Invisible Reality
The Wonderful Weirdness of the Quantum World
The Wonderful Weirdness of the Quantum World
Friday, May 30, 2008, 8:00 PM - 9:30 PM
Proposed a century ago to better explain the mind-bending behavior of the smallest constituents of the universe, quantum theory has implications far beyond the atom. This rich set of laws has applications both practical and extraordinary — from the technology that has revolutionized modern life to the possibility of parallel worlds.
Our audience joined Alan Alda as he accompanied Brian Greene, Nobel Laureate William Phillips and other leading thinkers at the vanguard of quantum research on an accessible multimedia exploration of the astounding weirdness of the quantum world.
Participants:
Alan Alda, a six-time Emmy Award–winner, played Hawkeye Pierce on the classic television series, M*A*S*H, and, more recently, appeared in continuing roles on ER, The West Wing, and 30 Rock. Altogether, he has been nominated for the Emmy 33 times - as actor, writer, and director. In 1994, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
Brian Greene is a Professor of Physics and Mathematics at Columbia University, and is recognized for a number of groundbreaking discoveries in his field of superstring theory. His books are widely read: The Elegant Universe, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and has sold more than a million copies worldwide; The Fabric of the Cosmos spent half a year on the New York Times bestseller list, and inspired the Washington Post to call him the “single best explainer of abstruse ideas in the world today.”
Nobel Prize-winning physicist William Phillips is a professor at the University of Maryland and leads the Laser Cooling and Trapping Group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. His research on manipulating atoms with laser light has led to more accurate atomic clocks and a more fundamental understanding of light-matter interactions.
Max Tegmark is a leading cosmologist and an ardent proponent of the many worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. He is a professor of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.Venue
NYU Skirball CenterThis event made possible with the support of
as part of the Big Ideas Series
