures as part of an award from the Australian Institute of Physics. Learn how manipulating electron spin opens doors to ultra-efficient information processing, and why this isn't just about quantum computing. We also dive into deeper territory: where does science end and philosophy begin? Sol discusses how quantum mechanics challenges our understanding of reality — and why these ideas matter to everyone , not just physicists. Whether you’re a seasoned researcher or just quantum-curious, this episode is a must-listen.

Ever wondered how the tiny processors in your phone or laptop are made? It all comes down to an ancient idea— writing on stone —taken to the most extreme level imaginable. Elliot Cheng is a Specialist Engineer in Nanolithography (aka tiny-stone-writing) at the University of Queensland’s Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis. Using electron beams and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lasers, he "prints" some of the smallest patterns in the world. This cutting-edge tech relies on quantum science and underpins the powerful, tiny computers we use every day. Have you ever dreamed of building things atom by atom? Subscribe and share with your friends! Due to audio issues, co-host Jacinta’s voice in this episode is redubbed by Isabella Means.

We present the inaugural, ultimate, and grand final EQUS Ig Nobel Prize! EQUS is coming towards an end, and there's plenty of Type 1 success to celebrate. But that is for another place, because the stories that end up being told and re-told (and re-told) with the most relish are invariably about Type 2 enjoyment. These incidents were not perhaps enjoyable in the moment but have grown to become our favourite anecdotes to share and reminisce about! Would you rather endure wildlife in the lab, a travel cancellation involving "second-hand" accommodation, a smoke-and-mirrors masterclass, biosecurity evasion, or an interstate pronunciation prank? Subscribe to hear more of the best stories about quantum science and the people working on groundbreaking quantum technologies.

This special episode recounts adventures from the 2024 National Quantum and Dark Matter Roadtrip - a science journey of more than 8000km across Australia! The roadtrip has become a significant annual National Science Week event, and this year it drove from Brisbane to Broome across the top of Australia. We visited numerous outback schools to share engaging presentations and hands-on activities, all designed to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. We also hosted pub quizzes and a community market stall! An adventure this big leads to plenty of stories, and we share some of our favourite anecdotes. Can you picture scientists enjoying crocodile-defying swims and alien-infested motel ruins? Has quantum science ever "blown your whole mind", like it did for a student we met in the Northern Territory? Subscribe and share with your friends!

Lasers are everywhere , and David Coutts helps us explore some of the quantum ideas behind these amazing light sources. David is a professor at Macquarie University and has worked with numerous exciting lasers - including some that produce light in Aussie green-and-gold colours. It's fascinating to realise just how widely lasers are used, even if they're often a bit behind the scenes. They can also be quite exciting, with beams able to drill a hole in your eye or even blast rust off metal! David explains how lasers work and various ways they can be built. Have you ever thought about lasers powered by nuclear explosions? Subscribe and share with your friends!

Karen Livesey talks about the quantum side of hot glowing things, revealing that quantum has been ubiquitous since the dawn of time. Karen is an Associate Professor at the University of Newcastle and has taught many students about how hot things glow in process called "blackbody radiation". Not only is this phenomenon thoroughly quantum, but it was actually one of the things that first led to the development of quantum theories in science. This is the first episode in a season exploring ubiquitous technologies that rely on quantum science, and Karen expertly explains kitchen toasters, sunlight, and even humans ourselves! Do you want to avoid things like the "ultraviolet catastrophe"? Subscribe and share with your friends!

In this live podcast event, we switch up our theme for Season 2 (coming soon) to talk about things that loudly claim to be quantum—but are they? Marketing gurus are alert to the appeal of "quantum", and many products use this buzzword to catch attention. Armed with a brief revision of what makes things really quantum, we have a go at working out how various items live up to this label. Have you heard of quantum batteries, dish-washing soap, TVs, shoes, fridges, and even motivational self-help? Some of these are totally valid, and others are more of a humorous stretch. Test your knowledge (or gullibility) against our live audience! Subscribe to make sure you're ready for Season 2 of Clear as Quantum, which will explore ubiquitous technologies that really do rely on quantum science (sometimes in hidden ways). We'd love to hear your quantum questions - send them to engage@equs.org and we'll try to answer them in future episodes!

It's been a long time without episodes, but we've "rephased" our podcast to restore coherence! Season 2 is coming soon, but this is a bonus episode to catch up on some highlights from the world of Quantum Science. Instead of interview guests we have two new co-hosts to introduce: Tim talks about nano-scale trampoline computers and an air-raid siren in his lab, and Jacinta shares her passion for quantum devices and emergent wormholes. The 2022 Physics Nobel Prize for quantum entanglement is a big discussion point, and we also touch on time crystals and even 2-dimensional time! Make sure you're ready for Season 2 of Clear as Quantum, which will explore ubiquitous technologies that already have us reliant on quantum science. Subscribe and share with your friends. We'd love to hear your quantum questions - send them to engage@equs.org and we'll try to answer them in future episodes!

Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop explains how quantum light can make tiny tractor-beams to move and wiggle things. Halina is widely recognised for her substantial achievements in moving things with light. "Optical tweezers" are tiny tractor beams that can move and wiggle small particles (larger objects are "safe" because they'd probably burn up before being lifted off a planet into alien spaceships for example). This technique has an enormous number of applications such as wiggling the balance system of zebra fish to study how signals move through brain neurons, and heating gold nanoparticles to burn cancer cells from the inside. Halina was the first female full professor of physics in Australia, and we applaud her active (and ongoing) work to promote and achieve diversity in science. Whether you're still just trying out physics or have already chosen to like it, subscribe and share with your friends. We'd love to hear your quantum questions - send them to engage@equs.org and we'll try to answer them in future episodes!

Kirk McKenzie talks about quantum "noise" and some of the most impressively precise measurements ever made. Kirk brings quantum precision to some of the biggest questions about our planet and universe. He works on laser instruments that have to face up to (and "squeeze") the fluctuations of quantum noise in order to detect gravitational waves - tiny movements of a mirror by a billionth of a millionth of a millimetre! Similar instruments are now in space to measure droughts, floods, and melting polar ice caps (all from low-earth orbit). We are blown away by both the giant size of these experiments and the the minuscule movements they can measure, and Kirk talks about giant speaker horns and hungry Nobel laureates. Did quantum take you to space, or space lead you to quantum? In either case, subscribe and share with your friends. We'd love to hear your quantum questions - send them to engage@equs.org and we'll try to answer them in future episodes!

Jacq Romero reveals that "ignorance" can be a quantum superpower. Jacq has won numerous awards for her research into the shape of photons, and has brought this work into mainstream quantum information. Information is usually encoded in 0s and 1s, but qudits (beyond qubits) could open a more interesting way to encode quantum information across more levels. It's like Schrödinger's cat that's both dead and alive - but you have the whole zoo! No matter how many levels are used, often the interesting and useful states are built by throwing away some information (engineering a kind of ignorance). We touch on the interesting philosophical implications as well as the mundane experimental requirements, and Jacq shares both inspiration and nightmare. No matter how many letters are in your favourite quantum "alphabet", subscribe and share with your friends. We'd love to hear your quantum questions - send them to engage@equs.org and we'll try to answer them in future episodes!

Glen Harris discusses whirlpools and the famously quantum property of "spin". Glen's love of hard challenges has led him to study quantum optomechanics, the art of using light to measure (or cause) extremely tiny mechanical movements. His current projects include measuring the position of a mirror to less than the diameter of an atom, developing inertial sensors for defence applications, and stirring up the worlds smallest whirlpools. It turns out that quantum spin is not the same thing as a whirlpool, but is critical to the commercial storage and transport of liquid hydrogen fuel! Are you enticed by quantum leaps? Subscribe and share with your friends. We'd love to hear your quantum questions - send them to engage@equs.org and we'll try to answer them in future episodes!

Mike Tobar explains how quantum "duality" limits ultra-precise measurements. Mike breaks this standard quantum limit of measurement precision in order to explore things as diverse as dark matter, gravity waves, and radar. Duality is the fact that everything (photons, particles, ..., people, planets) are best described as both particles and waves at the same time - but that's not the only mind-bending idea in this episode. The search for dark matter means looking for a subatomic particle that has cosmic size, and Mike describes experiments using giant ultra-cold tuning forks that can ring for days! Have you ever wondered whether Doctor Who is a quantum particle? Subscribe and share with your friends. We'd love to hear your quantum questions - send them to engage@equs.org and we'll try to answer them in future episodes!

John Bartholomew talks about quantum memories and the challenges of keeping quantum information "coherent". John explores the limit of how long quantum information can be stored - a "quantum memory" is an important part of quantum information technologies. He was part of a team that set the record for this "coherence time" of about 6 hours (using super-cold glowing crystals). This might seem short compared to classical hard drives, but its excitingly long enough to imagine building a quantum sneaker-net. In fact this idea of coherence gets at the boundary between quantum and classical! John shares his own journey from a small country town to a commute within view of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and the super-fridges from Episode 1 make a reappearance. Have you ever wanted a quantum USB adapter? Subscribe and share with your friends. We'd love to hear your quantum questions - send them to engage@equs.org and we'll try to answer them in future episodes!

Quantum doesn't have to be tiny! Magdalena Zych talks about quantum "systems" on a cosmic scale. Magdalena is a theoretician who ponders questions that straddle quantum physics and relativity - which is a big deal because these two famous theories aren't quite compatible. Quantum systems make superbly precise clocks, and measuring time is a way to play with the bent space-time of relativity. This is a great game to stretch your brain! We are amazed by the ability of equations to describe the universe (although the detailed maths are left out of this conversation), and Magdalena recounts a fantastic adventure around the world to chat with colleagues. Have you ever wondered about a "quantum only-child" being simultaneously older and younger than themselves? Subscribe and share with your friends!

Thomas Volz discusses what the word "engineered" has to do with quantum science, and gives an exciting overview of the emerging quantum industry. Thomas builds - or engineers - exotic quantum particles that don't occur in nature! These new kinds of material are part matter and part light, and are made using laser light bouncing between two mirrors (a bit like in a hotel elevator) that interacts with atoms in the gap between the mirrors. The idea of "quantum engineering" extends into a lively and rapidly growing range of industrial applications, and Thomas talks about co-founding a tech startup growing out of his research lab. We also touch on the impact of enthusiastic teachers and the birth of quantum science! Whether you want to be one of the world's first Quantum Engineers or not, subscribe and share with your friends!

Sally Shrapnel shares a somewhat meandering journey into quantum science, and gives a fascinating perspective on our keyword "quantum". Sally is one of the Deputy Directors of EQUS and does theoretical research into pretty deep ideas like "causation" and "the arrow of time", but this doesn't mean she's detached from reality. She worked as a medical doctor and rural GP before becoming a quantum scientist, and has some great stories (and advice) from her less direct career journey. Her combination of expertise enabled Sally to help work out important things about COVID-19 early in the pandemic, and she reminds us that physicists have a tremendous range of skills to offer the world in all sorts of data-driven situations. Also, we ponder the limits to what can be learnt and hear what quantum sounds like to a theoretician! The world is a better place when more people know about quantum science. Subscribe and share with your friends!