Why Quantum Matters
A field notebook from the frontiers of physics.
There’s a lot of chaos in the world. No, really—both literally and figuratively. In the news, as well as in my home department at LSU, I hear about uncertainty and chaos with student visas, science funding cuts, and more. I also study chaos in my research and teach physics. This past spring (2025), I taught a course on Quantum Technology. I’ve gathered a lot through all of this, so here I am, on Substack.
My job involves a lot of writing—papers, grants, proposals (for all sorts of things), referee reports, and endless notes. Still, I find myself wanting to practice writing, from technical to conversational. Partly, it’s to build writing confidence and momentum, so that the next big grant doesn’t feel quite so intimidating.
What you’ll find on here is a bit eclectic.
My interests run wide. Even within theoretical physics, my curiosity roams. I’ve studied, among other things, the Casimir effect, topological materials, analog gravity, quantum field theory in curved space, quantum information dynamics, and moiré materials. I’ve got thoughts on all of it, and I plan to share them. Not only that, but other sciences, philosophies, and ideas aren’t safe either.
To help categorize this nonsense, I plan on releasing four types of posts:
The Observable — The main column with in-depth takes on subjects I (hopefully) know something about.
Quantum Bites — These will be short explanations of some concept in physics for the general reader. (Yes, I had to restrain myself from calling them Quantum Bytes.)
The Margins — Where I scribble thoughts on things outside of my domain: current events, philosophy, other sciences.
Field Notes — Technical dispatches in physics or mathematics, aimed at experts and soon-to-be experts.
Naturally, this will evolve as I go.
The timing will be weekly, with a longer main piece each month.
Every day, I try to write something. If it’s not directly work-related (papers and grants and reports—oh my!), it’s notes to myself or, now, something for this Substack.
That said, I write slowly and thoughtfully, often rewriting until it feels just right. In this way, I expect to write roughly three shorter pieces and one longer piece in a month. What counts as “short”? We’ll figure that out together. As for how much of each type—Margins, Field notes, Bites—well, who knows?
These updates will come on Thursday evening.
But why does Quantum Matter?
I have answered Why Quantum Matters—but not why quantum matters. Simply put, quantum mechanics, so far as we know, is the underlying framework for every physical thing in the universe. It’s passed test after test, even when it upends our intuitions (ever hear of quantum entanglement?).
You can find plenty of quotes about God and dice, spooky action at a distance, and all the interpretation drama. Honestly, I hate1 this PR quantum has accumulated over the last hundred years. Takes like the Copenhagen interpretation have warped how quantum science is perceived, and it doesn’t help when physicists shrug and say “shut up and calculate”2.
I want to unpack the truly bizarre parts and show how, with a little work, they can still make sense. And quantum isn’t just about the “very small”; it shapes technologies we use every day3. To get there, we’ll need to understand how classical physics emerges from all the quantum funk.
We’ve figured out a lot about the world, but there’s still so much more to learn. Sharing insights and participating in this grand human experiment of science and progress matters. I hope to share what I’ve picked up along the way, from the giants who’ve shaped my thinking about physics, and maybe a little about life too. Come along for the ride.
On principle, I don’t “hate” it, but it is not my favorite.
Usually attributed to Richard Feynman, but probably originating with N. David Mermin.
Hint: It’s in your pocket, purse, or hand right now.