Tuesday 9th December 2025, 6.30pm, Sibson Lecture Theatre 3
Felix Flicker (University of Bristol)
Once upon a time, computers were the size of large rooms. We had to manufacture each of their logical components, as valves. This changed when physicists came to understand a new state of matter: the semiconductor. From that point on, we no longer had to manufacture the elementary computing components. Instead, we learnt to grow computers from crystals of silicon.
These days the race is on to build a practical /quantum/ computer. These are again the size of large rooms. What we need is silicon for the 21st century: a new state of matter, manifested as a crystal we can grow and which acts as a quantum computer.
In this talk I will discuss some possible candidates for these quantum crystals, including a naturally occurring mineral (Herbertsmithite) which features some (but not all) of the necessary properties.
About the speaker
Felix Flicker is a theoretical physicist and senior lecturer at the University of Bristol. He works on the quantum underpinnings of matter, with a focus on problems in which interesting shapes and patterns play a key role. He is the author of a bestselling book, The Magick of Matter, which introduces this branch of physics to a general audience.
The talk is free and open to all. Doors open about half an hour before the talk begins.
For directions to the lecture theatre, see here.