Dr. Armin Tavakoli is a theoretical physicist. He researches quantum mechanics, which concerns nature on the smallest scales, such as atoms and particles. His focus is partly on understanding foundational questions in a world governed by the laws of quantum mechanics and partly on applying quantum mechanics to information processing tasks such as communication and computation. Originally from Sweden, he was active in research in Stockholm, Barcelona, Gdansk, and Berkeley before receiving his Ph.D. from the University of Geneva in 2020. Currently, he is a postdoctoral researcher at Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) and the Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI).

---

The world is not real: quantum mechanics needs imaginary numbers

Armin discusses the intertwined relationship between mathematics and physics. At TEDxTUWien 2022, he will tell the story of how the imaginary number, originally a controversial mathematical innovation, has now found its way into the foundations of quantum mechanics, our leading physics theory of the smallest things in nature.

Watch now