Public Talk by Prof J.C. Séamus Davis on "Quantum Entangled Beasts"

As a part of the Condensed Matter Physics in the City 2025 (CMPCity 2025) conference series, a public lecture talk will be presented by Professor J.C. Séamus Davis on "Quantum Entangled Beasts".

Speaker: Professor J.C. Séamus Davis, University of Oxford

Time and Date: 19:00 on Wednesday, 18th June 2025

Location: Institute of Physics, 37 Caledonian Road, London, N1 9BU (or alternatively join online).

Registration: Registration is required via the IOP Event Registration Portal (you can select in-person or online attendance on the portal).

The International Year of Quantum Science and Technology is 2025, recognising the centenary of our most fundamental and successful theory of physics. Moreover quantum technology e.g. quantum computing is now emerging with the promise of revolutionary changes to our society and economy. Yet, in many ways, quantum physics feels as if it is a set of eerie and counterintuitive ideas of no direct relevance to our lives. Why is this? One reason is that we cannot perceive the strangeness (and astonishing beauty) of the quantum phenomena all around us by using our own senses.

In this conversation, we will survey the key concepts of quantum physics with a focus on quantum entanglement, a deeply mysterious yet highly productive resource of quantum physics. Then, we will explore and dismiss the ‘fake news’ concept that quantum physics only occurs at the atomic scale and never in the macroscopic world all around us. On that basis, we will consider and demonstrate how to create instruments that allow humans to perceive and quantify macroscopic quantum entanglement in human-scale objects and devices. Finally, we will listen together to the acoustic signature of macroscopic quantum entanglement, emerging from objects that you can hold in the palm of your hand.

This public event is run as part of our international conference “Condensed Matter Physics in the City 2025”.

The speaker

Prof. Séamus Davis’ work in high-sensitivity quantum tunnelling spectroscopy on strongly correlated quantum materials was recognised by many prizes, including the O.V. Lounasmaa Memorial Prize (2020) and the O.E. Buckley Memorial Prize (2023). He is a fellow of the Fellow of the Royal Irish Academy, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and he currently holds a Royal Society Research Professorship at the University of Oxford. Further information can be found on his group website.

Séamus is also well-known for his wonderful Irish humour, so his talk comes with a guarantee of being not only informative but also a lot of fun!