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Felix Flicker is a theoretical physicist engaged on the quantum underpinnings of matter. Born in Devon, he studied at Oxford, the Perimeter Institute in Ontario, Canada, and Bristol College, the place he accomplished his PhD. Now a physics lecturer at Cardiff College, he’s additionally a kung fu trainer and former British champion of shuai jiao (Chinese language wrestling). Flicker, 35, has simply revealed his first guide, The Magick of Matter: Crystals, Chaos and the Wizardry of Physics, exploring the customarily neglected discipline of condensed matter physics, which underlies our fashionable world.
What prompted you to put in writing this guide?
Condensed matter physics is the largest space in physics – a couple of third of all physicists work on it – however no one’s ever heard of it. One motive is as a result of it’s the research of acquainted stuff – states of matter and their transformations. It’s additionally sensible: it results in many of the expertise round us nowadays. Being sensible and acquainted appears to be at odds with being magical. I wrote the guide to deal with that.
You invoke wizards to forged gentle on the topic. However isn’t physics a repudiation of magic?
I don’t assume they’re at odds in any respect. [The folklorist] James George Frazer stated: “Magic like science postulates the order and uniformity of nature; therefore the attraction each of magic and of science, which open up a boundless vista to those that can penetrate to the key springs of nature.” His views could be fairly outdated, however I believe there’s loads of fact in that. Some individuals don’t like science, or are advised from a younger age that it’s not for them, whereas everyone seems to be fascinated by magic to some extent. By emphasising that connection, I believed there could be a manner for a broader vary of individuals to turn out to be fascinated by science.
How did you get fascinated by science?
I don’t have a great reply for you, as a result of I’ve wished to be a scientist for so long as I can keep in mind. Actually, I believe it was the flamboyant phrases – corresponding to “photon” and “particular relativity”. They function like magic phrases, in that they let you know one thing in regards to the world however you don’t actually know what. And there’s this set of exalted individuals who do know what it means and also you simply need to belief them. I discovered that fairly reassuring.
Outline condensed matter physics.
It’s the research of matter – of the states of matter and the best way to remodel between them. It’s additionally attempting to know how the acquainted world round us, which is fully composed of matter, comes about from the fairly paradoxical and counterintuitive world of quantum mechanics.
The guide raises the query: “What’s matter?” however retains giving us completely different solutions.
There’s no proper reply, however I’ll give it a go: matter is the entire that’s greater than the sum of its components. For instance, when water is in vapour type, you may consider it as particular person water molecules, by and enormous. However when it condenses into liquid type after which ice, it’s not particular person molecules, it’s clumped collectively to turn out to be its personal factor, and it has properties that aren’t current in any of the person molecules. That’s what I imply by the entire being greater than the sum of the components.
The physicist Wolfgang Pauli dismissed condensed matter physics as “the physics of filth”. I assume he didn’t imply it in a pleasant manner.
No he didn’t. Pauli was one of many builders of quantum mechanics, and within the early days they have been attempting to know the world on the smallest scales – what are beams of sunshine manufactured from, and that form of factor. It was a lot in a while that we began to be superior sufficient with quantum mechanics that we may take into account many various atoms and molecules interacting. That looks like an unmanageable job in the event you assume that, inside a single lump of stuff, you might need 1023 atoms. Pauli considered this research of matter as additional away from the pure, esoteric research of physics on the time.
What was Pauli overlooking? Or to place it one other manner: why ought to we care about condensed matter physics?
Truly we do care about it so much. We wouldn’t have computer systems, telephones, fashionable lighting, the web and a lot extra with out it. It underlies just about our total world. And it’s constructing in the direction of the long run as nicely, underlying advances such because the transfer in the direction of greener power. However I believe that ubiquity and practicality are why we have a tendency to not learn books about it, as a result of it’s laborious to speak in regards to the magic of every little thing round you.
What are a number of the most enjoyable applied sciences rising from condensed matter physics?
Quantum computer systems is one. We’re proper on the cusp of these being sensible. The truth is we have already got them – you should utilize IBM’s quantum computer systems without cost on-line.
The fashionable thinker’s stone, you write, is the room-temperature superconductor…
That’s most likely probably the most urgent subject in condensed matter physics. Superconductors are one of many most important routes to attempting to make quantum computer systems. But additionally, they conduct electrical energy completely with no loss. In case you constructed energy traces out of them, you’ll eradicate the [loss] of power as electrical energy travels down the traces. It isn’t a complete pipe dream. Superconductors are beginning to be employed to attach up larger energy networks to steadiness the load throughout them.
Would you name your self a techno-optimist, by way of fixing our manner out of the local weather disaster?
No I wouldn’t. I believe we’ll want technological advances, however the a lot larger downside is the way in which we take into consideration issues. If we acquired the expertise to generate power at half the fee tomorrow, we might simply use twice as a lot. In condensed matter physics, you may’t consider issues in isolation: you’re taking a look at collective behaviour. And I believe that’s true of how we’d like to consider the world. The concept scientists are separate from the stuff they’re finding out goes hand in hand with the concept that the setting is that this factor that we will simply take from with out having an impact on it. However we’re studying very clearly that that’s not the case.
You could have wildly numerous references within the guide, from historic Taoist texts to Nineteen Nineties motion films. What do cultural references will let you do apart from entertain the reader?
Once I was a grasp’s pupil, two of the ladies in my class had been impressed to review physics by seeing Dana Scully in The X-Information, who’s a supernaturally gifted scientist. That basically caught with me, the concept that a fictional function mannequin can encourage individuals to do [science] after they would possibly in any other case by no means have executed it.
You finish by saying that anyone could be a wizard, by which you imply theoretical physicist – or scientist extra broadly.
That’s actually the hope. There are nonetheless underrepresented teams in science. So the extra individuals that may be enthused about it, the higher range we’ll obtain long run, which is actually essential to the well being of the topic. This concept of a lone genius could be very damaging and incorrect. The broader a set of backgrounds which are represented and convey concepts collectively, the quicker we’ll make advances.
You practise martial arts, together with praying mantis kung fu. Did physics inform your selection of martial artwork? Does it make you a greater martial artist in any manner?
Maybe, nevertheless it’s extra that martial arts assist me be a greater physicist. They train you inner self-discipline, which is the way you’re capable of work lengthy hours to study all of the stuff you have to study to be a scientist. Additionally, a good friend requested me as soon as how I may give public talks about science as a result of isn’t it daunting? It by no means actually struck me as daunting as a result of I’ve been doing martial arts for a very long time. In contrast with combating one other individual with a load of individuals watching, giving a discuss physics will not be an issue.
No person’s going to return out of the viewers and wallop you.
Precisely. I believe: “What’s the worst case state of affairs right here?”
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