physics

Margaret Reid (scientist)

Margaret Reid (scientist) is a physics topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Margaret Reid (scientist) rather than just read about it. In short: Margaret Daphne Reid FAA is an Australian physicist known for her pioneering work in new fundamental tests of quantum theory, including teleportation and cryptography. She is a professor at Swinburne University of Technology.

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Reference excerpt

Margaret Daphne Reid FAA is an Australian physicist known for her pioneering work in new fundamental tests of quantum theory, including teleportation and cryptography. She is a professor at Swinburne University of Technology.

Career Reid graduated from the University of Auckland with a B.Sc. in 1978 and an M.Sc. in theoretical physics in 1980. She then undertook Ph.D. studies at Auckland University with Dan Walls FRS, graduating in 1984 with a doctoral thesis titled Squeezing and quantum effects in optics. She developed theories for the generation of squeezed states of light and quantum non-demolition measurement. Following several years as a lecturer at the University of Waikato, New Zealand, she was awarded an Australian QEII Fellowship to do research at the University of Queensland. She later became a researcher with the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Quantum and Atom Optics at the University of Queensland. She is currently Professor at Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne and works as a researcher within the Centre for Quantum and Optical Sciences.

Research Reid's work has focused on the fundamental tests of quantum mechanics, including of the Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradox and Bell's theorem, based on parametric down conversion and quantum optics. On working with squeezed states of light in the 1980s, Reid thought of a way to test entanglement, after noting scientists were able to amplify and detect the tiny quantum fluctuations of optical amplitudes. Experiments since have confirmed this mesoscopic type of entanglement in a range of environments, which enables a closer understanding of Schrödinger's cat. In the 1990s, scientists realised one can securely transmit a message through encrypting and using a shared key generated by entanglement to decode the message from the sender and receiver. Using the quantum key meant the message was completely secure from interception during transmission. In a landmark publication, Reid's research group outlined Einstein's reservations about entanglement, a phenomenon he referred to as "'spooky' action at a distance". In this paper, a theoretical proof that such messages can be shared between more than two people and may provide unprecedented security for a future quantum internet, is provided for the first time. Sending entanglement to a larger number of people means the key can be distributed among all the receiving parties, so they must collaborate to decipher the message, which makes the message even more secure. The report showed that a secure message can be shared by up to three to four people, opening the possibility to the theory being applicable to secure messages being sent from many too many. The message will also remain secure if the devices receiving the message have been tampered with, like if an iPhone were hacked, because of the nature of entanglement. Discovering that it can be applied to a situation with more parties has the potential to create a more secure Internet – with less messages being intercepted from external parties.

Honours and awards For Reid's contributions to the fields of quantum entanglement and non-locality, she was made a fellow of the Optical Society of America and a fellow of the American Physical Society. She was also awarded a visiting position at Harvard University and a JILA Fellowship at the University of Colorado in the USA.

2019, Moyal Medal, Macquarie University (first women physicist to receive the Moyal Medal) 2017, Fellow of the Australian Institute of Physics 2017, Fellow of the American Physical Society for "fundamental contributions to quantum information and quantum optics, in particular to tests of the Einstein–Podolsky–Rosen (EPR) paradox, EPR steering, optical Bell tests, and quantum squeezing." 2014, Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science 2007, Fellow of the Optical Society of America for "developing ways to test the fundamental concepts of nonlocality, squeezing, Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen paradoxes, entanglement, and macroscopic superpositions in quantum optical systems." 1994, Australian Research Council QE2 Fellowship The Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Science (received in 2014) is a great accomplishment for any Australian scientist, but Reid sees it as further recognition for women scientists: "The idea that women are in any way inferior when it comes to doing physics or mathematics is a complete myth. Unfortunately, a big problem is that not all the great achievements made by the women physicists of the last century were properly recognised. But that has and will continue to change as more and more women are recognised for their contributions to science."

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Margaret Reid (scientist)

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Margaret Reid (scientist) claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In physics, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Margaret Reid (scientist) before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Margaret Reid (scientist) ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Margaret Reid (scientist)

In research: Margaret Reid (scientist) appears in physics research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Margaret Reid (scientist) in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Margaret Reid (scientist) is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 21st-century New Zealand physicists, 21st-century New Zealand women scientists, 21st-century women physicists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Margaret Reid (scientist) outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Margaret Reid (scientist) in 20 minutes

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Frequently asked questions

What is Margaret Reid (scientist) in simple terms?

Why does Margaret Reid (scientist) matter?

Because it connects several physics ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Margaret Reid (scientist)?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Margaret Reid (scientist).