Physics World Weekly Podcast

This episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast looks at two very different and very difficult challenges — how to build a quantum computer that can overcome the debilitating noise that plagues current processors; and how to ensure that the UK meets its target for net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Our first guest is the nuclear physicist and sustainable energy expert, Martin Freer, who coordinated the writing of a report from the Institute of Physics (IOP) called Physics Powering the Green Economy. Freer, who is at the University of Birmingham, explains why more investment and support will be needed to ensure that the UK meets its target to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emission by 2050. Meanwhile in Paris, the quantum-computer maker Alice & Bob is developing “cat qubits” that promise to reduce the amount of hardware required to do quantum error correction. The company’s co-founder and CEO Théau Peronnin explains how the technology works and how it could be used to build quantum computers that could solve practical problems. He also explains why the company chose its quirky name.

Our guest in this episode of the Physics World Weekly podcast is the biomedical ethicist Vasiliki Rahimzadeh, who along with colleagues has called for the commercial space industry to adopt ethical policies and best practices for research done on humans during space flights. Rahimzadeh, who is at Baylor College of Medicine in the US, explains that as well as minimizing risks to paying astronauts who take part in experiments, an ethical framework should also ensure that private spaceflight – which is still the purview of the elite – benefits society as a whole. Rahimzadeh and colleagues outline their call for an ethical framework in an article in Science

Astronomers are becoming increasingly concerned about the growing number of satellites that are lighting up the night sky by reflecting sunlight to Earth. In 2022, the prototype communications satellite BlueWalker 3 was launched and it is now the brightest commercial satellite ever – outshining almost every star in the sky. And to make matters worse, communications satellites like BlueWalker 3 broadcast microwave signals that can interfere with radio astronomy. To talk about the threats to astronomy posed by satellites I am joined down the line by the radio astronomer Mike Peel, who is at Imperial College London and Jeremy Tregloan-Reed of Chile’s University of Atacama, who studies the cosmos using visible light. This podcast is sponsored by The Electrochemical Society

Dave Newbold, Executive Director, National Laboratories Science and Technologies for the UK’s Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), discusses the challenges of developing strategies for the UK's national labs and the future of particle physics, including next-generation colliders and precision experiments. Importance of collaborations and international researchers utilizing UK's scientific facilities are also discussed.

Cosmologist and theoretical physicist Licia Verde and two others discuss major breakthroughs in cosmology and astroparticle physics over the past two decades. They also talk about the retrospective and upcoming 20th-anniversary special issue of the Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics, as well as the process of submitting papers and the partnership between JCAP, Sisa Medielab, and IOP.

Margaret Gardel, biophysicist, discusses the physics of adaptation and how physics-inspired theory and experiments provide fresh insights into biological systems. Susannah Glickman, historian, explores the history of quantum computing and the challenges faced by researchers. She also highlights the importance of historical understanding in shaping the future of quantum computing

"Physics World Weekly Podcast": Toby Cubitt, co-founder and chief technology officer at Phasecraft, discusses the development of quantum algorithms for noisy hardware in current processors. He also talks about career opportunities in quantum computing and the potential for solving scientifically relevant problems with quantum computers.

Fusion industry aims to deliver electricity by 2035. Physics World discusses the challenges of practical fusion energy. Five physicists win Nobel prizes, including the fifth female physics laureate since 1901. The podcast addresses gender disparity in the physics field and advocates for promoting women in STEM and equal treatment in academia.

Physics World's Margaret Harris and Matin Durrani discuss the Nobel Prizes for Physics and Chemistry. They explore the concept and significance of attosecond pulses in studying atoms and electrons, as well as the research behind the development of attosecond pulses. The hosts also delve into quantum dots and their applications, address the leakage of the chemistry Nobel Prize winners, and promote the podcast's sponsor.

Pablo Sobron of the SETI Institute discusses how studying the deep ocean floor informs the search for extraterrestrial intelligence. Jeffrey Hangst talks about the observation of freefalling antimatter, and the possibility of identifying differences in how matter and antimatter respond to gravity. The episode explores underwater chimney systems, analyzing sample composition using spectroscopy, and scanning the seabed with lasers to identify rare elements and minerals for undersea mining and potential exploration of other moons.