Massey Lectures 2012, Part 2 : Our Imaginary Reality

Summary: Over the course of the 20th century, physicists discovered that the quantum world is qualitatively different than any classical world: nature's basic constituents just don't behave like anything anyone has ever seen in our everyday experience. In this lecture, Neil Turok takes us on a journey through the abstract, mathematical reasoning, built on experimental results, that allowed us to extend our intuition and understand this world that lies beyond what we can see. Quantum physics has led scientists from one triumph to the next. It forms the foundation of chemistry, explaining how molecules are held together. It explains superconductivity and a host of other extraordinary phenomena. It enabled the development of transistors, lasers, LEDs and all of our modern electronics. Now, the quantum world is our gateway to new opportunities – quantum computers, quantum communication, and a whole host of new technologies – with capabilities far beyond our wildest dreams.