Quantum Engineering - Public Lecutre and Hands-on Event (NSEW) March 8, 2008

Practical Applications of Quantum Physics and How these Might Transform Society.

A lecture on the fundamentals of quantum physics with hands-on demonstrations and a discussion of the potential impact of quantum technology on everyone's life.

The quest for miniaturisation has lead to nano-scale devices consisting of only a few atomic layers exhibiting quantum effects. Quantum engineering seeks to exploit these effects to develop new applications for such devices. This remains very much a scientific and technological frontier; we perhaps can no more predict how quantum devices will change the world than the inventors of the Internet were able to envisage how it is transforming society now. Yet, quantum effects are already essential for semi-conductor technology used in everyday devices such as mobile phones and there are promising new applications in many areas of technology; from secure communication, to controlling chemical reactions, to biomedical applications, for example.

In this event, aimed at a general audience, we will embark onto a journey into "quantum land" to provide an insight into essential quantum effects enabling such applications. We will also present potential applications and discuss their impact on society with the audience.

Official Website: http://www.langbein.org/quantum