The conceptual challenges of quantum theory

Quantum theory describes the behaviour of atoms, photons, and numerous other small things. It is a very successful theory. However, it is not clear what it means. More than any other physical theory, it challenges our preconceptions about the way the world should be. In this talk I will describe some of the attempts to make sense of the theory and also give a few examples that show how strange a theory it is.

Lucien Hardy received his PhD at Durham University in 1992 under the supervision of Professor Euan J Squires. He has held research and lecturing positions in various cities across Europe including Innsbruck, Rome, and Oxford. He joined Perimeter Institute in 2002. While in Rome Lucien collaborated on an experiment to demonstrate quantum teleportation. In 1992 he found a very simple proof of non-locality in quantum theory which has become known as Hardy's paradox. He is now interested in finding natural postulates for quantum theory.