Newton Medal Winner challenges our understanding of nature

The Institute of Physics

20 June 2008

Anton Zeilinger

On Tuesday, 17 June, 2008, The Institute of Physics (IOP) held the Newton Lecture, given by the first ever Newton Medal Award winner, Anton Zeilinger.

The Newton Medal was introduced last year to recognise an overall outstanding contribution to physics by any physicist from anywhere in the international physics community.

Zeilinger, from the University of Vienna, Austria, is a leader in quantum information research and has inspired a generation of up and coming quantum physicists with his profound insights into the microscopic nature of reality.  He continually challenges peers, associates and more general audiences to reconsider their classical understanding of nature.

The lecture given in the Institute of Physics’ Rutherford Theatre was no exception.  Beginning with a history of Quantum Mechanics, he took the capacity audience of 150 through developments in his field.

Early dialogue on the interpretation of quantum mechanics was illustrated with gedanken (thought) experiments as the technology for exploring this debate experimentally had not been invented.

In 1935, Einstein published what we now regard as a landmark paper on the foundations of quantum mechanics with Podolsky and Rosen (the EPR paper), “Can Quantum Mechanics description of physical reality be considered complete?”

For forty years after the publication of the EPR paper, it was barely cited.  However as a result of developments in technology in the early ‘70s and stimulated by a key paper by the late John Bell which provided experimenters with a route for  testing the foundations of quantum theory, the EPR paper is now Einstein’s most cited paper.

Zeilinger provided this as an example of the dangers of using citation analysis to evaluate the quality of a research paper.

For some time into Zeilinger’s research career he did not consider that his work would have potential for application.  He said, when asked what applications this work could result in, “my answer 20 years ago would have been this is not good for anything – really this is useless – just the nature of humans trying to find out how the world works.  But this has changed, to my big surprise.”

He added later, in the lecture’s question and answer session, “I personally believe that some day all our information technology will be quantum-based.”

Two applications of Zeilinger’s research that are already starting to make waves are quantum cryptogrpaphy and quantum computing.  Companies have already started to use quantum cryptography, which exploits fundamental properties of quantum states, to transmit data, such as financial transactions, in a completely secure way. 

Zeilinger also explained how the development of quantum computers could enhance IT systems.  Through the manipulation of quantum states, computers could solve problems that are completely inaccessible to classical computers.

Images of Anton Zeilinger at the lecture are available, contact the IOP Press Office.

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