Join David Jamieson as he explores his work in quantum technology and looks at how we plan to build the first quantum machines.

Watch the Q&A for this video here: https://youtu.be/gnf9eH4WjQM
Subscribe for regular science videos: http://bit.ly/RiSubscRibe

Einstein's most revolutionary idea, the light quantum, led to the concept for a radical new type of computer. This computer would use the strange rules of quantum mechanics to process information encoded in quantum bits, otherwise known as qubits.

In this talk you will find out more about how these large-scale devices may be able to solve important problems that cannot be solved by classical machines. And about some of the formidable scientific and technical obstacles that would need to be overcome, through the use of unprecendented precision to manipulate and interrogate single atoms.

This lecture was filmed at the Ri on 5 July 2022.

00:00 Lecture outline
3:23 A retrospective of the computer age
11:29 The first quantum revolution
16:58 Demonstrating Einstein’s photoelectric effect
23:30 Discovery of the nucleus
27:41 Discovery of spin
35:28 ‘There’s plenty of room at the bottom’
39:36 The start of a second quantum revolution
51:15 The spooky quantum state
54:17 Maintaining order in a large-scale device

David Jamieson is a Professor of Physics at the University of Melbourne. He has a PhD from Melbourne and held postdoctoral fellowships at Caltech (USA) and the University of Oxford (UK).

David has served terms as Head of School and President of the Australian Institute of Physics. His research expertise in the field of ion beam physics applied to test some of the key functions of a revolutionary quantum computer constructed in silicon in the ARC Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology.

In 2020 David received a Royal Society Wolfson Visiting Fellowship to work on new ideas for engineering silicon with single atoms. He is also a Fellow of both the Australian Institute of Physics and the Institute of Physics (UK).

---
A very special thank you to our Patreon supporters who help make these videos happen, especially:
Andy Carpenter, William Hudson, Richard Hawkins, Thomas Gønge, Don McLaughlin, Jonathan Sturm, Microslav Jarábek, Michael Rops, Supalak Foong, efkinel lo, Martin Paull, Ben Wynne-Simmons, Ivo Danihelka, Paulina Barren, Kevin Winoto, Jonathan Killin, Taylor Hornby, Rasiel Suarez, Stephan Giersche, William Billy Robillard, Scott Edwardsen, Jeffrey Schweitzer, Frances Dunne, jonas.app, Tim Karr, Adam Leos, Alan Latteri, Matt Townsend, John C. Vesey, Andrew McGhee, Robert Reinecke, Paul Brown, Lasse T Stendan, David Schick, Joe Godenzi, Dave Ostler, Osian Gwyn Williams, David Lindo, Roger Baker, Greg Nagel, Rebecca Pan.

---
The Ri is on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/TheRoyalInstitution
and Twitter: http://twitter.com/ri_science
and Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/royalinstitution
and TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ri_science
Listen to the Ri podcast: https://anchor.fm/ri-science-podcast
Our editorial policy: https://www.rigb.org/editing-ri-talks-and-moderating-comments
Subscribe for the latest science videos: http://bit.ly/RiNewsletter

Product links on this page may be affiliate links which means it won't cost you any extra but we may earn a small commission if you decide to purchase through the link.