Sir Roger Penrose to Discuss Twistor Theory at Perimeter Institute Public Lecture on April 6
Newswise — WATERLOO, ONTARIO, CANADA, MARCH 16, 2011 – Einstein’s theory of relativity combines space and time into a unified notion. Twistor theory goes beyond this and examines paths taken by light and other particles without mass – in an attempt to understand our universe at a deeper level, including the foundations of quantum physics.
On Wednesday, April 6, as part of Perimeter Institute’s Public Lecture Series presented by Sun Life Financial, the highly distinguished mathematician and theoretical physicist Sir Roger Penrose will explore the deep link between twistor theory and the weird effects of quantum non-locality – the phenomenon whereby the behaviour of quantum particles can seem to have instantaneous effects over large distances.
Currently emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics at Oxford University, Sir Penrose’s research interests span many aspects of geometry, having made contributions to the theory of non-periodic tilings (“Penrose tilings”), to general relativity theory and quantum foundations. His main research program is to develop the theory of twistors, which he originated over 30 years ago as an attempt to unite Einstein's theory of general relativity with quantum mechanics.
In 1994 he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II for his service to science. Sir Penrose has received numerous prizes and awards, including the 1988 Wolf Prize, which he shared with Stephen Hawking for their understanding of the universe, the Dannie Heinemann Prize, the Royal Society Royal Medal, the Dirac Medal and the Albert Einstein prize to name a few.
Sir Roger Penrose’s lecture, entitled “Twistors and Quantum Non-Locality” will be held Wednesday, April 6, 2011 at 7:00 pm in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. Tickets will be available starting Monday, March 21st, 2011.
Further details can be found at www.perimeterinstitute.ca.
About Perimeter InstitutePerimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI) is an independent, non-profit, scientific research organization working to advance our understanding of physical laws and develop new ideas about the very essence of space, time, matter and information. Located in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, PI also provides a wide array of research training and educational outreach activities to nurture scientific talent and share the importance of discovery and innovation among students, teachers and the general public. In partnership with the Governments of Ontario and Canada, PI is a successful example of public-private collaboration in scientific research, training and outreach.
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