Felix Flicker: The Magic of Physics on The Into The Impossible Podcast (#318)

Watch the video of this episode here: https://youtu.be/AJJGv-5Rk4I
#CondensedMatter #superconductors #quantummechanics The tagline for
our podcast by Arthur C. Clarke is “Any sufficiently advanced
technology is indistinguishable from magic”. Theoretical physicist
Felix Flicker’s imaginative new book The Magick of Physics provides
ample service to that notion. In Flicker’s book the magic is in
“condensed matter physics”, the quotidian solids, liquids, and
gasses that surround us—and the more exotic matter— which form the
foundations for our electronic lives, and may hold the keys to a
transformed future, from quantum computing to real-life
invisibility cloaks. Flicker finds magic in real physics like
creating new particles which never existed before, and making
crystals that shoot out light that can cut through metal. Using
metaphors of wizards, infinite libraries, staffs and wands, the
book has a compelling narrative that circumvents the need for
equations and charts, yet conveys real, practical knowledge. Felix
Flicker is a lecturer at Cardiff University in the School of
Physics and Astronomy. He holds an MPhys in physics from St
Catherine’s College, Oxford, and received his PhD in theoretical
condensed matter physics from the University of Bristol in 2015. He
has published in both Nature and Science. Felix has trained in Kung
Fu for twenty years and has been an instructor for fifteen years.
He is the former British Champion of Shuai Jiao (Chinese
wrestling), and a student of Shodo (Japanese calligraphy) and
sailing. www.felixflicker.com Buy The Magick of Physics: Uncovering
the Fantastical Phenomena in Everyday Life https://a.co/d/2JtuhM1
00:00:00 Intro 00:02:30 Judging the book by its cover 00:07:10 What
is the philosopher's stone? 00:09:20 The announcement by Ranga
Diass of the development of a room temperature superconductor at
the March 2023 meeting of the American Physical Society of 10,000
scientists. 00:15:45 What qualifies as a legit superconducting
material? Why is ultra-high pressure an issue? 00:19:00 What is the
significance of condensed matter physics and why should a scientist
consider pursuing it? The elevator pitch. 00:25:50 The glory of
room temperature superconductors 00:28:25 Felix’s journey through
martial arts, calligraphy and tea. 00:33:45 Tea and phase
transitions 00:41:54 How does physics go from theory to practice?
00:49:00 Why are knots important in condensed matter physics?
Topological quantum computation! 00:56:00 Existential questions -
What are your choices for the most magical or impressive scientific
fact(s)? Phonons! Subscribe to the Jordan Harbinger Show for
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