Quantum Foundations Podcast Quantum Information meets Cosmology with Dr Aditya Iyer
Jul 21, 2025
In this discussion, physicist Dr. Aditya Iyer from the University of Oxford delves into the fascinating interplay between quantum phenomena and cosmology. He examines how the early universe, just moments after the Big Bang, was potentially quantum entangled. Dr. Iyer sheds light on cosmic inflation and its implications for structure formation. He also addresses the challenges posed by non-local phenomena and the significance of quantum fluctuations in shaping our universe, offering insights into the fundamental nature of reality itself.
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Aditya's Journey to Quantum Cosmology
- Aditya Iyer was intrigued by physics since high school due to unanswered questions in chemistry and physics fundamentals.
- He pursued cosmology to understand the universe's origins and phenomena that intertwine quantum mechanics and gravity.
Gravity vs Quantum Matter Conflict
- General relativity describes gravity as a classical curved spacetime manifold, unlike quantum mechanics which governs matter.
- The main issue is combining quantum matter with classical gravity forms a conceptual inconsistency in physics.
BMV Experiment Probes Quantum Gravity
- The BMV experiment proposes using masses in superposition to test if gravity can entangle quantum systems.
- Observing gravity-mediated entanglement would strongly indicate the gravitational field itself is quantum.