Everything you ever wanted to know about quantum but were too afraid to ask

What does it mean to become conversant with quantum physics, and what questions might the humanities bring to it?

Everything you ever wanted to know about quantum but were too afraid to ask is an in-person event where you can explore the world of quantum.

What does it mean to become conversant with quantum physics, and what questions might the humanities bring to it? In this lecture, Charles H. Bennett, one of the founders of quantum information science, approaches quantum literacies through a question about memory. What does it mean for something to leave a trace?

The lecture begins with the difference between physical and cultural memory. An event can leave traces in the physical world long after it has been forgotten. What would it take for those traces to disappear entirely? From there, Bennett will reflect on the metaphors and materialities of memory. When we say that matter ‘remembers’, what are we borrowing from the language of human memory? How does the material form of a trace shape whether it can be recovered?

The lecture is part of the humanities programme of the UCPH Quantum Hub and is co-organized by TRACE and the ERC-funded DALOSS project.