Quantum physics goes steampunk
Physicists have been developing a field called quantum thermodynamics, which aims to reconcile the science that propelled the steam machines of the Industrial Revolution with modern quantum mechanics. Theoretician Nicole Yunger Halpern likens this to steampunk, a literary and lifestyle genre that blends science-fiction technology with Victorian style. “‘Quantum steampunk’ unites 21st-century technology with 19th-century scientific principles,” she writes. “The spotlight has swept from trains to nanoscale engines, living cells' molecular motors and the smallest possible refrigerators.” These researchers confront fundamental questions — such as why the arrow of time points forward — and practical ones on how to engineer future quantum computers.
Scientific American | 12 min read
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