Episode notes
Magnetic Resonance Imaging machines are excellent props in TV medical dramas, and Peter While joins us to explain the physics behind MRI. Yes it's quantum! Peter is an MR physicist working at a hospital in Trondheim (Norway) with a background spanning hardware design, clinical practice, and now AI-assisted image reconstruction. He walks us through what it's actually like to get an MRI scan, and how the whole process comes down to nudging the quantum spin of hydrogen atoms in your own body — meaning that anyone who's had an MRI has, in a strange sense, briefly been a sort of quantum computer.…
Podcast
Clear as Quantum
EQUS · Tech & Science · English
Clear as Quantum is an EQUS podcast about quantum science and the exciting technologies that are getting ready to unleash a quantum revolution. In this “spooky podcast at a distance” we’ll try to dust the cobwebs out of the quantum physics realm that's entangling our lives. Over the course of 10 epi
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S2 · E4 · 26 Aug 2026 · 34 min
Quantum clock
Ting Rei Tan talks quantum clocks — and why atomic ones are so much more precise than the pendulums in a grandfather clock (or even the crystal in a quartz watch). Ting Rei is an Associate Professor at the University of Sydney working at the intersection of atomic physics and quantum computing. He explains how atomic clocks work, why GPS depends on them being extraordinarily precise, and how the whole global timekeeping system quietly outsources itself to a network of atomic clocks most of us never think about. Along the way: the case for lutetium over cesium, and what it would mean to…
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S2 · 30 Jun 2025 · 36 min
Secrets of the universe are shaping our future
Dr Danni Holmes uses a special single-atom gun to implant “donor” atoms into silicon chips for quantum technology. Working at atomic scales has its challenges — even a sneeze in a cleanroom can derail weeks of effort! Danni is an excellent communicator, and her most unusual science outreach gig was doing live experiments over Antarctica. She will soon be touring Australia for the Marie Curie Lectures as part of an award from the Australian Institute of Physics. Danni shares a teaser: quantum science isn’t just about tiny particles, but about everything from why stars shine to how quantum…
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S2 · 30 Jun 2025 · 37 min
Your quantum future
Dr Sol H. Jacobsen explores the fascinating world of spintronics — a field where quantum science already meets real-world applications. Sol is about to tour Australia for the Marie Curie Lectures as part of an award from the Australian Institute of Physics. Learn how manipulating electron spin opens doors to ultra-efficient information processing, and why this isn't just about quantum computing. We also dive into deeper territory: where does science end and philosophy begin? Sol discusses how quantum mechanics challenges our understanding of reality — and why these ideas matter to everyone ,…
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S2 · E3 · 11 Apr 2025 · 29 min
Quantum printer
Ever wondered how the tiny processors in your phone or laptop are made? It all comes down to an ancient idea— writing on stone —taken to the most extreme level imaginable. Elliot Cheng is a Specialist Engineer in Nanolithography (aka tiny-stone-writing) at the University of Queensland’s Centre for Microscopy and Microanalysis. Using electron beams and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lasers, he "prints" some of the smallest patterns in the world. This cutting-edge tech relies on quantum science and underpins the powerful, tiny computers we use every day. Have you ever dreamed of building things…
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S2 · 13 Dec 2024 · 22 min
Live - Celebrating quantum Ig Nobility
We present the inaugural, ultimate, and grand final EQUS Ig Nobel Prize! EQUS is coming towards an end, and there's plenty of Type 1 success to celebrate. But that is for another place, because the stories that end up being told and re-told (and re-told) with the most relish are invariably about Type 2 enjoyment. These incidents were not perhaps enjoyable in the moment but have grown to become our favourite anecdotes to share and reminisce about! Would you rather endure wildlife in the lab, a travel cancellation involving "second-hand" accommodation, a smoke-and-mirrors masterclass,…
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