INESC TEC Science Bits is a podcast, produced by INESC TEC and Engenharia Rádio, which aims to shed a light on the latest trends in science and technology, trying to dive deeper in each subject with the help of INESC TEC experts and researchers.

The third episode of INESC TEC Science Bits invites listeners to break with the laws of classical physics. Quantum Physics is one of the more interesting fields of what we call Modern Physics and it stems from the understanding that the laws of physics seem different at the microscopic scale, thus challenging the human intuition concerning the macroscopic world.

During this episode, the interviewees go back to the origins of quantum physics and share the ambitions of INESC TEC’s Centre for Applied Photonics on various research topics, in particular “Quantum sensors and metrology” and “Quantum simulation”. Can a cat be alive and dead at the same time? Find out the answers on this trip to the microscopic world.

Ariel Guerreiro is expert in Nonlinear and Quantum Optics, with emphasis in light-matter interaction, and with an international scientific career collaborating with top-ranked institutes in Europe and the United states. He was awarded a Calouste Gulbenkian Scientific Research, a Rank Prize on Optoelectronics, and held the prestigious Casimir Research Fellowship at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory. He completed his PhD in Physical Engineering in 2004 by the Instituto Superior Técnico of the University of Lisbon, a Master in Management and Business Administration (MBA) in 2010 by the University of Porto and a Degree in Technological Physics in 1998 by the Instituto Superior Técnico of the University of Lisbon.

Ariel combines training in Nonlinear and Quantum Optics, Plasma Physics, High Performance Computing, and Nanophotonics. His research started in the topic of quantum-optical macroscopic effects and macroscopic entanglement, evolving to the study of light-matter dynamics. In parallel, he applied his skills to the development of optical sensors based on nanoplasmonics and optical metamaterials. Currently his research focuses on quantum-enhanced optical properties of atomic systems and their applications in quantum simulation and information systems.

He published 50 articles in specialized magazines, has 4 chapters in books and coordinated the edition of 1 scientific publication. Supervised 5 doctoral thesis and 13 master dissertations. Ariel is an Assistant Professor in the Physics and Astronomy Department of the University of Porto and has been recently appointed area manager of Quantum Engineering at the Centre for Applied Photonics at INESC TEC.

Nuno Azevedo Silva graduated in Physics in 2011 and completed his MSc degree in Theoretical Physics in 2013 at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto. Following a brief experience under a research grant, he engaged in the MAP-Fis doctoral program at the University of Porto, concluding his Ph.D. in Physics in 2019, the year he was also a visiting scholar at the Texas Advanced Computing Center at UT Austin during the fall semester. Collaborator of INESC TEC since 2012, he is currently a Post-doc researcher at the Center for Applied Photonics, and his work spans across the fields of Nonlinear and Quantum Optics, Quantum Fluids, and High-performance computing for scientific purposes.

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