Season 1, Episode 77 · Why This Universe?
77 - All About Quantum Computing (Ft. Henry Lamm)
5 Feb 2024 · 41 min
Season 1, Episode 77 · Why This Universe?
5 Feb 2024 · 41 min
Quantum computing makes big promises, but how does it work? What is the real state of quantum computing today? Special guest Henry Lamm answers our questions. Our new merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universe For ask-us-anything segments and other exclusives, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
by Dan Hooper, Shalma Wegsman · English · Tech & Science
The biggest ideas in physics, broken down. Join theoretical physicist Dan Hooper and co-host Shalma Wegsman as they answer your questions about dark matter, black holes, quantum mechanics, and more. Part of The University of Chicago Podcast Network.
E80 · 1 Apr 2024 · 17 min
Hear how a recent discovery of the motions of galaxies is changing how cosmologists are thinking about our universe.For ad free episodes and other exclusives, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverseOur merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universeSupport the show
E79 · 18 Mar 2024 · 41 min
Last year, an experiment called NanoGRAV made a surprising discovery of gravitational waves using pulsars around the universe. Special guest Chiara Mingarelli explains.For ad free episodes and other exclusives, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverseOur merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universeSupport the show
S1 · E78 · 4 Mar 2024 · 39 min
What's it like bringing science to the most general public audiences? How do you distill complex results into short news-worthy articles without getting lost in clickbait? Today we hear the perspective of New York Times science journalist Katrina Miller. For ad free episodes and other exclusives, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Our merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universe Support the show
S1 · E76 · 22 Jan 2024 · 38 min
Is the world around us real, or are we living in someone's computer program? Our new merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universe For ask-us-anything segments and other exclusives, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
S1 · E75 · 8 Jan 2024 · 42 min
We hear two physicists describe their lives collecting data in remote locations, from deep underground in an active mine and from the South Pole. Our new merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universe For ask-us-anything segments and other exclusives, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Support the show
S2 · E9 · 24 Aug 2026 · 37 min
Modern physics tells us a lot about light; that it's both a wave and a particle, and that it sets the speed limit of the universe, for example. But how did we come to understand light in this way? In Dan's first solo episode, he takes us through theories of light through the ages, starting from the earliest accounts of ancient ideas and bringing us all the way to modern times. Let us know what you think about this new format! Support the show
S2 · E8 · 3 Aug 2026 · 36 min
It's been a while! To make up for lost time, today's episode is a rundown of all the physics news you should know. Hear what is keeping physicists at the edge of their seat, and what physics news you should keep your eyes out for in the coming years. Also, this episode comes with an update from us at WTU: This will be Shalma's last episode as co-host and editor (though she'll continue to help out with production behind the scenes). Support the show
S2 · E7 · 19 Jan 2026 · 41 min
An unlikely change in the theory of quantum mechanics would lead to bizarre new conclusions. Our guest talks us through non-linear quantum mechanics, and how physicists like him are testing it. For ad-free episodes and exclusive ask-us-anything segments, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Our merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universe Support the show
S2 · E6 · 22 Dec 2025 · 30 min
Quantum mechanics is full of surprises. But somehow, the theory is captured almost entirely in a single equation. Today we explore the Schrödinger equation: how it works, what it says about nature, and why it revolutionized physics. For ad-free episodes and exclusive ask-us-anything segments, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://patreon.com/whythisuniverse Our merch is available here: https://www.shalmawegsman.com/why-this-universe Support the show
S2 · E5 · 24 Nov 2025 · 53 min
In the years leading up to the Large Hadron Collider turning on, the physics community was buzzing with curiosity and excitement about what they were about to discover. These moments were captured in the documentary Particle Fever, created by the particle physicist David Kaplan. On today's episode, he recounts these historic years from the perspective of both physicist and filmmaker. For ad-free episodes and exclusive ask-us-anything segments, join us for just $3 a month on Patreon: https://p...