Celebrating Everything Quantum

Quantum mechanics, the set of laws that govern the world of atoms and elementary particles, has revolutionised our way of conceiving reality with its fascinating and sometimes bizarre properties. Quantum science and technology are bringing about a new technological revolution that we must learn to understand and manage.

World Quantum Day will be observed around the world for the first time this year on 14 April, as a way to bring everything "quantum" closer to the public and celebrate this fascinating field of study.

In this context, the Italian Quantum Weeks are an initiative promoted by Italian scientists, communicators and educators on the occasion of the first World Quantum Day, with the aim of raising awareness of the quantum world and the opportunities that the quantum revolution can bring.

A rich programme of initiatives will be organised in cities and universities across Italy, starting on March 26 until Quantum Day, with some activities extending until the end of May. Trieste, Italy's city of science, has a high-level research profile in the fields of quantum science and technologies, with institutes like ICTP, SISSA and the University of Trieste. "Italian Quantum Weeks @ Trieste" is the initiative organised by scientists and communicators of the so-called "Trieste science system" to take part in the quantum celebrations, with a rich programme of events for the general public and school students.

Many ICTP scientists will be involved in public talks, panels and activities with students. These activities include:

- 4 April, 9am: "Cos'è un computer quantistico? Lo chiediamo allo scienziato" ("What is a quantum computer? Let's ask a scientist") is an event organised jointly by ICTP and Trieste's Science Centre Immaginario Scientifico. ICTP scientist Antonello Scardicchio will be interviewed by physics students, discussing quantum computers, the science behind them and future developments of the field. The event is dedicated to schools, but it could be followed by everyone on ICTP's YouTube channel. The event is in Italian.

- 5 April, 7pm: a public talk titled "Computer quantistici e calcoli complicati" ("Quantum computers and complicated calculations") will be held in Trieste's Bar Libreria Knulp, involving ICTP's PhD student Federico Balducci and postdoctoral fellow Giuliano Chiriacò. (In Italian)

- 12 April, 7pm: a public talk titled "Computer e società quantistiche" ("Quantum computers and societies") will be held in Trieste's Bar Libreria Knulp, involving ICTP scientists Alejandro Rodriguez, Marcello Dalmonte, and Antonello Scardicchio. (In Italian)

- 14 April, 6pm: a public talk titled "Materia quantistica del futuro" ("Quantum matter of the future") will be held in Trieste's Caffé San Marco, involving ICTP scientists Nicola Seriani and Rosario Fazio. (In Italian)

For the full programme of activities taking place in Trieste during the Italian Quantum Weeks, visit the web page at https://www.quantumweeks.it/trieste/.

The ICTP Library selected a list of Open Access books and resources related to quantum science and technology. It is available here.