Exactly one hundred years ago, the Danish physicist Niels Bohr had an idea that changed the world. The atomic model that he proposed in 1913 explained in a neat and simple way the properties of atoms and was one of the starting shots for the understanding of Quantum Physics in the 1920's. Much of that effort happened in Copenhagen, with the help of the brilliant physicists from around the world that gathered around Bohr at the institute he founded and today bears his name.

A century later, the theory that these physicists came up with continues to baffle and amaze experts and non-experts alike. Can nature really behave as strangely as this theory, Quantum Mechanics, says it does? Can particles really go through two holes at the same time? Do the properties of objects, such as cats, really get decided only at the moment we observe them? Can the results of an experiment in Copenhagen be instantaneously affected by a measurement light-years away? How can our everyday world arise out of such seemingly crazy behaviour?

Benny Lautrup, professor of theoretical physics at the Niels Bohr Institute, will serve as our expert guide to the weirdness of the quantum world. Starting from the early days of Quantum Physics, he will focus on the debates between Bohr and Einstein on its interpretation and explain some of the famous paradoxes that the theory leads to. He will then discuss how, far from being a problem, these predictions of the theory are actually essential for future applications to quantum encryption, teleportation and computing.

A Q&A is followed by the weirdness of cocktails at the sound of Lucky Ringston (aka Jørgen Teller). Teller is a creative musician working with electro-acoustic compositions aided by electronic music.

Organised in cooperation with the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen.

Photo: Interference room, 2012, Customized optical projection system / dimensions variable