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 self-help? Some of these are totally valid, and others are more of a humorous stretch. Test your knowledge (or gullibility) against our live audience!

Subscribe to make sure you're ready for Season 2 of Clear as Quantum, which will explore ubiquitous technologies that really do rely on quantum science (sometimes in hidden ways). We'd love to hear your quantum questions - send them to engage@equs.org and we'll try to answer them in future episodes!

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 a big discussion point, and we also touch on time crystals and even 2-dimensional time!

Make sure you're ready for Season 2 of Clear as Quantum, which will explore ubiquitous technologies that already have us reliant on quantum science. Subscribe and share with your friends. We'd love to hear your quantum questions - send them to engage@equs.org and we'll try to answer them in future episodes!

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 system of zebra fish to study how signals move through brain neurons, and heating gold nanoparticles to burn cancer cells from the inside. Halina was the first female full professor of physics in Australia, and we applaud her active (and ongoing) work to promote and achieve diversity in science.

Whether you're still just trying out physics or have already chosen to like it, subscribe and share with your friends. We'd love to hear your quantum questions - send them to engage@equs.org and we'll try to answer them in future episodes!