Andrew Steane

Prof Andrew M. Steane
Professor of Physics (Atomic and Laser)
Fellow, Exeter College, University of Oxford.

Address
Department of Atomic and Laser Physics,
Clarendon Laboratory,
Parks Road,
Oxford OX1 3PU.

Research

My research interests are concentrated around fundamental questions in physics, especially the nature of quantum mechanics. I have followed these interests by developing high-precision experiments in which quantum systems such as atoms are under precise and coherent experimental control, and by theoretical work including the control of atomic motion by laser light, and bringing together classical information theory and quantum mechanics. The latter led in particular to the discovery of quantum error correction.

Research papers

Most of my research papers may be found in the publications list of the Oxford Ion Trap Quantum Computing Group.

Search for preprints on the LANL x-archive print server.
Context, spacetime loops, and the interpretation of quantum mechaincs, A. M. Steane, J. Phys. A: Math. Theor., 40, 3223-3243 (2007).

Book

The Wonderful World of Relativity---A precise guide for the general reader, by Andrew M. Steane (Oxford University Press, 2011).
This book provides a lively and visual introduction to Einstein's theory of relativity. It is for a readership including young people at school (post-16) and the general public with an interest in modern science. It uses many diagrams and simple equations, guiding the reader carefully through them, in order to display the beautiful insights which the theory provides. Paradoxes and puzzles are introduced and resolved, and used to show how the ideas force us to understand time in a new way. The book culminates in a thorough unfolding of the relation between mass and energy.

Teaching

Software

amsfunctions.zip Matlab toolbox for common data analysis tasks, such as curve fitting. Further information.
calqit: scientific calculator and programming language