Lecture by Nobel prize laureate Prof. Dr Anton Zeilinger at the UL Faculty of mathematics and physics

In his lecture, Prof. Dr Zeilinger elucidated the phenomenon of quantum entanglement and the experimental methods used to observe it. He presented groundbreaking experiments with entangled photons, which have confirmed the predictions of quantum mechanical inequalities, thereby deepening our understanding of the fundamental laws of nature. He also detailed his work on quantum teleportation – a phenomenon that enables the transfer of quantum information from one location to another without physical transmission. These experiments represented a significant leap forward in quantum information science, laying the groundwork for future advances in quantum communication and computing. This body of work earned him the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics, which he shared with Alain Aspect and John F. Clauser.

Prof. Dr Zeilinger concluded his lecture by discussing open questions in quantum science and the challenges awaiting future generations. He also offered a philosophical perspective on space and time in the context of information transmission, adding a thought-provoking dimension to the presentation.

Before the lecture, Prof. Dr Anton Zeilinger visited the Quantum Optics and Quantum Foundations Laboratory at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, where he was introduced to the SiQUID quantum communication project. The project is led by his former colleague, Assoc. Prof. Dr Rainer Kaltenbaek, and Prof. Dr Anton Ramšak, the University of Ljubljana’s Vice-Rector for Research and Development.

In a packed lecture theatre, students had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the Nobel laureate and gain first-hand insights into the topics discussed in lectures and their practical work in the laboratory.

Prof. Dr Zeilinger's visit was made possible through the efforts of the Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts and the Jožef Stefan Institute. His lecture was met with great enthusiasm by the audience at UL FMF, who filled the lecture hall to capacity.

The lecture will be made accessible to the general public in the coming days via this link.

About the Nobel Prize laureate

Prof. Dr Anton Zeilinger is the recipient of the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics, Professor Emeritus of Physics at the University of Vienna and Senior Scientist at the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information at the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna.