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Scientist

Yakir Aharonov

1932- · quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, quantum information
Israeli physicist who predicted the Aharonov-Bohm effect, demonstrating the fundamental role of electromagnetic potentials in quantum mechanics even in the absence of fields. This effect has applications in quantum computing.

Biography

Born in Haifa. Studied at the Technion, PhD at the University of Bristol (UK). Worked at the University of South Carolina, then at Tel Aviv and Chapman universities. Member of the US National Academy of Sciences and the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. Recipient of many awards, including the Wolf Prize.

Key discoveries

💡 Initially, colleagues were skeptical of the Aharonov-Bohm effect, but later it was confirmed experimentally and became a classic of quantum physics.
"He believed that quantum mechanics teaches us that reality is richer than we could have imagined without equations."
Concepts
superpositionquantum computer
Laws
Aharonov-Bohm effect
Scientists
Alain AspectDavid DeutschLouis de BroglieRichard FeynmanDavid WinelandWerner HeisenbergArtur EkertGilles Brassard

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