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PODCAST

Clear as Quantum

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 episodes you’ll hear from some of Australia’s leading quantum scientists, and learn things worth knowing about.

science physics

All Episodes

35:33

Secrets of the universe are shaping our future

Clear as Quantum ·

2025/06/30

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:

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36:38

Your quantum future

Clear as Quantum ·

2025/06/30

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

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29:06

Quantum printer

Clear as Quantum ·

2025/04/11

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

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22:03

Live - Celebrating quantum Ig Nobility

Clear as Quantum ·

2024/12/13

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,

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29:33

Roadtripping a quantum skipping rope

Clear as Quantum ·

2024/09/05

This special episode recounts adventures from the 2024 National Quantum and Dark Matter Roadtrip - a science journey of more than 8000km across Australia! The roadtrip has become a significant annual National Science Week event, and this year it drove from Brisbane to Broome across the top of Australia. We visited numerous outback schools to share engaging presentations and hands-on activities, all designed to inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers. We also hosted pub

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32:44

Quantum torch

Clear as Quantum ·

2024/08/09

Lasers are everywhere, and David Coutts helps us explore some of the quantum ideas behind these amazing light sources.David is a professor at Macquarie University and has worked with numerous exciting lasers - including some that produce light in Aussie green-and-gold colours. It's fascinating to realise just how widely lasers are used, even if they're often a bit behind the scenes. They can also be quite exciting, with beams able to drill a hole in your eye or even blast rust off metal

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31:25

Quantum toaster

Clear as Quantum ·

2024/08/02

Karen Livesey talks about the quantum side of hot glowing things, revealing that quantum has been ubiquitous since the dawn of time. Karen is an Associate Professor at the University of Newcastle and has taught many students about how hot things glow in process called "blackbody radiation". Not only is this phenomenon thoroughly quantum, but it was actually one of the things that first led to the development of quantum theories in science. This is the first episode in a season exploring

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37:06

Live - Disentangling quantumified shoelaces

Clear as Quantum ·

2023/12/13

In this live podcast event, we switch up our theme for Season 2 (coming soon) to talk about things that loudly claim to be quantum—but are they? Marketing gurus are alert to the appeal of "quantum", and many products use this buzzword to catch attention. Armed with a brief revision of what makes things really quantum, we have a go at working out how various items live up to this label. Have you heard of quantum batteries, dish-washing soap, TVs, shoes, fridges, and even motivational

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33:39

Rephasing

Clear as Quantum ·

2023/11/17

It's been a long time without episodes, but we've "rephased" our podcast to restore coherence! Season 2 is coming soon, but this is a bonus episode to catch up on some highlights from the world of Quantum Science. Instead of interview guests we have two new co-hosts to introduce: Tim talks about nano-scale trampoline computers and an air-raid siren in his lab, and Jacinta shares her passion for quantum devices and emergent wormholes. The 2022 Physics Nobel Prize for quantum entanglement is

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31:49

Light

Clear as Quantum ·

2021/12/07

Halina Rubinsztein-Dunlop explains how quantum light can make tiny tractor-beams to move and wiggle things.Halina is widely recognised for her substantial achievements in moving things with light. "Optical tweezers" are tiny tractor beams that can move and wiggle small particles (larger objects are "safe" because they'd probably burn up before being lifted off a planet into alien spaceships for example). This technique has an enormous number of applications such as wiggling the balance

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30:15

Noise

Clear as Quantum ·

2021/11/30

Kirk McKenzie talks about quantum "noise" and some of the most impressively precise measurements ever made.Kirk brings quantum precision to some of the biggest questions about our planet and universe. He works on laser instruments that have to face up to (and "squeeze") the fluctuations of quantum noise in order to detect gravitational waves - tiny movements of a mirror by a billionth of a millionth of a millimetre! Similar instruments are now in space to measure droughts, floods, and

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29:28

Ignorance

Clear as Quantum ·

2021/11/23

Jacq Romero reveals that "ignorance" can be a quantum superpower.Jacq has won numerous awards for her research into the shape of photons, and has brought this work into mainstream quantum information. Information is usually encoded in 0s and 1s, but qudits (beyond qubits) could open a more interesting way to encode quantum information across more levels. It's like Schrödinger's cat that's both dead and alive - but you have the whole zoo! No matter how many levels are used, often the

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32:40

Spin

Clear as Quantum ·

2021/11/16

Glen Harris discusses whirlpools and the famously quantum property of "spin".Glen's love of hard challenges has led him to study quantum optomechanics, the art of using light to measure (or cause) extremely tiny mechanical movements. His current projects include measuring the position of a mirror to less than the diameter of an atom, developing inertial sensors for defence applications, and stirring up the worlds smallest whirlpools. It turns out that quantum spin is not the same thing as a

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28:30

Duality

Clear as Quantum ·

2021/11/09

Mike Tobar explains how quantum "duality" limits ultra-precise measurements.Mike breaks this standard quantum limit of measurement precision in order to explore things as diverse as dark matter, gravity waves, and radar. Duality is the fact that everything (photons, particles, ..., people, planets) are best described as both particles and waves at the same time - but that's not the only mind-bending idea in this episode. The search for dark matter means looking for a subatomic particle that

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30:05

Coherence

Clear as Quantum ·

2021/11/02

John Bartholomew talks about quantum memories and the challenges of keeping quantum information "coherent".John explores the limit of how long quantum information can be stored - a "quantum memory" is an important part of quantum information technologies. He was part of a team that set the record for this "coherence time" of about 6 hours (using super-cold glowing crystals). This might seem short compared to classical hard drives, but its excitingly long enough to imagine building a

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27:09

Systems

Clear as Quantum ·

2021/10/26

Quantum doesn't have to be tiny! Magdalena Zych talks about quantum "systems" on a cosmic scale.Magdalena is a theoretician who ponders questions that straddle quantum physics and relativity - which is a big deal because these two famous theories aren't quite compatible. Quantum systems make superbly precise clocks, and measuring time is a way to play with the bent space-time of relativity. This is a great game to stretch your brain! We are amazed by the ability of equations to describe the

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27:49

Engineered

Clear as Quantum ·

2021/10/19

Thomas Volz discusses what the word "engineered" has to do with quantum science, and gives an exciting overview of the emerging quantum industry.Thomas builds - or engineers - exotic quantum particles that don't occur in nature! These new kinds of material are part matter and part light, and are made using laser light bouncing between two mirrors (a bit like in a hotel elevator) that interacts with atoms in the gap between the mirrors. The idea of "quantum engineering" extends into a lively

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33:47

Quantum

Clear as Quantum ·

2021/10/12

Sally Shrapnel shares a somewhat meandering journey into quantum science, and gives a fascinating perspective on our keyword "quantum".Sally is one of the Deputy Directors of EQUS and does theoretical research into pretty deep ideas like "causation" and "the arrow of time", but this doesn't mean she's detached from reality. She worked as a medical doctor and rural GP before becoming a quantum scientist, and has some great stories (and advice) from her less direct career journey. Her

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32:54

Pilot

Clear as Quantum ·

2021/10/05

Lachlan, Liz, and Yasmine introduce themselves as hosts of Clear as Quantum, and share anecdotes about their own quantum science research.This first season of Clear as Quantum will interview a range of quantum science experts around Australia, but it's nice to hear a bit about the hosts first. Liz talks about building quantum sensors that might enable magnetic communication inside mines. Lachlan explains a bit about glowing diamonds, and Yasmine shares her work building Schrödinger Cats out

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2:12

Introducing Clear as Quantum

Clear as Quantum ·

2021/08/12

Coming soon, a podcast about quantum science and technology and how it is set to change the world.Quantum science is getting ready to unleash a revolution. Quantum computers are in the news, and quantum technologies of many kinds are getting ready to make an impact. Students in school today will be among the world’s first ever generation of quantum engineers. Don’t you wish you knew more about quantum technology? Subscribe now to Clear as Quantum in your favourite podcast app, or bookmark

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