Summer Lecturer 2017 - Magic Science - "Time, Einstein and the coolest stuff in the universe"

Join Nobel Laureate William D Phillips for a lively, multimedia presentation, with exciting experimental demonstrations (including an explosion!), and down-to-earth explanations about some of today's hottest (and coolest) science.

At the beginning of the 20th century Einstein changed the way we think about time. Now, early in the 21st century, the measurement of time is being revolutionised by the ability to cool a gas of atoms to temperatures millions of times lower than any naturally occurring temperature in the universe. Atomic clocks, the best timekeepers ever made, are one of the scientific and technological wonders of modern life. Such super-accurate clocks are essential to industry, commerce, and science; they are the heart of the Global Positioning System (GPS), which guides cars, airplanes, and hikers to their destinations. Today, the best primary atomic clocks use ultracold atoms, achieve accuracies of about one second in 300 million years, and are getting better all the time, while a new generation of atomic clocks is leading us to re-define what we mean by time. Super-cold atoms, with temperatures that can be below a billionth of a degree above absolute zero, use, and allow tests of, some of Einstein's strangest predictions.

This lecture is intended for anyone with an interest in science, and offers a clear insight into the fascinating world of quantum physics, and a preview of the computers of the future!

Thursday 20 July 2017

Doors open 5pm, lecture starts at 5.30pm, followed by reception with hands-on science displays and activities for all ages

Technology and Innovation Centre, 99 George Street, Glasgow G1 1RD

Please register by Friday 7th July

Lecture is free and open to the public

Enquiries to corporate-events@strath.ac.uk or 0141 548 2245