Journey through Light and Quantum Realms

Whilst miniaturisation of electrical components has progressed at breakneck speed over the last few decades the same can not necessarily be said for optical components. A quick look at the back of your phone and you will see that the bit that sticks out are the lenses for the camera. This is because we are still using conventional optics where curved lenses focus light onto a point, but what if we could have lenses that were designed to be as flat as a coverslip or even fit on the end of an optical fibre. This talk looks at the fabrication of ultra flat lenses that can be shrunk down to sub mm sizes that can even be attached to the end of an optical fibre allowing them to be used to improve the ease and speed at which we can detect cancers in hard to access areas of the body.

Quantum mechanics, with its peculiar discussions of cats in boxes, might seem to be a mystifying and convoluted topic, but it underpins a huge amount of modern day technology from MRI scanners, to mobile phones and the internet. Utilising the unique features of quantum systems has made many technological feats possible, and is still at the forefront of developing technologies today. Learn how cats in boxes can be used to explain quantum physics at temperatures lower than outer space, the surprising way we cool atoms, and their bizarre quantum properties, which underpins an emerging multi-billion dollar global quantum industry