2023-11-21
28 分钟Professor Jim Al-Khalili meets one of Britain's greatest physicists, Sir Michael Berry. His work uncovers 'the arcane in the mundane', revealing the science that underpins phenomena in the world around us such as rainbows, and through his popular science lectures he joyfully explains the role of quantum mechanics in phones, computers and the technology that shapes the modern world. He is famed for the 'Berry phase' which is a key concept in quantum mechanics and one Sir Michael likes to explain through an analogy of holding a cat upside and dropping it, or parallel parking a car. Presenter: Jim Al-Khalili Studio Producer: Tom Bonnett Audio Editor: Gerry Holt
BBC Sounds Music Radio Podcasts.
Hello, and welcome to the podcast edition of the Life Scientific.
I'm Jamal Khalili and this is the show where I get to talk with some of the world's leading scientists and you get to find out what drives them.
So sit back, get comfortable, and enjoy the episode.
Hello.
Sometimes ideas in physics can feel so abstract that they border on philosophy.
Concepts like higher dimensional space or time ceasing to exist, subatomic particles behaving like waves.
Often it's when someone comes up with the simple analogy to explain these ideas that we can get, if not the full picture, at least a glimmer of understanding.
This is particularly true in the area of science that my guest today and yours truly work in theoretical physics.
Please don't turn off.
As well as being one of the most respected physicists in the world today, Sir Michael Berry continues the tradition of of making complex ideas accessible.
In his hands, even the blurred edges of a rainbow or the way light dances on the bottom of a swimming pool can reveal deep mathematical secrets that underpin our very existence.
His most famous contribution to science is an incredibly technical aspect of quantum mechanics.
But thanks to his explanation comparing it to how we park our cars, by the end of today's conversation, you might just get that glimmer of understanding.
Michael Berry, Emeritus professor of Physics at the University of Bristol.
Welcome to the Life Scientific.
Thank you.
Michael, I'm looking forward to walking with you through your life story.
But do you mind if we start walking through the front door of your house?
Because I understand you have a collection of gadgets and trinkets that a physicist like me would love to see.