A casual guide to quantum simulators. I was tickled to learn that the authors drew inspiration from Quantum Steampunk in starting each chapter with a snippet of fiction. 😊 (I was also tickled to understand much of the text without using a dictionary. ¡Gracias a mis maestros de español!)

Thanks to Physics Magazine for the Q&A! There’s a great deal to do within quantum thermodynamics and within quantum steampunk. physics.aps.org/articles/v19... @physicsmagazine.aps.org @apsphysics.aps.org

Enjoyed a lovely dinner at this summer’s Table for Techers. Also—since the dinner brought together @caltech.edu alumni—learned about low-field MRI and a quantum company’s stock-market debut. Thanks to our wonderful hosts!

More real-world #steampunk, at the Smithsonian Castle.

I learned about the Twitter account @MarkWiseSays from John Preskill's eulogy for Mark. I heard all the tweets in his voice; and I laughed so hard, I cried. x.com/preskill/sta...

Mark Wise might have been able to make it as a standup comedian, but I’m grateful he taught physics instead. @caltech.edu @caltechalumni.bsky.social @perimeterinstitute.bsky.social @preskill.bsky.social quantumfrontiers.com/2026/07/26/w...

One of the most famous problems in quantum thermo is to define work and heat. The problem is hairiest if the system and environment couple strongly. We collated 3 definitions and checked which are up to snuff. Thanks to Phys. Rev. E for the Editors' Suggestion! journals.aps.org/pre/abstract...

Work and heat exchanged during sudden quenches of strongly coupled quantum systems

The authors examine three definitions of internal energy, work, and heat that have been used for quantum systems coupled strongly to the environment. Their study focuses on quenches, processes in whic...

journals.aps.org

Congratulations to David Zierler @zierlerdavid.bsky.social on publishing this retrospective on Caltech @caltech.edu! I'm honored to be included. Now, I just need a coffee table worthy of the book...

In Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, the character C.M.O.T. Dibbler offers just about every food "onna stick." Kaden Hazzard's talk at the Simons Center was about putting just about any quantum system inna cavity. (Not that Kaden resembles Dibbler otherwise.)

Copies of the Greek translation of Quantum Steampunk have finally arrived! If you want to learn the letters on the cover, study physics.

As the birthplace of the Renaissance, Florence provided the backdrop for many discoveries and innovations. What better location for a physics conference? quantumfrontiers.com/2026/06/28/t...

The physicists of Florence

A scientist in Florence can’t avoid bumping into colleagues.  When visiting the Renaissance’s birthplace last summer, I ran into a fellow physicist even on a Saturday morning. I was wandering …

quantumfrontiers.com

A main point of the program happening @SimonsCenter is that quantum complexity is a useful notion throughout many-body physics. A main point of this talk is that uncomplexity is a useful resource in quantum computation. Thanks for hosting me! scgp.stonybrook.edu/video/video....

Possibly my favorite part of Robert Koenig's talk @SimonsCenter: he said "stabilizer generator," in full, whenever he meant it. I often hear "stabilizer" instead, but stabilizers are mathematical objects different from stabilizer generators. #typeclasses

Kavan Modi believes we should be thinking about quantum many-time processes similarly to quantum many-body systems. Does anyone else see an avocado? @SimonsCenter

Just arrived at my temporary apartment. The kitchen contains four coffee-making devices, and a previous guest left a(n appealing-looking) paper about many-body localization in one of the bedrooms. This is definitely a Simons Center apartment.

Action shot of theoretical physics in progress. Thanks to the Institute for Robust Quantum Simulation for sponsoring (until-this-spring) undergrad researcher Hubert Povilas, shown here and for taking the photo (without our realizing!).

Congratulations to all the prize winners (a small sample of which is shown here) from the poster session at "Quantum Thermodynamics at Decoherence"! Thanks to the Fidelity Center for Applied Technology for sponsoring the awards.

It was an utter delight to gather with so many researchers keen on furthering and applying quantum thermodynamics. This week's symposium included participants from cosmology, solid-state physics, quantum optics, Shannon theory, and more. Join us again next spring in Cambridge, MA!

One of quantum thermodynamics's greatest achievements, in my opinion, is the hijacking of the research program of Mark Wilde @markwilde.bsky.social, AKA Mr. Quantum Shannon Theory.

Brilliant keynote/public lecture by science journalist and novelist Mark Alpert at "Quantum Thermodynamics and Decoherence." On scientists and writers: "We’re both trying to make sense of the world."

Is it useful to define a work (or work-type) observable in quantum contexts, or isn't it? The debate, having had its ups and downs over the years, reopened recently. Giulia Rubino adds to the conversation in the first talk at the symposium "Quantum Thermodynamics and Decoherence."

Swag from the Center for Coherence and Quantum Science at the University of Rochester! The text on the keychains is etched on my heart, too. May I take a whole handful? 😆

Looking forward to visiting Rochester for “Quantum Thermodynamics and Decoherence” this week. If you’re in the area, stop by at least for the public lecture! Author Mark Alpert will talk about bridging quantum science and writing. www.umiacs.umd.edu/news-events/...

I’m a bit floored that there are, by now, several followup papers from various groups about the non-Abelian eigenstate thermalization hypothesis. Here’s our first test of it. Much still remains to be done! journals.aps.org/pre/abstract...

Failure and rejection are famously key parts of science. Less famous are recipes for overcoming these hurdles. Here’s a prescription for dimming the pain, sweeping up the pieces, and moving forward—and descriptions of some of my favorite failures. quantumfrontiers.com/2026/05/20/n...

Nicole’s guide to handling failure and rejection

It’s happening.  Your inbox registers an email from the chair of a faculty-hiring committee. With trembling fingers, you click on the message. “We’ve been grateful for the opportunity to learn…

quantumfrontiers.com

A student in my course crocheted a cat for me! (We read Ursula K. LeGuin's 1974 short story "Schrödinger's cat.") It’s making friends with the owl another student gave me a few years ago.

Ok, own up. Who are you?

How do you collaborate between departments as disparate as physics and English? Thanks to the audience at this panel for the thought-provoking questions and to the U. of Maryland library for hosting quantum steampunk at its “Speculative Futures” event!

Don't know who wrote this, but somebody was excited about workshopping quantum-steampunk short stories in class last week... @umdbiochemphys.bsky.social

Maryland is so quantum, even the buses contain quantum technologies.