BANG! Series: Quantum steampunk: Real-world science fiction
December 11
Quantum steampunk: Real-world science fiction
Nicole Yunger Halpern (Adjunct Professor at UMD Physics and Author)
Abstract: The growing field of quantum thermodynamics is the real-world incarnation of steampunk. Steampunk, a subgenre of science fiction, features 19th-century settings such as Sherlock Holmes’s London and the Wild, Wild West. Futuristic technologies populate these backdrops: time machines, dirigibles, automata, etc. This fusion of old and new creates an atmosphere of adventure and exploration. Similarly, quantum thermodynamics fuses Victorian thermodynamics with cutting-edge quantum information science. Hence quantum thermodynamics shares the aesthetic of steampunk. This overlap has blossomed through a book for the general public, a creative-writing course, and an international short-story contest. I’ll describe how the nascent quantum-steampunk movement began and has been growing, as well as offer advice about writing about your science.
PSC 1136 & Zoom link
BANG! Organizers:
Matt Lastovka (he/him)
Jacob Vider (he/him)