Into The Impossible

Nicole Yunger Halpern is a theoretical physicist, NIST physicist and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Physics at the University of Maryland.  She is also currently a Fellow of the Joint Center for Quantum Information and Computer Science at the University of Maryland. Nicole reenvisions 19th-century thermodynamics for the 21st century, using the mathematical toolkit of quantum information (QI) theory. She applies QI thermodynamics as a lens through which to view the rest of science, gaining new perspectives on atomic, molecular and optical physics, condensed matter, chemistry, high-energy physics, and biophysics. She calls this research “quantum steampunk,” after the steampunk genre of art and literature that juxtaposes Victorian settings with futuristic technologies. Dr. Yunger’s book, Quantum Steampunk is about how the Industrial Revolution meets the quantum-technology revolution! It is a steampunk adventure guide to how mind-blowing quantum physics is transforming our understanding of information and energy.