Science Café: Quantum Tunneling on a Macroscopic Scale

Name: Science Café: Quantum Tunneling on a Macroscopic Scale
Start: 2025-12-18T19:00:00-05:00
Location: The Daily Planet Cafe

Schedule

Thu, 18 Dec, 2025 at 07:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

The Daily Planet Cafe | Raleigh, NC

Grab a bite from the Daily Planet Café and join host Chris Smith for our monthly Science Café. Gather with other curious minds at this after-hours event for an informal presentation and conversation about current science topics with guest experts.
Join us in person or watch the livestream on YouTube at https://youtube.com/live/mQoznQRuwOs?feature=share
Every year, the Department of Physics at North Carolina State University joins us to talk about the winning science behind the Nobel Prize in Physics. This year’s Nobel Prize in Physics honors groundbreaking research that demonstrated that bizarre properties of the quantum world could be made large.
Join Dr. Weijian Chen and Dr. Xiang Li to explore the scientific journey that led to the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunneling and energy quantization in an electric circuit, an achievement honored by the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics. These discoveries provide opportunities for developing new generations of quantum technology, including quantum cryptography, quantum computers, and quantum sensors.
Dr. Weijian Chen is an Assistant Professor of Physics at NC State University. His research group uses superconducting circuits and qubits to explore quantum physics and quantum information science applications. Dr. Xiang Li is a Postdoctoral Research Scholar from Chen’s lab and an expert in cold atom experiments.
The Daily Planet Café is open 5–8pm with a full menu during the Science Café.