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Measure for Measure: Quantum Physics and Reality

Thursday, May 29, 2014
8:00 pm - 9:30 pm

Throw a baseball and you can track its arc across the sky without disturbing it. Scientists don’t have that luxury with quantum particles. When no one is looking, a particle has near limitless potential: it can be nearly anywhere. But measure it, and the particle snaps to one position. This transition from the fuzzy quantum world to the sharp reality of common experience is as vital as it is controversial. How do objects shed their quantum weirdness when measured? Join a debate of current theories, including tales of infinite universes where anything and everything happens.

This program is part of the Big Ideas Series, made possible with support from the John Templeton Foundation.

Moderator

Brian GreenePhysicist, Author

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, The Elegant Universe, The Fabric of the Cosmos, and The Hidden Reality, have collectively spent 65 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list.

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Participants

David Z. AlbertPhysicist, Philosopher

David Albert is the Frederick E. Woodbridge Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University and a physicist who explores quantum mechanics. He is world-renowned for his insights into philosophical questions about the nature of time, space, and other problems of modern physics.

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Sean CarrollPhysicist, Johns Hopkins
Bestselling Author

Sean Carroll is the Homewood Professor of Natural Philosophy at the Johns Hopkins University, and an External Professor at the Santa Fe Institute. Prior to that he was a research …

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Sheldon GoldsteinMathematician, Physicist, Philosopher

Sheldon Goldstein is a professor of mathematics, physics, and philosophy at Rutgers University. He studies the very foundations of quantum theory, probability theory, and statistical mechanics.

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Ruediger SchackMathematician

Ruediger Schack is a Professor at the Department of Mathematics at Royal Holloway, University of London. His research interests are quantum information theory, quantum cryptography, and quantum Bayesianism. He obtained his Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics at the University of Munich in 1991.

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