“Slow light” is in the news again. The popular descriptions of the process usually leave a lot to be desired, so let’s see if we can’t do a slightly better job of explaining what’s going on. The key idea is using one light beam to control the transmission of another. Let’s say you have a… Continue reading Controlling Light With Light
Category: Quantum Optics
Why Every Dog Should Love Quantum Physics 4: Lasers
How to Teach Physics to Your Dog is now listed as “In Stock” at Amazon, so it’s the perfect time to order a dozen or so copies for your last-minute holiday gift needs. “But, wait,” you say, “why do I want to teach my dog physics? Particularly quantum physics– why does anyone need to know… Continue reading Why Every Dog Should Love Quantum Physics 4: Lasers
Why Every Dog Should Love Quantum Physics 2: Solar Panels
Yesterday’s reason to love quantum was the CCD sensor, which relies on the photoelectric effect to take digital pictures. Sticking with the photoelectric theme, today’s first quantum-enabled technology is the photovoltaic cell, the basis for solar panels. Photovoltaic cells convert light into electricity, essentially via the same photoelectric effect used in CCD’s. A photon of… Continue reading Why Every Dog Should Love Quantum Physics 2: Solar Panels
Why Every Dog Should Love Quantum Physics 1: Digital Cameras
I’ve been writing a bunch of publicity copy for the book the last few weeks, and one of those things is a list of reasons why every dog should know about quantum physics. I’ve been planning to chop that up into a bunch of individual blog posts in the run-up to the book, but the… Continue reading Why Every Dog Should Love Quantum Physics 1: Digital Cameras
Quantum Mechanics Is Not Magic, No Matter What Amazon Says
While I’m thrilled to see How to Teach Physics to Your Dog listed on Amazon, I am distressed to see it offered as a pair with something called The Intention Experiment by Lynne McTaggart. I’m not linking to the Amazon page for that book, because it’s a giant pile of crap, and I wouldn’t want… Continue reading Quantum Mechanics Is Not Magic, No Matter What Amazon Says
Quantum Zeno Effect: The Movie
It’s exactly one week to the release date for How to Teach Physics to Your Dog, and to celebrate, I’m setting off on an expedition to the local mall(s) in search of Christmas presents. May God have mercy on my soul… Anyway, I wouldn’t want you to be without entertainment while I’m off helping the… Continue reading Quantum Zeno Effect: The Movie
Making Cold Atoms Look Like Electrons
One of the things I forgot to mention in yesterday’s post about why I like AMO physics is that AMO systems have proven to be outstanding tools for solving problems from other fields of physics. In particular, ultra-cold atoms have proven to be a fantastic venue for studying problems from condensed matter physics. There’s a… Continue reading Making Cold Atoms Look Like Electrons
DonorsChoose Payoff: Why AMO Physics?
Months ago, during the DonorsChoose fundraiser, I offered to answer questions from people who donated to the Challenge. I then promptly forgot to respond to the questions sent in. Mea maxima culpa. Here’s a way-too-late response to a good question from “tcmJOE”: I’ve spent the past few years trying to explore physics and figure out… Continue reading DonorsChoose Payoff: Why AMO Physics?
Using Molecules to Search for New Physics
I’ve made a couple of oblique references to this over the past couple of months, but I have an article in the new issue of Physics World, on experiments using molecules to search for an electric dipole moment of the electron: When most of us think about searching for physics beyond the Standard Model –… Continue reading Using Molecules to Search for New Physics
Book Countdown: T Minus 4 Weeks
The official release date for How to Teach Physics to Your Dog is exactly four weeks from today. So here’s a dramatic reading of Chapter 3 to mark the occasion: I’ve put this up before, but I edited it to remove the URL, which was apparently a deal-breaker for booksellers. And yes, I will post… Continue reading Book Countdown: T Minus 4 Weeks