Summary of My Quantum Trajectory – Professor John Preskill, Caltech | Chilloquium 2022

00:00:00 - 00:55:00

Professor John Preskill of Caltech discusses his experience as a physicist and how it has led him to his current work in quantum computing. He reflects on his journey from being a mediocre athlete to excelling in mathematics and physics, and how the professors he admired made him feel uncomfortable. He talks about how he discovered that math was his passion and how Princeton's physics department helped him learn the differential forms and the variational principle. Preskill discusses how his experiences as a professor have helped him develop his understanding of physics and how these experiences have helped him in his current work in quantum computing.

• 00:00:00 Professor John Preskill from Caltech discusses his path through physics, his research, and his upcoming talk at Celloquium. He encourages everyone to raise their hands to ask questions and be interactive in order to make the conversation more personal. Andrew Vinitsky, an undergraduate studying physics and mathematics at Harvard, moderates the conversation with Professor Preskill.
• 00:05:00 John Preskill discusses his early interests in physics, baseball, and spaceflight, and how they led to his current work in theoretical physics. He reflects on how the times have changed, and how children today are much better educated in physics than when he was a child.
• 00:10:00 This is a transcript excerpt of a YouTube video titled "My Quantum Trajectory – Professor John Preskill, Caltech | Chilloquium 2022" in which Professor John Preskill describes his journey from being a mediocre athlete to excelling in mathematics and physics. He talks about how he discovered that math was his passion and how Princeton's physics department helped him learn the differential forms and the variational principle.
• 00:15:00 John Preskill discusses his experience as a student of theoretical physics, and how the professors he admired, such as Sydney Coleman and Stephen Weinberg, made him feel uncomfortable. He eventually decided to attend Princeton University and study under Arthur Whiteman, who was a great mentor and patient teacher.
• 00:20:00 John Preskill, a professor at Caltech, recalls his time as a graduate student and how he came to be interested in cosmology and particle physics. He talks about his mentors, Michael Peskin and Ed Whitton, and how their interests in physics broadened his own. He also mentions the other students he interacted with at Harvard during this time and how they have gone on to become successful physicists.
• 00:25:00 Quantum physicist John Preskill shares his experiences during his doctoral studies, which included a discouraging rejection of his first paper and a subsequent turnaround in success. After being encouraged by other professors, he resubmitted the paper and it was accepted and published.
• 00:30:00 This YouTube video discusses the work of Professor John Preskill, who has made significant contributions to both cosmology and particle physics. Preskill discusses the idea that there could be new strong interactions that have not yet been discovered, which could account for the breaking of the electroweak symmetries. Additionally, he discusses the work of his mentor, Michael Peskin, which led to the proposal that axions could be the dark matter of the universe.
• 00:35:00 John Preskill discusses how his experiences as a professor have helped him develop his understanding of physics and how these experiences have helped him in his current work in quantum computing.
• 00:40:00 Professor John Preskill of Caltech discusses his time as a professor, his interest in quantum information, and how teaching was valuable to him. He notes that in the 1990s, there were few opportunities for post-docs in this field and that the current situation is due to the success of the current generation of students.
• 00:45:00 Professor John Preskill discusses how quantum computing has revolutionized physics research, and how it is still evolving. He also discusses how quantum computing is impacting other fields such as engineering and business.
• 00:50:00 The physicist John Preskill discusses his career in physics and how it has led him to work on problems in cosmology, topological defects, quantum information theory, and black holes. He discusses the importance of having the right team of collaborators and how their interactions have helped him progress in his field.
• 00:55:00 Professor John Preskill discusses his personal journey of figuring out his own path in life and how it has helped him in his work. He stresses the importance of being true to oneself and finding what is intellectually engaging, regardless of what others might think. He concludes by sharing that he hopes that his story will encourage others to follow their own path.