The mind-bending reality of quantum mechanics - with Jim Al Khalili
Jim Al-Khalili explores emerging technologies powering the future of quantum, and looks at how we got here.This Discourse was recorded at the Ri on 7 November 2025, in partnership with the Institute of Physics.
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Physicist and renowned broadcaster Jim Al-Khalili takes a look back at a century of quantum mechanics, the strangest yet most successful theory in all of science, and how it has shaped our world. He also looks forward to the exciting new world of Quantum 2.0 and how a deeper understanding of such counterintuitive concepts as quantum superposition and quantum entanglement is leading to the development of entirely new technologies, from quantum computers and quantum sensors to quantum cryptography and the quantum internet.
The United Nations has proclaimed 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, to celebrate the centenary of quantum mechanics and the revolutionary work of the likes of Werner Heisenberg and Erwin Schrödinger. Together with the Institute of Physics, join us to celebrate the culmination of the International Year of Quantum at the penultimate Discourse of our Discover200 year.
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Jim Al-Khalili CBE FRS is a quantum physicist, author, broadcaster and well-known science communicator. He is currently Distinguished Emeritus Professor of Physics at the University of Surrey where he continues his research in the foundations of quantum mechanics and quantum biology. He has written fifteen books, between them translated into over twenty-six languages. He is also a regular presenter of many TV science documentaries, but is probably best-known in the UK for his long-running BBC Radio 4 programme, The Life Scientific.
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Discourses are one of the Ri’s oldest and most prestigious series of talks. Since 1825, audiences in the theatre have witnessed countless mind-expanding moments, including the first public liquefaction of air by James Dewar, the announcement of the electron by JJ Thomson and over 100 lectures by Michael Faraday. In more recent times, we have had Nobel laureates, Fields medal winners, scientists, authors and artists – all from the cutting-edge of their field. Discourses are an opportunity for the best and brightest to share their work with the world.
Steeped in nearly two centuries of tradition, a Discourse is more than just a lecture. The Discourse lasts exactly an hour, and a bell is rung to mark the beginning and end. To keep the focus on the topic, presenters begin sharply at 7:30pm without introduction and we lock the speaker into a room ten minutes ahead of the start (legend has it that a speaker once tried to escape!). Some of our guests and speakers dress smartly for our Discourse events to add to this sense of occasion. Read more about Discourses here: https://www.rigb.org/explore-science/explore/blog/history-friday-evening-discourse
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00:00 Introduction
03:00 The history of quantum mechanics
31:22 What is weird about quantum mechanics?
40:58 What have we done with quantum mechanics?
44:15 The second quantum revolution
53:51 Quantum computing
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