Lunchtime Talks are a series of informal presentations at Watershed's Pervasive Media Studio. They normally take place at 13:00 on a Friday, are free and are open to everybody who is interested in what they do. Come along, bring a sandwich, and get to know more about the Studio community, current and up-coming projects, or residents' work.

The microscopic world of atoms is a strange place. Things can be in several places at once, teleportation is a reality, and objects far apart can communicate instantaneously. This weird behaviour is called quantum mechanics. The question is, why isn't the world more weird? The Quantum Workshop aims to address this question with the aid of a high-tech experiment that traps and levitates glass spheres with nothing but light! This is the first step in making a real sized object, made from billions upon billions of atoms, enter the quantum world.

We will guide you through the basics of quantum physics, discuss how it can be used, and speculate upon what can be made quantum... viruses perhaps, or even insects! This will be illustrated with a real, and highly visual, laser trapping experiment.

The Pervasive Media Studio is now located within the Watershed building. Let us know if you'd like a tour of the new space and we'll be happy to show you around! Send an email to admin@pmstudio.co.uk

FFI: watershed.co.uk/ished