Quantum mechanics is down to earth - quite literally - since the electrons within the tiny crystals found in a handful of dirt manifest a dizzying world of quantum motion. Each crystal has its own unique choreography, with the electrons entangled in a myriad of quantum dances. Quantum entanglement also holds the promise of futuristic Quantum Computers - which might be comprised of electron and nuclear spins inside diamond, or of atoms confined in traps, or of small superconducting grains, among a plethora of suggested platforms. In this talk I will describe ongoing efforts to elucidate the mysteries of Quantum Crystals, to design and assemble Quantum Computers, before ruminating about “Quantum Cognition” - the proposal that our brains are capable of quantum processing.

Matthew Fisher is a theoretical physicist determined to bring quantum mechanics down to earth.  After earning his PhD in1986 from the University of Illinois, Matthew was a Research Staff member at IBM's Watson Research Center. Since 1993 he has been a Professor of Physics at UC Santa Barbara, except for a brief stint at Caltech in 2009-2010. In 1995, Matthew received the Alan T. Waterman Award bestowed by the National Science Foundation, and has also been the recipient of the National Academy of Sciences Award for Initiatives in Research (1997). He was elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2003 and to the National Academy of Sciences in 2012. Matthew was a co-recipient of the 2015 Oliver E. Buckley Prize in Condensed Matter Physics given by the American Physical Society.