"The Nature of Quantum Reality"

As the great Niels Bohr famously remarked "Anyone who is not shocked by Quantum Theory has not understood it". Even today approximately a century after the extended formulation of Quantum Theory, its foundations continue to puzzle and perplex us. The spooky action at a distance of quantum entanglement eludes rational explanation. A quantum cat can be both dead and alive. The reconciliation of the theory with that of gravity remains unsolved. Yet despite these theoretical issues, quantum theory has provided scores of spectacularly accurate measurements and has led to a host of everyday devices used all over the world. This conference will explore the origins, achievements and technological developments from this all pervasive theory.

The programme for the day is below:

MORNING CHAIR: Professor George Ellis (University of Cape Town)

10.30 am WELCOME

10.40 am Dr Jim Baggott (author of "The Quantum Story: A History in 40 Moments") - How an Electron Can Be in More than One Place at a Time [VIDEO]

11.30 am Professor Tony Sudbery (University of York) - The Life and Entangled Adventures of Schrödinger's Cat [VIDEO]

12.20 pm Dr Lina Jansson (University of Nottingham) - Action at a Distance: From Newton's Gravity to Quantum Theory [VIDEO]

1.15 pm LUNCH BREAK

AFTERNOON CHAIR: Professor Hendrik Ulbricht (University of Southampton)

2.15 pm Dr Richard Dawid (Stockholm University) - Who am I in the Multiverse? [VIDEO]

3.05 pm Dr Alessia Pasquazi (University of Sussex) - A Journey Through Quantum Technology [VIDEO]

4 pm TEA/COFFEE BREAK

4.30 pm SUMMARY OF THE DAY'S PROCEEDINGS - Professor Harvey Brown (University of Oxford) [VIDEO]

There will be a conference dinner at St Cross in the evening following the end of the conference with an after-dinner talk by Dr Felix Tennie (Oxford physicist and musician) on the development of quantum music.