Nicole Yunger Halpern on quantum steampunk

Nicole Yunger Halpern reenvisions 19th-century thermodynamics for the 21st century, using the mathematical toolkit of quantum information theory. She is a fellow of the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science (QuICS), a theoretical physicist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the University of Maryland. She is also the author of Quantum Steampunk: The Physics of Yesterday’s Tomorrow, a book that blends the topic of quantum thermodynamics with the steampunk genre of art and literature, juxtaposing a Victorian aesthetic with futuristic technologies. She tells co-hosts Lauren and Colin about the inspirations behind her work – scientific and artistic – and explains how fundamental ideas in quantum information theory are reshaping science and technology. View the episode transcript here.

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Conversations at the Perimeter is co-hosted by Perimeter Teaching Faculty member Lauren Hayward and journalist-turned-science communicator Colin Hunter. In each episode, they chat with a guest scientist about their research, the challenges they encounter, and the drive that keeps them searching for answers.

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