Regular readers of Physics World will know that the UN chose 2025 to be the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ). With a global diary of events, conferences, talks, workshops and more, its aim is to raise awareness of the impact of quantum physics and its myriad future applications, from healthcare and energy to infrastructure and optimization.
With the Institute of Physics (IOP) being one of the IYQ’s six founding members, we have already seen a packed agenda – including the UK’s opening meeting hosted by the Royal Society in February; a week-long parliamentary exhibition on quantum run by the IOP in June; plus numerous hackathons and careers events. It has been a very busy year.
As the IYQ comes to a close, the UK is giving it a worthy send-off with an entire Quantum Week on 3–7 November. The IOP and the National Physical Laboratory will host conferences and public events, including a talk on “A new quantum world: ‘spooky’ physics to tech revolution” by quantum scientist and TV presenter Jim Al-Khalili.
The highlight of the week for quantum physicists based in the UK will be the IOP’s two-day conference – Quantum Science and Technology: The First 100 Years; Our Quantum Future – at the Royal Institution in London. Day one, organized by the IOP’s History of Physics group, will look back on the first 100 years of quantum mechanics. Speakers will revisit foundational breakthroughs, while charting the evolution of quantum theory, from its early abstract framework to the main pillar it forms in modern physics. Day two – led by the IOP’s quantum Business Innovation and Growth group – will look to the future of quantum tech and its expanding role in society, as quantum computing, sensing and communications become a part of our world.
Despite us celebrating a century of quantum advances, it’s interesting to note that most physicists are still undecided on some of the very foundational aspects of quantum theory. Even 100 years on, we cannot agree on which interpretation of quantum mechanics holds strong; whether the wavefunction is merely a mathematical tool or a true representation of reality; or the effects of an observer on a quantum state.
Indeed, some of the biggest open questions in physics – where exactly is the boundary between the quantum and the classical world; and how do we reconcile gravity and quantum mechanics – lie at the very heart of these conundrums. As we all gather at the IOP’s conference, to look back and ahead, perhaps some answers to these puzzles will become apparent.
Be sure to register for the event by 20 October so that you are in the room as we perhaps crack the quantum code to our universe.
This article forms part of Physics World‘s contribution to the 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology (IYQ), which aims to raise global awareness of quantum physics and its applications.
Stayed tuned to Physics World and our international partners throughout the year for more coverage of the IYQ.
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