
<p>Last week I had the pleasure of attending the <a href="https://summit.aps.org/">Global Physics Summit</a> (GPS) in Anaheim California, where I rubbed shoulders with 15,0000 fellow physicists. The best part of being there was chatting with lots of different people, and in this podcast I share two of those conversations.</p>

<p>First up is <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/people/cnayak/">Chetan Nayak</a>, who is a senior researcher at Microsoft’s Station Q quantum computing research centre here in California. In February, Nayak and colleagues claimed a breakthrough in the development of topological quantum bits (qubits) based on Majorana zero modes. In principle, such qubits could enable the development of practical quantum computers, but <a href="https://physicsworld.com/a/experts-weigh-in-on-microsofts-topological-qubit-claim/">not all physicists were convinced</a>, and the announcement remains controversial – despite further results presented by Nayak in a <a href="https://summit.aps.org/events/MAR-F14/1">packed session</a> at the GPS.</p>
<p>I caught up with Nayak after his talk and asked him about the challenges of achieving Microsoft’s goal of a superconductor-based topological qubit. That conversation is the first segment of today’s podcast.</p>
<h3>Distinctive jumping technique</h3>
<p>Up next, I chat with Atharva Lele about the physics of <a href="https://physicsworld.com/a/manu-jumping-the-physics-of-making-a-bigger-splash/">manu jumping</a>, which is a competitive aquatic sport that originates from the Māori and Pasifika peoples of New Zealand. Jumpers are judged by the height of their splash when they enter the water, and the best competitors use a very distinctive technique.</p>
<p>Lele is an undergraduate student at the <a href="https://www.gatech.edu/">Georgia Institute of Technology</a> in the US, and is part of team that <a href="https://summit.aps.org/events/MAR-A04/2">analysed manu techniques</a> in a series of clever experiments that included plunging robots. He explains how to make a winning manu jump while avoiding the pain of a belly flop.</p>
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<p><a class="no-caption size-thumbnail" href="https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/IYQ-logo-stacked-blue.png" data-featherlight=""><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-118548" src="https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IYQST-logo-box-272x317.png" alt="" width="272" height="317" srcset="https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IYQST-logo-box-272x317.png 272w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IYQST-logo-box-181x211.png 181w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IYQST-logo-box-879x1024.png 879w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IYQST-logo-box-768x895.png 768w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IYQST-logo-box-343x400.png 343w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IYQST-logo-box-354x412.png 354w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IYQST-logo-box-352x410.png 352w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IYQST-logo-box-635x740.png 635w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IYQST-logo-box-169x197.png 169w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IYQST-logo-box-166x193.png 166w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IYQST-logo-box-215x250.png 215w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IYQST-logo-box-77x90.png 77w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IYQST-logo-box-110x128.png 110w, https://physicsworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/IYQST-logo-box.png 1200w" sizes="(max-width: 272px) 100vw, 272px" /></a></p>
<p>This article forms part of <i>Physics World</i>&#8216;s contribution to the <a title="https://quantum2025.org/en/about/" href="https://quantum2025.org/en/about/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener"><strong>2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology</strong></a> (IYQ), which aims to raise global awareness of quantum physics and its applications.</p>
<p>Stayed tuned to <em>Physics World</em> and our international partners throughout the next 12 months for more coverage of the IYQ.</p>
<p><a href="https://physicsworld.com/c/quantum/"><span data-teams="true">Find out more on our quantum channel.</span></a></p>
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