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Quantum Mechanics Symposium

Alien54 writes "As reported in Wired Magazine, the first Quantum Mechanics Symposium is being held in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Topics to be discussed include Quantum Computing. Also to be discussed will be Atomic Lasers, a technology involving a coherent and tightly focused beam of atoms that was first developed by MIT researchers in 1997. One of the things that they could lead to is making a 3-D matter hologram using atom lasers. [not just make a 3-D image, but an actual replicate object]. Missing will be a talk by Stuart Hameroff, associate director of the University of Arizona's Center for Consciousness Studies, who recently had to cancel his appearance at the conference for personal reasons."

3 of 51 comments (clear)

  1. Heisenberg on the rocks by orangesquid · · Score: 5

    "The first Quantum Mechanics Symposium is being held in Ann Arbor, Michigan"

    Sadly, because of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, we can't both know *where* and *when* the symposium is being held...;)

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    --TheOrangeSquid Is it any wonder things seem so awry? We swim in a sea of confusion and don't have to think to survive
  2. It strikes me as absurd . . . by servasius_jr · · Score: 4

    . . . that there are only 58 posts so far, even though this story has been up for a while, and that of those 58 posts, well over half are trolls and/or pure idiocy; and yet, people have the balls to bitch when a wildly popular (judging from the number of responses) story about Star Wars or somesuch is posted, that people have the balls to bitch that said story about Star Wars or whatever is not "News for Nerds. Stuff that matters."

    Here's a newsflash: Quantam Mechanics is news for nerds. It is stuff that matters. And, clearly, nobody is reading it. If Slashdot strays from strictly hard science and tech news, it's only because the powers that be know which side their bread is buttered on.

    Am I venting? Sorry, I'm venting. Goodnight, kids.

  3. Quantum Applications... by DarkMan · · Score: 4

    Not Quantum mechanincs. It's definitly not the first quantum mechanics symposia, given that happen in the 1930's, with less formal meetings before hand.

    Oh, and given I was at a quantum mechanics comference last month, I realy hope this isn't the first.

    To explain the nomenclature:

    Quantum mechanics is the mathematical framework used for dealing with fermions - i.e. the Schodinger equation and all it's baggage. This includes all the calculateion schemes, such as Hartree-Fock and the Density function theories that allow you to actually solve the Schodinger equation, (Or, rather, give approximate solutions). These are useful, old, and not cool.

    Quantum applications, is ment to reffer to any system where the quantum properties of a system are exploited for some macroscopic function. The ubercool quantum computing is one example. These are not yet usable, very new, and considerably cooler than the quantum mechanics required to describe them.

    Maybe I'm being a little pedantic here, but if your really interested in this, look at the correct areas would be a useful move.

    Remeber that Quantum mechanics is pretty much twice the age of computing, give or take.
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