Category Archives: Quantum Physics

June 13, 2017 An artist's rendering of a neural network with two layers. At the top is a real quantum system, like atoms in an optical lattice. Below is a network of hidden neurons that capture their interactions. Credit: E. Edwards/JQI

Machine learning, the field that's driving a revolution in artificial intelligence, has cemented its role in modern technology. Its tools and techniques have led to rapid improvements in everything from self-driving cars and speech recognition to the digital mastery of an ancient board game.

Now, physicists are beginning to use machine learning tools to tackle a different kind of problem, one at the heart of quantum physics. In a paper published recently in Physical Review X, researchers from JQI and the Condensed Matter Theory Center (CMTC) at the University of Maryland showed that certain neural networksabstract webs that pass information from node to node like neurons in the braincan succinctly describe wide swathes of quantum systems .

Dongling Deng, a JQI Postdoctoral Fellow who is a member of CMTC and the paper's first author, says that researchers who use computers to study quantum systems might benefit from the simple descriptions that neural networks provide. "If we want to numerically tackle some quantum problem," Deng says, "we first need to find an efficient representation."

On paper and, more importantly, on computers, physicists have many ways of representing quantum systems. Typically these representations comprise lists of numbers describing the likelihood that a system will be found in different quantum states. But it becomes difficult to extract properties or predictions from a digital description as the number of quantum particles grows, and the prevailing wisdom has been that entanglementan exotic quantum connection between particlesplays a key role in thwarting simple representations.

The neural networks used by Deng and his collaboratorsCMTC Director and JQI Fellow Sankar Das Sarma and Fudan University physicist and former JQI Postdoctoral Fellow Xiaopeng Lican efficiently represent quantum systems that harbor lots of entanglement, a surprising improvement over prior methods.

What's more, the new results go beyond mere representation. "This research is unique in that it does not just provide an efficient representation of highly entangled quantum states," Das Sarma says. "It is a new way of solving intractable, interacting quantum many-body problems that uses machine learning tools to find exact solutions."

Neural networks and their accompanying learning techniques powered AlphaGo, the computer program that beat some of the world's best Go players last year (and the top player this year ). The news excited Deng, an avid fan of the board game. Last year, around the same time as AlphaGo's triumphs, a paper appeared that introduced the idea of using neural networks to represent quantum states , although it gave no indication of exactly how wide the tool's reach might be. "We immediately recognized that this should be a very important paper," Deng says, "so we put all our energy and time into studying the problem more."

The result was a more complete account of the capabilities of certain neural networks to represent quantum states. In particular, the team studied neural networks that use two distinct groups of neurons. The first group, called the visible neurons, represents real quantum particles, like atoms in an optical lattice or ions in a chain. To account for interactions between particles, the researchers employed a second group of neuronsthe hidden neuronswhich link up with visible neurons. These links capture the physical interactions between real particles, and as long as the number of connections stays relatively small, the neural network description remains simple.

Specifying a number for each connection and mathematically forgetting the hidden neurons can produce a compact representation of many interesting quantum states, including states with topological characteristics and some with surprising amounts of entanglement.

Beyond its potential as a tool in numerical simulations, the new framework allowed Deng and collaborators to prove some mathematical facts about the families of quantum states represented by neural networks. For instance, neural networks with only short-range interactionsthose in which each hidden neuron is only connected to a small cluster of visible neuronshave a strict limit on their total entanglement. This technical result, known as an area law, is a research pursuit of many condensed matter physicists.

These neural networks can't capture everything, though. "They are a very restricted regime," Deng says, adding that they don't offer an efficient universal representation. If they did, they could be used to simulate a quantum computer with an ordinary computer, something physicists and computer scientists think is very unlikely. Still, the collection of states that they do represent efficiently, and the overlap of that collection with other representation methods, is an open problem that Deng says is ripe for further exploration.

Explore further: Physicists use quantum memory to demonstrate quantum secure direct communication

More information: Dong-Ling Deng et al. Quantum Entanglement in Neural Network States, Physical Review X (2017). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.7.021021

For the first time, physicists have experimentally demonstrated a quantum secure direct communication (QSDC) protocol combined with quantum memory, which is essential for storing and controlling the transfer of information. ...

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Neural networks take on quantum entanglement - Phys.Org

June 9, 2017 by Lisa Zyga feature (Left) False color photomicrograph and (right) simplified circuit diagram of the superconducting quantum circuit for solving 2 2 linear equations. The method uses four qubits, marked Q1 to Q4, with four corresponding readout resonators, marked R1 to R4. Credit: Zheng et al. 2017 American Physical Society

(Phys.org)Physicists have experimentally demonstrated a purely quantum method for solving systems of linear equations that has the potential to work exponentially faster than the best classical methods. The results show that quantum computing may eventually have far-reaching practical applications, since solving linear systems is commonly done throughout science and engineering.

The physicists, led by Haohua Wang at Zhejiang University and Chao-Yang Lu and Xiaobo Zhu at the University of Science and Technology of China, along with their coauthors from various institutions in China, have published their paper on what they refer to as a "quantum linear solver" in a recent issue of Physical Review Letters.

"For the first time, we have demonstrated a quantum algorithm for solving systems of linear equations on a superconducting quantum circuit," Lu told Phys.org. "[This is] one of the best solid-state platforms with excellent scalability and remarkable high fidelity."

The quantum algorithm they implemented is called the Harrow, Hassidim, and Lloyd (HHL) algorithm, which was previously shown to have the ability, in principle, to lead to an exponential quantum speedup over classical algorithms. However, so far this has not been experimentally demonstrated.

In the new study, the scientists showed that a superconducting quantum circuit running the HHL algorithm can solve the simplest type of linear system, which has two equations with two variables. The method uses just four qubits: one ancilla qubit (a universal component of most quantum computing systems), and three qubits that correspond to the input vector b and the two solutions represented by the solution vector x in the standard linear system Ax = b, where A is a 2 x 2 matrix.

By performing a series of rotations, swappings of states, and binary conversions, the HHL algorithm determines the solutions to this system, which can then be read out by a quantum nondemolition measurement. The researchers demonstrated the method using 18 different input vectors and the same matrix, generating different solutions for different inputs. As the researchers explain, it is too soon to tell how much faster this quantum method might work since these problems are easily solved by classical methods.

"The whole calculation process takes about one second," Zhu said. "It is hard to directly compare the current version to the classical methods now. In this work, we showed how to solve the simplest 2 x 2 linear system, which can be solved by classical methods in a very short time. The key power of the HHL quantum algorithm is that, when solving an 's-sparse' system matrix of a very large size, it can gain an exponential speed-up compared to the best classical method. Therefore, it would be much more interesting to show such a comparison when the size of the linear equation is scaled to a very large system."

The researchers expect that, in the future, this quantum circuit could be scaled up to solve larger linear systems. They also plan to further improve the system's performance by making some straightforward adjustments to the device fabrication to reduce some of the error in its implementation. In addition, the researchers want to investigate how the circuit could be used to implement other quantum algorithms for a variety of large-scale applications.

"Our future research will focus on improving the hardware performance, including longer coherence times, higher precision logic gates, larger numbers of qubits, lower crosstalk, better readout fidelity, etc.," Wang said. "Based on the improvement of the hardware, we will demonstrate and optimize more quantum algorithms to really show the power of the superconducting quantum processor."

Explore further: Physicists uncover similarities between classical and quantum machine learning

More information: Yarui Zheng et al. "Solving Systems of Linear Equations with a Superconducting Quantum Processor." Physical Review Letters. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.210504. Also at arXiv:1703.06613 [quant-ph]

2017 Phys.org

(Phys.org)Physicists have found that the structure of certain types of quantum learning algorithms is very similar to their classical counterpartsa finding that will help scientists further develop the quantum versions. ...

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An international research group led by scientists from the University of Bristol, UK, and the University of Queensland, Australia, has demonstrated a quantum algorithm that performs a true calculation for the first time. ...

(Phys.org)Physicists have experimentally demonstrated a purely quantum method for solving systems of linear equations that has the potential to work exponentially faster than the best classical methods. The results show ...

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I don't know why people say there are no quantum computers. And this one executes not a niche function like simulated annealing but the highly applicable system of linear equations. It really is a breakthrough.

Interesting but not much advanced beyond analog computers of the 1970s.

Description not clear nor sufficient for analysis without doing some research on the methodology. If this is a superconducting circuit, is it cooled to near absolute zero, or is there some other method? With inductors and capacitors, this implies electron currents, in which case, are we dealing with just one electron? If so, the methodology is even more fuzzy. If these are electronic circuits, as the diagram seems to show, then this is not a QM system. ?????????????????????????????????

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Solving systems of linear equations with quantum mechanics - Phys.Org

June 6, 2017

Scientists all over the world are working towards new methods to realize an unhackable internet, an internet based on quantum entanglement an invisible quantum mechanical connection as networking links. The greatest challenge is scaling to large networks that share entangled links with many particles and network nodes. Researchers in Delft and Oxford have now managed to distil a strong entangled link by combining multiple weaker quantum links into one. This method is essential to realize a trustworthy quantum network between several quantum nodes. This innovative new work has now been published in Science magazine.

Spooky internet

Safe communication is one of today's greatest digital challenges. There is a world-wide scientific effort towards new methods to realize a truly safe internet based on the laws of quantum mechanics. With such networks, secret eavesdropping is fundamentally impossible. However, realizing strong links in a quantum network, based on the powerful but fragile principle of quantum entanglement, is a great scientific challenge.

"Entangled particles behave as one, independent of distance. Any observation of such entangled electrons result in correlated information," Professor Ronald Hanson explains. Measuring one particle therefore instantaneously influences the other, even when they are light-years apart. Albert Einstein did not believe such a connection could exist, but a carefully designed experiment from the group of Professor Hanson in Delft in 2015 reached the world press for showing that this really is the case. They were able to succeed at this long-standing challenge by entangling quantum information over distances of over a kilometre via light particles. Scientists are now working towards ground-breaking technologies based on entanglement. Strong connections via quantum entanglement can be the basis for information sharing. 'The information exists at both places and there is no need for sensitive information to travel in between," Hanson elaborates, "we expect fundamentally safe future networks based on entanglement between quantum nodes: a quantum internet." The power of quantum entanglement is that it is invisible for third parties: the information is impossible to eavesdrop.

Entanglement distillation

The research group of Ronald Hanson at QuTech is famous for realizing networking links based on quantum entanglement. They are now building on this work to construct the first quantum internet. Ronald Hanson: "We are now taking an important step forward. Whereas we first realized entangled information between two electrons in diamonds, we now also are using one of the nuclear spins present in each diamond to temporarily store the entangled information." With the information stored safely, the scientist can entangle the electrons again. Hanson: 'Now we have two entanglement links. By combining these in a smart way, we manage to generate one strongly entangled link using two weaker entangled links, just like distilling whisky out of lower-alcoholic ingredients." In principle, this process of entanglement distillation can be repeated over and over, until high-quality entanglement is obtained."

Extending possibilities

The demonstrated method is an important step towards the quantum internet. Norbert Kalb, one of the leading authors of the paper: "To realize such a network, we need all the ingredients of the current internet: a memory, a processor and networking links. Now we have demonstrated that nuclear spins can be employed as memories that are not disturbed by regenerating entanglement between the electron spins, the processors," says Kalb.

In this publication, Hanson and his team showed that entanglement can be stored in nuclear spins while regenerating entanglement between electron spins. Hanson explains the future possibilities: "We could now entangle electrons in additional quantum nodes such that we can extend the number of networking links towards a first real quantum network. Scientifically, a whole new world opens up." This entanglement distillation is essential for the future quantum internet, which requires multiple networking links of high quality. Hanson thinks the future is within reach: "In five years we will connect four Dutch cities in a rudimentary quantum network."

Explore further: Envisioning a future quantum internet

More information: Entanglement Distillation between Solid-State Quantum Network Nodes. Science, DOI: 10.1126/science.aan0070 , https://arxiv.org/abs/1703.03244

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There's more to hacking than just listening in.

The other thing in the real world is that wiretapping is a small part of listening in, a large part is the backdoor which transmits the data out for 'debugging purposes' which 'accidentally' gets triggered by a hack, sending data to wherever. But its cool stuff nonetheless, just to have it be possible.

Also, quantum cryptography is still vulnerable to man-in-the-middle attacks. I think they're exaggerating with the unCRackable claims.

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One step closer to the quantum internet by distillation - Phys.Org

Hear us out

June 5, 2017 Marielle Wakim Theater

In The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost wrote, Two roads diverged in a yellow wood / And sorry I could not travel both. But what if you could travel both? What if an alternate version of you is traveling the other road right now, except youre wearing cleaner jeans and went with cereal, not eggs, for breakfast? That mind-melting concept is the basis of Constellations, a two-character play opening June 6 at the Geffen Playhouse.

Photograph by Luke Fontana

Playwright Nick Payne conceived his career-launching 2012 drama after stumbling on The Elegant Universe, a documentary by physicist Brian Greene. It turned Payne onto the Quantum Multiverse, the idea that different scenarios play out in endless parallel realities. Constellations zooms in on the infinite loop lived by beekeeper Roland (Downton Abbeys Allen Leech) and cosmologist Marianne (Once Upon a Times Ginnifer Goodwin). Take, for instance, the pairs introduction at a barbecue, a meeting that is repeated a few times over to various ends: In one version, Roland has a girlfriend. In another, hes married. Theres a round in which Marianne wins him over with small talk and another when she doesnt. Over 70 minutes, they break up and stay together, marry and divorce, cheat on and stay true to each other. The effect is engrossing, fueling daydreams about what couldve been if only wed taken the red pill instead of the blue. Chance is our saving grace and our Achilles heel, Payne once wrote. We are both wildly autonomous and utterly powerless.

Goodwin, for whom quantum physics is a pastime (really), calls the plays structure enrapturing. She may be biased, but audiences were smitten when the production ran in London and, three years later, on Broadway, where Jake Gyllenhaal and Ruth Wilson (The Affair) starred. Critics felt the same, if not a little mystified; The New Yorkers John Lahr described it as a singular astonishment but also admitted that he hadnt grasped for certain what it means. Payne is in the same boat. I dont really know what its meaning is, he says. Im very happy not to know and to allow audiences to take from it what they wish. I suspect it might be more about death and love, though, than it is about theoretical physics.

Tags: Allen Leech, Constellations, Downton Abbey, Ginnifer Goodwin, Once Upon A Time, The Geffen Playhouse

This article originally appeared in the June 2017 issue.

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Quantum Physics and Love are Super Weird and Confusing, but This Play Makes Sense of Them Both - LA Magazine

National Post

It's widely abused as a buzzword. But can quantum mechanics explain how we think? National Post But deterministic physics is outdated. The core of quantum mechanics is that there is not much certain at the subatomic level. Everything is more or less potential, probabilistic, at least until you observe and measure it. Then, the various ...

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It's widely abused as a buzzword. But can quantum mechanics explain how we think? - National Post

Quantum physics is oppressive, according to a feminist scholar, because it promotes binary and absolute differences. This makes it hierarchical and exploitative. As such, it is part of the system that enables oppression.

This is an example of the anti-intellectualism and Stalinism that is plaguing the academic world. Stalinist because it subjects all knowledge and cultureincluding scientific findingsto a political critique. It then seeks to silence and punish scientists, artists, and intellectuals who do not conform to the Marxist, or, in this case, post-Marxist worldview.

But it raises another issue. The scholar contends, in effect, that the structure of natureas physicists have studied itteaches that there are binary differences. For example, positive and negative charges, which she contends encourages people to think in terms of male and female.

She believes that conclusions drawn from nature should be suppressed in the name of social causes.She thinks we should replace quantum physics with what she calls quantum feminisms.

But what if society, culture, and human beings are tied to nature? Maybe nature really has binary differences and this is why society and the human mind also have them. This is part of what classical thinkers mean by natural law, that human social and moral life are not arbitrary or humanly-made constructions; rather, they are connected to nature; that is, to reality.

From Katherine Timpf,Quantum Physics: Oppressive to Marginalized People | National Review:

A feminist scholar has published a paper claiming that quantum physics is oppressive and that we must use quantum feminisms to make the science more intersectional.

In a paper for The Minnesota Review, culture and gender-studies researcher Whitney Stark argues that physics is oppressive because it has separated beings based on their binary and absolute differences a structure that she calls hierarchical and exploitative and the same kind of system is embedded in many structures of classification, making it part of the apparatus that enables oppression.

Stark explains: This structural thinking of individualized separatism with binary and absolute differences as the basis for how the universe works seeped into/poured over/ is embedded in many structures of classification, which understand similarity and difference in the world, imposed in many hierarchical and exploitative organizational structures, whether through gender, life/nonlife, national borders, and so on.

According to Stark, the tendency to categorize in this way particularly hurts marginalized people because it can cause the activist efforts of minority groups to be overshadowed by the efforts of dominant groups

[Keep reading. . .]

Illustration: Propaganda Poster of Joseph Stalin (1941), from the collection of the National Archives UK Marshall Stalin, No restrictions, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=20461157

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Quantum physics is oppressive - Patheos - Patheos (blog)

June 1, 2017 Dr. Piotr Bernatowicz from the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw and Prof. Slawomir Szymanski from the Institute of Organic Chemistry of the PAS have predicted and observed that quantum phenomena can mimic classical rotations of atomic groups in molecules. Credit: IPC PAS, Grzegorz Krzyzewski

In molecules, there are certain groups of atoms that are able to rotate. This movement occurs under the influence of random stimuli from the environment, and is not continuous, but occurs in jumps. It is generally believed that such jumps occur in a manner that is typical of classical objects, such as a fan blade prodded by a finger. Chemists from the institutes of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Warsaw have, however, observed rotations that follow the non-intuitive rules of the quantum world. It turns out that under the appropriate conditions, quantum rotations can very well mimic normal, classical rotation.

Professor Slawomir Szymanski from the Institute of Organic Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IOC PAS) in Warsaw is certain that much more exotic and non-intuitive phenomena of a quantum nature are responsible for some of the effects observed in molecules. For years, he has been developing a quantum model of the jump rotations of whole groups of atoms in molecules. The theoretical work of Prof. Szymanski has just found further confirmation in experiments conducted at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the PAS (IPC PAS) by a group led by Dr. Piotr Bernatowicz, and described in the Journal of Chemical Physics.

"In chemistry, quantum mechanics is used almost exclusively to describe the motion of tiny electrons. Atomic nuclei, even those as simple as the single-proton nucleus of hydrogen, are considered too large and massive to be subject to quantum effects. In our work, we prove that this convenient but very simplistic view must finally begin to change, at least in relation to certain situations," says Prof. Szymanski.

Prof. Szymanski's quantum rotation model describes the rotation of atomic groups composed of identical elements, e.g. hydrogen atoms. The latest publication, completed in cooperation with Dr. Bernatowicz's group, concerns CH3 methyl groups. In their structure, these groups are reminiscent of tiny propellers. There are three hydrogen atoms around the carbon atom spaced at equal intervals. It has been known for a long time that the methyl groups connected by a carbon atom to the molecules can make rotational jumps. All the hydrogen atoms can simultaneously rotate 120 degrees around the carbon. These rotations have always been treated as a classic phenomenon in which hydrogen 'balls' simply jump into the adjacent 'wells' that have just been vacated by their neighbours.

"Using nuclear magnetic resonance, we carried out difficult but precise measurements on powders of single crystals of triphenylethane, a compound of molecules each containing one methyl group. The results leave no room for doubt. The shapes of the curves we recorded, so-called powder resonance spectra, can only be explained by the assumption that quantum phenomena are responsible for the rotations of the methyl groups," says Dr. Bernatowicz.

The measurements of the rotation of the methyl groups by nuclear magnetic resonance required precise control of the temperature of the powdered substances. This is because the quantum nature of the rotation only becomes clearly visible in a narrow temperature range. When the temperature is too low, the rotation stops, and when it is too high, the quantum rotations become indistinguishable from the classical ones. The temperatures of experiments at the IPC PAS, in which the quantum nature of the rotations was clearly visible, ranged from 99 to 111 Kelvin.

A new picture of chemical reality emerges from this research. The CH3 group in the molecule is no longer a simple rotor composed of a carbon core and three rigidly attached hydrogen atoms. Its actual nature is differentno hydrogen atom occupies a separate position in space. What's more, each of them continually mixes in a quantum manner with the other two. Under the right conditions, the methyl group, although constructed of many atoms, turns out to be a single, coherent quantum entity that does not resemble any object known to us from the everyday world.

A description of classical atomic rotator motion can be constructed using one constant measuring the average frequency of its jumps. It turns out that in the quantum model, there must be two such constants and they depend on the temperature. When the temperature rises, both constants take on a similar value and the rotations of the methyl group begin to resemble classical rotations.

"In our measurements, we really observed the gradual transformation of the quantum rotations of the methyl groups into rotations difficult to distinguish from the classical ones. This effect should be appropriately understood. Quantum phenomena did not cease to function, but in a certain way imitated classical jumps," explains Dr. Bernatowicz.

Scientists from the IPC PAS and IOC PAS had already confirmed the correctness of the quantum rotation model in experiments with methyl groups (among others in molecules of dimethyl triptycene, where these effects were accompanied by dynamic changes in the crystal lattice). However, predictions concerning the rotations of a much more complex atomic structure, the C6H6 benzene ring, await experimental verification.

"Our research is of a basic nature, and it is difficult to talk here immediately about specific applications," notes Prof. Szymanski, adding, "It is worth emphasizing, however, that quantum effects are considered to be extremely sensitive to the environment. Chemists and physicists assume that in very dense environments, they are destroyed by the thermal movements of the surroundings. We observe quantum effects at relatively high temperatures, in addition in condensed environments: liquids and crystals. The results we obtain should therefore be a warning to chemists or physicists who like oversimplified interpretations."

The imitation of classical physics by quantum phenomena, in addition in a dense and relatively warm environment, is a surprising effect that should draw the attention of, among others, the constructors of nanomachines. By designing smaller molecular devices, they may unwittingly move from the world of classical physics to the world of quantum phenomena. Under new conditions, the operation of nanomachines could suddenly stop being predictable.

Explore further: Exotic quantum effects can govern the chemistry around us

More information: Agnieszka Osior et al, Nonclassical dynamics of the methyl group in 1,1,1-triphenylethane. Evidencefrom powderH NMR spectra, The Journal of Chemical Physics (2017). DOI: 10.1063/1.4978226

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In atomic propellers, quantum phenomena can mimic everyday ... - Phys.Org

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Researcher Whitney Stark of the University of Arizonas Institute for LGBT Studies claims to have invented a new form of physics, intersectional quantum physics, that combats the alleged bigotries of classical science.

Intersectionality and quantum physics can provide for differing perspectives on organizing practices long used by marginalized people, for enabling apparatuses that allow for new possibilities of safer spaces, and for practices of accountability, she writes in the abstract for her paper, Assembled Bodies: Reconfiguring Quantum Identities.

Inside the paper, Stark argues that the advent of quantum feminisms will allow for an anti-oppressive transformation in the sciences.

I refer to these allying strategies as a constellatory body called quantum feminisms Hopefully, this locating-as-body can enflame some political closenesses that help shift apparatuses, allowing for energy, time, love, concentration to disperse and gather differently. That is, serve as a decent coalition, a relevant apparatus enabling conditions possible for thinking/mattering innovative transformative antioppression practices and helpful semantic/teleological tools and for checking the political salience of structures in work toward accountable, anti-oppressive transformation. I hope to unpack and highlight connectivities in which these quantum feminist posthuman tools can be explicitly relevant to anti-oppression struggles.

The research was published inthe Minnesota Review, a literary magazine published by the Duke University Press that describes itself as a publication that publishes contemporary poetry and fiction as well as reviews, critical commentary, and interviews of leading intellectual figures, the Minnesota Reviewcurates smart, accessible collections of progressive new work.

This follows a recent trend of feminism creeping into other academic disciplines. At the University of Wisconsin, a class that combines neurobiology and feminism was praised in the schools student newspaper. A research paper published in a peer-reviewed journal argued that Womens Studies departments should act as a virus that infiltrates other departments with its ideology.

Tom Ciccotta is a libertarian who writes about economics and higher education for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter @tciccotta or email him at tciccotta@breitbart.com

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University of Arizona Scholar Creates a Feminist Brand of Physics to ... - Breitbart News

According to a feminist academic working with the University of Arizona, Newtonian physics is oppressive, and physics needs a new theoryto combat it the theory of "intersectional quantum physics." In a journal published by Duke University Press, she used academic jargon to deconstruct not just physics but basic logic in the service of fighting "oppression."

"The idea of the body (whether biological, social, or of work) is not stagnant, and new materialist feminisms help to recognize how multiple phenomena work together to behave in what can become legible at any given moment as a body," wrote Whitney Stark, a researcher in culture and gender studies at Utrecht University in the Netherlands with ties to U.S. colleges.

Newtonian physics is fundamentally oppressive becauseit defines what the word "body" means. No joke: In her paper, Stark identified "Newtonian physics" as a culprit behind oppression, because it has "separated beings" based on their "binary and absolute differences."

In her paper "Assembled Bodies: Reconfiguring Quantum Identities," published in the latest issue of The Minnesota Review,Stark argued that thinkers need to combine "intersectionality and quantum physics" to understand "marginalized people" and to create "safer spaces" for them. But the way in which she argued this spoke volumes.

"This structural thinking of individualized separatism with binary and absolute differences as the basis for how the universe works is embedded in many structures of classification," the researcher wrote. Such "structures of classification," such as male or female, living or non-living, are "hierarchical and exploitative" and therefore "part of the apparatus that enables oppression."

But the basic ability to determine male from female, living from non-living, and other simple binary identities, and to make arguments and conclusions based on these differences, is also called "logic." It enables human beings to understand the world around them, and it is the basic foundation of all science, physics included.

There is nothing unique to Newtonian physics about this simple logic, but Stark attacks it as a vehicle for oppression. To be clear, it is a vehicle for understanding the world and using knowledge. People can use knowledge for good or for ill, for freedom or oppression. The very same logic which allows someone to distinguish a human being from an animal, and to free an enslaved person but not a chained pet, also allows someone to distinguish between a man and a woman, and to treat one better than the other.

Logical categories enable discrimination, but they also enable justice, knowledge, all kinds of relations even love.

But quantum physics blurs the lines between logical binaries, allowing for particles to be in two states at the same time. Even this mind-bending relies on logical and scientific study of physics, starting at easier levels and proceeding toward the more difficult.

Read the original here:

Feminist Launches 'Intersectional Quantum Physics' to End Newton's 'Oppression' - PJ Media

A feminist scholar has published a paper claiming that quantum physics is oppressive and that we must use quantum feminisms to make the science more intersectional.

In a paper for The Minnesota Review, culture and gender-studies researcher Whitney Stark argues that physics is oppressive because it has separated beings based on their binary and absolute differences a structure that she calls hierarchical and exploitative and the same kind of system is embedded in many structures of classification, making it part of the apparatus that enables oppression. Stark explains:

This structural thinking of individualized separatism with binary and absolute differences as the basis for how the universe works seeped into/poured over/ is embedded in many structures of classification, which understand similarity and difference in the world, imposed in many hierarchical and exploitative organizational structures, whether through gender, life/nonlife, national borders, and so on.

According to Stark, the tendency to categorize in this way particularly hurts marginalized people because it can cause the activist efforts of minority groups to be overshadowed by the efforts of dominant groups.

For instance, in many official feminist histories of the United States, black/African American womens organizing and writing are completely unaccounted for before the 1973 creation of the middle-class, professional National Black Feminist Organization, Stark writes.

Part of this absence is the frequent subsuming of intersectional identities under supposedly encompassing meta-identities more readily recognized by/as hegemonicized groupings, she continues. For instance, black women subsumed under black, equated with male, or feminist equated with white women.

Thankfully, Stark has a solution to this very clearly serious problem: quantum feminisms and intersectionality.

By taking a critical look at the noncentralized and multiple movements of quantum physics, and by dehierarchizing the necessity of linear bodies through time, it becomes possible to reconfigure structures of value, longevity, and subjectivity in ways explicitly aligned with anti-oppression practices and identity politics, she writes. Combining intersectionality and quantum physics can provide for differing perspectives on organizing practices long used by marginalized people, for enabling apparatuses that allow for new possibilities of safer spaces.

Honestly, all of this makes perfect sense. Personally, whenever I think about oppression, the very first thing that comes to my mind is: Damn it Isaac Newton! This is all your fault! Im just glad someone is finally writing about it. Maybe someday we can take it a step further, and replace all lessons on the outdated, sexist, racist concept of quantum physics in our schools with lessons on quantum feminisms. Ah, yes. Then, and only then, will our nation be truly great.

This story was initially covered by the College Fix.

Katherine Timpf is a reporter for National Review Online.

Originally posted here:

Academic Journal: Quantum Physics Is 'Oppressive' to Marginalized People - National Review