Marcus Wilson • Jun 13, 2012 •
Brrrrr. It was so cold this morning I had to wipe the Bose-Einstein condensation off the windows.Perhaps more amusing was the sight I saw on the edge of the road this morning on my way into work. The 'white-line painting crew' had clearly been ou... Read More
Marcus Wilson • Apr 13, 2012 •
In my last lecture before the Easter break, I spent a bit of time putting the subject matter into a broader context for the students. It was a second year lecture in our short paper on 'Quantum and Solid State Physics'. The paper is mostly taken by electronic engineering (the majority) and physics students. It's intended to be a 'start' … Read More
Marcus Wilson • Apr 02, 2012 •
I spent a large fraction of last week marking assignments. I'm currently teaching three different papers, and, due to a major lack of concentration on my part, I managed to set each class an assignment that was due on the same day. To be useful for students, assignments need to be marked rapidly, which meant I suddenly had a hundred … Read More
Marcus Wilson • Mar 01, 2012 •
I've just put an order in for a new piece of lab equipment - an experimental set-up that will allow students to carry out the two-slit, one-photon experiment. This is one of the 'classic' experiments of quantum mechanics - showing just how strangly small things behave.Interference patterns are commonly observable when you have two sources of waves close to each … Read More
the-cosmic-engine • Feb 16, 2012 •
An introduction to quantum physics for new comers, but a novel take for the seasoned campaigner. This blog - a brief background. Read More
the-cosmic-engine • Feb 02, 2012 •
Here’s the dream: New Zealand continues its superbly innovate and world beating work in the dairying industry and continues to star in Hollywood thanks to the amazing efforts of Weta Workshop and Peter Jackson. These two outstanding examples show that NZ can take on the world and win. But this is not enough; we need more world class companies, we … Read More
Elf Eldridge • Jun 30, 2011 •
There’s been quite a bit of talk recently about the biological implications of quantum effects. For those not familiar with quantum phenomena, they describe a set of bizarre properties molecules and light exhibit at very small length scales or at very low temperatures. Things like quantum tunelling, coherence and entanglement which typically are seldom observed in our normal, human world – which … Read More
aimee whitcroft • Jun 20, 2011 •
Marcus Wilson • Sep 22, 2010 •
I would say I generally think captialism is a good idea, but after my experience on Tuesday night I am beginning to wonder. Does any of this sound familar?Ten years ago I bought a policy (call it policy 1) with financial organisation A. It was a ten-year one - paying out just a few days ago (Little did anyone predict a … Read More